Librarian is the new Postal

Jan 23, 2009

{ we are still in high demand }

-Excellent

There are very few things that I can’t put on a professional face and rise above. I will say that vomit is one of these things. I can’t stand hearing people throw up. If you are sick, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD don’t come to the library or any other public place. I don’t want to catch whatever it is that is making you throw up. I don’t want to hear you throw up. I am NOT going to clean up after you.

Today a man went into the restroom, which is right up front in our lobby area, not far from where I sit. In the echoing restroom he coughs for about five minutes and then vomits. Loudly. This is repeated two or three times.

this is bad enough

He then leaves the restroom, sits down at my desk, and while gasping and wiping his face with a handkerchief ASKS ME TO RESERVE 30 CDs FOR HIM.

What the hell.....

I’m deathly ill and throwing up, but I just gotta have those Doobie Brothers cds. Better head on down to the liberry!

Labels: CD, Gilbert Library, vomit

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Aug 7, 2008

{ Library math }

-Excellent

Formula for how the rest of your day will go:

Take the percentage of your reference questions so far that have to do with tattoos, multiplied by two if they want you to find them a pattern, quadrupled if the tattoo artist is waiting in their car.

Multiply by the number of times a patron has touched your shoulder, thigh, or otherwise infringed on your personal space.

Add the number of times a teenage boy has winked at you and/or hummed stripper music when you ask them to lower their voices.

Multiply by the number of times you have received a request for a movie that won’t be released on DVD for another four months.

Divide by the square root of your hourly wage.

The result: an exercise in futility. Every day is about the same, anyway.

Labels: futility, Gilbert Library, math

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May 31, 2007

{ Order please }

Smartass-
"Primary purpose of a library," you ask? Wouldn't that be helping people find information, be they books, resources or whatnot? Butofcourse! So you can imagine my confusion over the hooplah surrounding Gilbert Library in AZ (via Library Revolution), where they will be tossing out Dewey decimal system in favor of shelving books in a style similar to a bookstore... BY TOPIC! *GASP*SHOCK*AMAZEMENT*!

Right then, Dewey does this already, but the purpose of this new system is not necessarily to shake things up, but to arrange things more conveniently for patrons to find. I'm lost as to why this would be a bad thing. Some comments have ranged from -Dewey makes things easier on libraries- as though the new arrangement will do away with staff training and knowledge on layout of the library to -Libraries are not bookstores!- which is both true and stupid. People are comfortable with bookstores, they have refreshments, entertainment, seating, you know, things that matter to places where they need to draw people in. Libraries, pssh, we don't want people. No sir, you get your PDR, grab your PCs for Dummies book and get the hell out! We're above needing or wanting to have people to help. It's bad enough we conceded to put "PUBLIC" in public library...

Labels: bookstore, dewey, Gilbert Library, Library Revolution

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