Librarian is the new Postal

Jun 25, 2007

{ The library is not a sane place }

Smartass-
Anyone who can work an extended period of time in a library knows this. No one comes out sane. It's a matter of mental osmosis, I'm fairly certain of this now, so it's a matter of who you work with and who you serve. Today, Excellent Help Bitch and I both were told to "fuck off" for asking someone to use proper language in the library. After talking to said person, I was told that harassment charges would be filed against me for asking him to leave the premises. See, I'm harassing him by working here and asking he follow library policy. Damn me and my strong work ethic.

Then there's the matter of using a copier to resize some text. Some people tend to find it difficult to understand that copying something at 50% will make the text smaller. *headdesk*

Then there's the matter of a jaded substitute employee, who recently lost in a job interview to someone who just *happens* to be the director's secretary's daughter... After she was promised the job. Her words "this system is so messed up with hiring, it should be in Kentucky". Lovely inbred joke :).

I'm slipping. I dunno how much longer I can hold out. Look for me in a Nancy Pearl outfit, shusshing people at random...

EDIT:
I also had the intense joy of taking reference person's favorite type of question.
patron- I need to know how to identify marijuana, My neighbors are growing it.

Labels: crazy, excellent help bitch, help, inbred, insane, Nancy Pearl

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Jun 15, 2007

{ NO, just, NO }

Smartass-
Working in the library we've got pretty low standards (so's not to hurt no feelin's), so it's not very often that something hits below those standards. For example, an open package of ground beef left on one of the children's book shelves overnight (dried beef blood is no fun to scrub off). Or today's experience. I come in, switch on some lights, move some miscellaneous papers to the community shelf and see this advert on our community bulletin board:

June 15-June 17
Basement Sale!!!
{address removed by moi}
Toys! Clothes! Knick Knacks!
WTF? Basement sale? That's straight creepy...

Labels: basement sale

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Jun 10, 2007

{ "Wheee! Swirly!" }

Excellent-

A mother came in with her little boy. Rather than accompanying and helping him in the restroom, she just pointed him in the right direction and wandered over to look at DVDs. The restrooms in our library are right next to the Circulation desk, one stall, and have a nice echo so that staff members can hear everything that goes on in there.

At first it you could just hear singing. The singing was kind of cute: “aww. The little guy is singing in the bathroom.” Then he staring yelling: “Mommy. Mommy. Mommyyyyyyyyyyy!.” Now to be clear, we are a small library. Everybody in the branch could hear this. The mother is in the DVD aisle rolling her eyes. After about five minutes of this she walks over to the restroom and yells through the door: “quit playing around with the echo and get out here.” She storms back to the DVD aisle, past me (trying hard to keep a straight face), and tells me “He's five.” That must explain everything.

This is where it gets good. He flushes the toilet. He flushes it again. There's a big giggle. He flushes it seven more times, each flush followed by a “Wheeeeee! Swirly!” When he finally RUNS out of the bathroom shrieking, I have to go find the only male staff member to “please check for flooding in the mens room.” It's always the mens room. At least this was more humorous than the time someone finger painted with fecal matter on the walls.

Labels: bad parents. restrooms, brats, Swirly

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