Too Tired

To bitch much. Wednesday I drove to Austin to see a concert (Franz Ferdinand/Death Cab for Cutie for those curious ones). Great, great, great show. Of course, I love FF so they could have sucked and I would have enjoyed it. After the show I drove back to Loserville and went to bed at three a.m. I worked the next day and then watched the pilot episode of Firefly and the first episode. Stayed up reading till 1 a.m. (BTW - Firefly=excellent and I kick myself for never having watched it before). Friday I worked AGAIN and then went to see Franz Ferdinand/Death Cab For Cutie AGAIN in Dallas and AGAIN they were excellent. After the show I returned home and watched another Firefly. In bed by 2 a.m. Now I am at work again and strangely enough I am being really nice to the patrons. I think I am too brain dead (although not physically tired) to make an effort to be superior. Tomorrow I am getting up at 5:30 to go watch a friend run a half marathon and then I get to work again. I will then work everyday until Thursday and then FINALLY have a glorious Friday off with nothing to get up early for and nowhere planned to go. To steal McDonald's jingle- I'm Lovin It.

Going Round and Round

A patron recently came in to use one of the four study carrels we have. I took his information and went over to unlock the door of the carrel I signed him up for.
Patron: Is study carrel B available?
Me: Yes it is, would you rather have that one?
Patron: No this one is fine.
I get the door unlocked and turn to go.
Patron: Is study carrel B open?
Me: Yes, would you like that one?
Patron: Yes please.

Did he just entirely miss where I had answered him before? Hello people, please pay attention. Do not force me to look at you for several minutes blinking because I can't believe how dumb you are.

We have a payments desk downstairs (we don't charge fines, just for lost or damaged books) and we often have to send people downstairs to get change when they have anything larger than a 5. For some reason it irritates them to have to ride down on the elevator, walk about 15 ft. and get change. You would think we were sending them across the Sahara.

We charge 10 cents a print. I often have people come up and ask if they can use a debit card. WHY, OH WHY?!?!?! Why would you want to put 20 or 30 cents on a debit card? If you have no change, go hang out by a toll booth. People miss the toll basket all the time and you can gather the change and come get your prints. Then you could use the left over change to get lunch.

We have a reservation computer but for the first 10 minutes of the day we have a sign on it that says "Go to any computer and sign in with your library card." I had just watched this man walk over, read this sign, and then come ask me how to get a computer. Why do we bother with signage? No one reads it and the people who do read it don't understand it.

Last one - Again with the reservation computer. We have 34 computers with internet access for patron use. They are arrayed all in one area close to the reference desk. I often have people ask how to get a computer so I walk them to the reservation computer and the first thing they snap out is "I have to stand here and use it?" 34 computers all within sight and they ask this. I have to explain (and I do this at least 10 times every hour when I am on the reference desk) that the reservation computer is to make RESERVATIONS, not to use.

I really like being a librarian, I really, really do, but the elitist snob in me wonders why I have to deal with so many willfully ignorant people.

That Feeling That Something Is Wrong

I had that feeling this morning. It wasn't that I had left the windows at my apartment open and it looked like it was going to rain (I went back and shut them), it wasn't that I left late because of the windows, it wasn't that the people at Einstein Bros were sullen (they usually are), and it wasn't the crappy drivers who go 35 in a 45 - IT WAS THE ELECTION SIGNS STUCK IN THE GROUND OUTSIDE THE LIBRARY AND ALL OF THEM WERE FOR REPUBLICANS!!! Am I wrong in thinking that it appears as though the library supports one political party over another? Does this mean I can talk politics at work?

In other news, I taught a blogging class Sunday. Six people showed up and they all asked questions. I like getting questions, it's like they actually want to learn something.

Stinky Man is getting worse since it is getting warmer outside. Sweet Jesus on a Saltine cracker, I wish he would take a bath or run through a sprinkler systems or follow a fire truck to a fire and get hosed down. Today one half of the upstairs area smelled like him. I wish patrons would complain so we could do something about it.

We had brownies the other day. One had nuts, one didn't. Another librarian asked me what the difference was. I thought a second as to whether I should share the first answer that popped into my head. I did. "Those are boy brownies, and those are girl". He laughed, I was safe.

***This just in Dumb People Doing Dumb Things Is it me or is this just slightly rediculous?

Thanks, Pop Culture Librarian

I was going to use this as a comment on Pop Culture Librarian's blog (it won't let me make a link, sorry, use the link on the right) but then I decided I wanted to make a post out of it.

I always wanted to be an assassin growing up because it looked so glamorous in the James Bond movies but then I saw The Professional and changed my mind.

In the January 2006 issue of Library Journal there was an article called "No Problem with Problem Patrons" and after reading that, I realize I was a librarian all along.
The author, David Isaacson, says "Let's face it: some of us librarians are shy bookworms, misfits who are not cut out for conventional jobs outside the sometimes excessively rule-bound world of libraries" Now I am not so much a shy bookworm, I am a talkative, outgoing one, but I am a misfit who happens to really like how libraries afford me the opportunity to be messy, slack off at times, work really hard most times, be creative, talk to patrons about subjects I would never have even know about otherwise, and to just be me.

If you get a chance, check out the article and let me know what you think.

Score One For Me

I taught my first class tonight...Basic PowerPoint...and I have to say that I think I did quite well. I had 8 people show up (the classroom only holds 10) and they all seemed to have had a good time. The class was supposed to have been 2 hours long but I finished up in one hour and let whoever wanted to leave go early. I had one lady stay the whole two hours and went over some other computer stuff with her.

In other library news, I got one sponser and a judge for my Edible Book contest coming up at the beginning of April. I have never had to solicite for donations but it went pretty easy. I think the promise of free advertising really helps to win business people over.

I had a lady get irate over the fact that we had withdrawn a book she wanted to read but I calmed her down by telling her about interlibrary loan and showed her how easy it was to get that book from another library. She was happy about that and left in a much better mood.

I now have to get ready to teach a class on blogging and one on Basic Word. I also have to design flyers for my Edible Book contest (this is fortunately almost done), find a few more places willing to donate prizes, and place an order for the books I want to order for my little part of the collection. So for all those people who think being a librarian is just about sitting at a desk answering questions, I would like to just say HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

The Unbearable Lameness of Programs

Programming is a great thing, sometimes. Why is it so hard to get people to come to library events? What does it take, handing out $5's at the door. Promising them a four course dinner? Perhaps the programs just suck so much no one wants to come. Maybe the program wasn't advertised. Why am I whining about this, you ask? I whine because I am in Community Relations. It is part of my job (and really every librarian's who works here) to come up with wonderful, sparkling, fresh programming that will get the people of the community to come out and see us and hopefully go home with a renewed sense of what their library a) looks like and b) does for them.

My first program, which is really a contest but it involves community support and participation, is an edible books contest. This international contest is held every year and involves making something literary using only food items. The entire submission has to be edible (other than the pan or board it is placed on). To see what I am talking about but can't explain very well, go here.

On another note, you know what makes librarians so great? Patience. We have the patience to go read FAQ's, search an entire website page, and click on every available link to find an answer whereas anyone else would have just given up and gone on (or come to the reference desk to complain to us that they can't find the information and can we just do it for them, which we do ON THE SAME PAGE THEY TRIED TO FIND IT ON). I love when someone tells me, "nah, nah you can't find it on that page, I already tried looking there" but then you, the librarian, do find it. I love stomping on other people rectitude.

Strange

Within a few days of its appearing, my last post has evidently been eaten by Blogger. No great loss, it was boring anyway.

I don't know how some of you do it. I always end the day with things to blog about on here regarding the library but by the time I actually sit down to write, all those things are forgotten. So instead I will fill you in a bit:

I am a new librarian. I worked for a year as a GLA at the university I attended. It was fun and I loved working in the academic environment. At the same time I was attending class and working as a part time GLA, I was also working full time at a place called Majors. We were a warehouse and distribution center for medical books of all publishers. I liked working there until the minions of hell (aka Baker & Taylor) bought the company. Everything went to shit and as soon as I graduated I got the hell out. I now work for a public library and I love it. It's very strange to put the things you learn in school ( at least some of what you learn) into practice. I am currently working on a community analysis project which is part of the library long range master plan. I have never done this stuff before so it is slow going but I am learning quite a bit. I also do collection development for the 500's (yessiree, Dewey). I am also taking a part in programming, community outreach, technology planning, and oh so much more. I always want to smack people when they ask me why I had to get a master's degree to be a librarian. HELLO?!?!?! There is more to being a librarian than telling patrons where a book is. Sometimes I actually have to get up and show them. Damn that is hard work!!

My two biggest complaints are the 'pooter users (I had a patron pronounce it that way today as in 'I don't know nothin bout pooters.') and our stinky patron. Now the stinky patron is a really nice guy and from what I can tell pretty smart but he smells like he hasn't bathed in ummmmm not just days but weeks, possibly months.

I resent when patrons who want to use the internet toss their cards at me. I leave it on the desk and get up to go to the reservation computer, leaving them to pick up their card and follow me. I resent rude patrons who need my help but are jerks when I try to help them.

That's all for now. So until tomorrow's rant (provided I remember it), I am so out of here.