~ Little Girl ~
Jun 23, 2008
Main Entry: li·brary
Pronunciation: \lī-brer-ē, -bre-rē; British usually & US sometimes -brər-ē; US sometimes -brē, -ber-ē, -be-rē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural li·brar·ies
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French librarie, Medieval Latin librarium, from Latin, neuter of librarius of books, from libr-, liber inner bark, rind, book
Date: 14th century
1: A place of learning.
2: Somewhere you can go to correct the inaccuracies you were told by a teacher.
Actually this is addressed to the both of you, who feel that you are now ready to begin learning how to truly use a computer, internet and how to print things out. For that I commend you, bravo, well done and all that jazz. You might, however, want to alter your immediate surroundings to improve your chances of learning. For starters, try paying slightly more attention to the child you brought in with you. Your child (and I use your to mean he is in your posession) has a fondness for screaming and crying and it appears his favorite past-time is faking coughing, sneezing and choking. You may want to check that he is just faking it. Or you may want to unbuckle him from his stroller, seeing as how he couldn't possibly be a day under 4, and probably feels rather confined, as many 4 year olds do.
Another tip would be to exercise some amount of common sense. When printing something off, something you are required to pay for, try reading the text of the buttons you are clicking. For instance, you clicked on the "Staff Override" button. I believe you meant to click on "Pay for your Prints" button. You are not of the caliber that we here at the library hire. No offense. Incidentally, I will not tell you the staff password.
The last bit of sound advice I can give you at the moment is to pay attention to the mistakes your spouse/lover/friend/sister/whomever made. I explained them to her a mere minute and a half ago, with you right beside us seeming to pay attention, a decent 25 feet from your much-irritated child. Yes, I understand your question, and why you might be a little confused. No, I will not give you the staff password.
Yours truly
smartass boy
Jun 21, 2008
'Well Shit' is about all my brain could process.
So there's this little girl that comes to the library a lot with her mom. Well today the older brother (whom is currently out of juvie on probation) came along. She was getting excited about her summer reading prizes and being a little boisterous, when he turned around told her to "shut the fuck up" and slaped her (seriously you could hear it through the library).
The mom was right on top of the situation, apologizing and making sure her daughter was okay, I made sure they were both okay and are guard helped get the 'boy' (who then had started yelling at his mom) out of the library.
The guard also walked out with them to their car.
Why can't quiet days stay that way the whole day?
Labels: ahhh, annoying, coworkers, patronsJun 20, 2008That being said, there was actually a patron who managed to outdo her today on the screaming bloody annoyance scale, when she had to go home and come back at least four times because she was over her fine limit, didn't understand the concept of having too many items overdue, had mixed up the discs in her CD cases, and since she has fucked up her own card so badly she can no longer use it, she is now fucking up her daughter's card just as badly. AND whenever she has to pay an overdue/lost/damaged fee, doesn't fail to accuse us of fucking up and losing her items/failing to check in her items/any number of strangely outlandish scenarios she can think of to avoid taking responsibility. Well, it ain't gonna work, lady! Your reputation precedes you, and nobody in our branch is going to buy your story.The rest of the day was pretty okay, though.
Labels: bitch printer printing tantrum, DVD, excellent help bitch, patrons, VHSJun 18, 2008
Lovely patron this afternoon. She wanted me to find her some VHS tapes. No, she can't wait for them to be brought from other branches. She needs them now. The specific ones she wants are only available at another branch, and most of them are only available on DVD. She doesn't have a DVD player. We are discriminating against patrons that don't have DVD players. And she can't wait. Fine. She just wants to see what VHS we DO have. But she really needs some documentaties. That lady at the desk already showed her where they were, but now she can't remember. They were over “there” somewhere.
“Over there” somewhere turned out to be the mystery section. The mystery BOOK section.
“These are books. But I can show you where the VHS would be.”
“No. The lady told me they were here. These are all documentaries.”
“These are books. Mystery Books.”
“No. See. They're tapes.” She pulls one off the shelf. “Oh. I guess they are books. Where's the VHS? She told me they was here.”
“As I was saying, if you will follow me to the next aisle.”
“Where's all the VHS? Is this a VHS? I need a documentary.”
“These are DVD. See, the case is too small for a tape to fit into. We do have a few VHS. Here's one.”
“No. That's not it.”
“And here's one. We are phasing them out.”
“This is bullshit. I need VHS. You are discriminating against me.”
“As I said, I would be happy to reserve something from another branch for you.”
“This is bullshit. What about these? Are these VHS?”
“Those are books on tape.”
“No. That lady told me these are VHS.”
“I can assure you that they are books. On Cassette tape. And CD, in fact.”
“This is bullshit. You're discriminating against me.”
And so on. But it gets better. She finally turned around in the aisle and told me that she was done with me, there was nothing I could do to help her. So I went back over to the reference desk and started to help a nice elderly man who had been patiently waiting with a real reference question for about ten minutes. Just as I started to enter his information into my computer she came back over to my desk.
“I need you to reserve me those VHS.”
“Certainly, but I'm helping another patron right now.”
“No. I was here first.”
“And then you said you were done and I am helping another patron. But if you will just give me your library card I will see what.....”
“This is bullshit.”
And she left the building in full-grown-adult bitchy tantrum mode, leaving my other patron to stare at me like a bitch with two heads.
And that was just a minor event from the hell that was today.
Jun 16, 2008
Shakes head and sighs. Very loudly, and right about now not giving a shit if the patron hears me.
Why? Because is not my fault we don't have anywhere to have programs, it's not my fault that all the children's computers are out of use. And it sure as shit is'nt my problem that I have to tell you to get out of the way so another patron can get her prints.
You have an 120 minute wait, you are in a library, if you can read an internet window you can go read a book, find a comic book for crying out loud.
Labels: computers, internet, putersJun 10, 2008
We have only been open an hour, but already every conceivable computer problem that could occur, has occured. Mind you, there is nothing wrong with our computers. These are cases of operator error.
“Maaaaam this machine isn’t working. I hit the button and nothing happens.”
Translation: they have hit EVERY button on the copy machine, and tried to feed a sheet of paper through the auto-feed that looks like it was originally printed sometime in the 1980s. Now there is a paper jam... among other things.
"My card isn’t workiong.”
Translation: Even though you are here EVERY DAY promptly at 9:00 to use our computers, you still don’t know to click on the icon on the screen that says “Reserve a PC” before dumbly scanning your card through the card reader. You dumb fuck.....
"I put the money in but it’s still not working.”
Translation: I didn’t click on print but I still expect the computer to psychicly know that I want it to send my documents to the printer.
And now there is a message on my phone from the IT department saying that they are working on the network. So the choruses of “my puter aint working” are sounding throughout the library, and I just don’t give a shit. My puter aint working either.
Labels: bookstore, booze, DVD, movies, reading, stupidity, summer reading clubJun 9, 2008
I know it’s a subject that has been ranted and raved about forever. But here I go again.... Summer Reading Club. I hate the Summer Reading Club. The patrons seem to hate Summer Reading Club. Why do we go through the same misery every year?
The agony starts with the fact that despite having sent out numerous emails in advance on exactly how to sign people up for the club, my coworkers still stare at me blankly when I explain why they can’t sign up a teen for the children’s club. Also when I explain that they need to put the entry form in the box that is labeled “entry forms go here.” Also when I say “Just send them to me, I’ll do it........”
Then there are the arguments with patrons who want to kow why the prizes are so shitty. (It is FREE. You don’t want your crappy prize, don’t sign-up.)
Then there is the problem that in order to avoid excluding anyone, the library people in charge decided a couple of years ago to open the adult (not the children or teens. They are apparently held to higher standards) READING club to also include DVDs and CDs (not books on CD. The music kind). So our new theme is “Join the Summer Reading Club and sit on your ass in front of the TV all summer long for shitty prizes that you are going to throw in the librarian's waste-can as soon as her back is turned.”
Enjoy.
Jun 7, 2008
If someone asked me what I though customer service was, I would reply that it is being polite and possibly even telling people "have a nice weekend". Because on rainy days a smile can be a pick me up.
To bad this patron didn't understand that upon telling you to have a nice day is therefore the end of my conversationing and I have to help the next person.
Me: "Have a good weekend".
Patron: "Oh well I doubt it, my moher's (yes I spelled it right) back from the hospital and she's a real wench. Got to put up with that damn bitch for three days." and still rambling he leaves, thank the fates.
Oh well there's worse things in the world.
Jun 4, 2008
I want to go home. Some days I just get sick and tired of being willing to work other branches. I hate Summer Reading right about now too.
Maybe I should fine a way to clone myself.
Because obviously there being a line at the desk and a stack of returns constitutes walking past the desk looking at me saying "Oh your busy" and the walking back into the meeting room.
