smartass-
Labels: bats, Coffee, garden, heat, hot
Labels: big sweaty mess, hot, really hotMar 26, 2007
Holy crap...it's hot. I don't mean outside, where the weather is nice and balmy, and I'm really happy about that. No, I mean inside the library, a library which just had it's AC replaced a couple years ago. As of this exact time, it is 78 degrees in the building, and has been for a good 6 hours. This library system spends 40 million dollars a year, and yet it can't afford to get a decent HVAC system for the branches. This winter, we cheered when the temperature hit 70 degrees inside, and now we're up approaching 80...in March! Anyways, sorry to whine and moan, but it's sooooo hot...:-(
Hot like a fox. HVAC was replaced 2 years ago this sumemr. Reason for said heat:
Labels: "reference", browser, pcs
We offer free internet, provide the computers to browse the internet, maintain the computers that are used to browse the internet, and offer classes on how to use the computers that have internet access. However, we don't have an icon for the browser on our public PCs. This is a major problem. This means that at least 13 (what? it's a good number) "reference" questions are directly related to "my 'puters got not internets."
"Yes, there is no icon on the desktop, however this does not negate the existance of a browser on this computer. Please feel free to overcome your dumbassery and check the programs list."
Labels: other duties as assigned, whiningMar 23, 2007
I'm a children's librarian. Let's see...when I was hired to my job, it was assumed that I would do such things as - read to children; purchase, organize, and learn about books for children; create programming for children; etc. Ya'll can see the direction this is going...normal job things for a children's librarian. Then, there's that last little asterisk at the bottom of the job description..."Other Duties As Assigned." This minor little phrase has taken on a life of its own.
Other Duties As Assigned:
-With Smartass Boy, plan and implement a new layout for our entire staff workroom, including the physical labor of moving everything.
-Do a large portion of my boss's work for her, including but not limited to: quarterly and annual reports; budgets; interviews.
-Become a security guard for the library. This includes removing obnoxious fighting children, adults looking at pornography, and people who smell too bad.
-Become an undercover tattletale, as one of the staff members who is now expected to tell our boss every time another specific staff member isn't doing her job.
This is just a small sampling of what "Other Duties As Assigned" means here for me. This is not to say that I didn't know I'd be doing a lot of these things coming in, it's just that your slightly fluffy looking job description gets a lot tougher looking after adding in everything else you have to do.
Labels: doomed, freetail, genealogists, The Big VMar 21, 2007
My wife repurposed an existng obscure term to fit perfectly for the work we library folk do. Freetail. Its definition is simple enough, just combine the words "free" and "retail" and not only do you have a pretty exact idea of the sort of work we have to do, you also get a pretty simple catchy word to toss around with those in the know. Working a freetail library job has its benefits, and its major drawbacks. Tonight for instance. I realized I have no spine when it comes to certain patrons, thanks largely to the biggest drawback of working freetail; people feel more comfortable treating staff like shit when everything's without a cost. We freetail employees are slaves to the idea that the public's happiness with us is the only thing that keeps us running. "The Big V" is a prime example. "The Big V" inspired the previous Library Adage, you know, the one about genealogists.
She called tonight, and I answered her call. It's no use defering that call to other staff members, she'd just ask for me anyway. And I let her walk right over me. I have no ability to say no to V, none at all, at least not since I told her I couldn't "babysit you and your son on the computers tonight." Big mistake, but ENTIERLY TRUE. An hour later, 35 pages printed from Ancestry, and V walks in the doors. Like I said, I can't say no to her, so she lets me do her genealogy work for her, not in her presence. Topping it off, between cowering in a blind spot in the workroom, she informs me that 27 of the pages are worthless to her and she'll just pay for them "later."
But it's ok, she'll call me up with new information about those very same people next week, information that completely negates the information I searched with tonight. DOOMED
Labels: genealogists, Library Adage, nameMar 20, 2007
If genealogists ask for you specifically, you're doomed.
Labels: children, computers, mmorpg, runescapeMar 6, 2007
Ok...seriously. It's about 5:30 right now, and I'm sitting five feet away from our 6 children's computers. There are, and I just counted, 16 people crowded around those 6 computers. And guess what EVERY screen has on it...yup, Runescape. Now, I understand that online gaming can be fun. I've played MMORPGs before. But holy crap, people, it's just a game! In the past few weeks, we've had fights, threats, screaming, and a bloody lip, because of a bunch of 10 year olds playing a game.
I am dreading summer vacation for these kids. I know that I'm a children's librarian, and that my position entails working with every kid, but good Lord...I'ma 'bout to smack every one of them over the head. They're only here from 3-8:30 right now, but give it a few more months, and they'll be here, with no breaks from 9-8:30...every day...for 2 months...playing this blasted game.
Ugg...I need coffee...coffee and an internet failure...
Labels: Coffee, More Coffee, Teen Tech WeekMar 5, 2007
So my work week officially starts in about 7 hours. I have no drive to even make it in to bed yet. This week is the first annual Teen Tech Week and I'm supposed to do something for it, throughout the week. I just dunno what to do. I had hopes of putting together a branch myspace, but that was nixed (for now) by the higher-ups. The only tech items I could demonstrate to our teens are the ones I own, but my laptop, mp3 players and everything I value is not going to be handed willy-nilly to a bunch of dvd thieves. Sometimes I really want to accomplish things at the branch, without all the red tape, the mismatching approvals from above and the need to justify every last desk move to a string of people who can't agree where to slap a few labels.
Here's to the pot of coffee I'll drink down, with some help from Sarcastic Bastard and a new member who will help us get this blog moving along (hopefully), which will spawn a tangent of partially conceived creative ideas for an oddly created awareness week. I mean really, a week to explain tech to teens? They're the ones who end up explaining it to most librarians!
