This man came in today and asked me for the title "The Prince of Machiavelli." It took me a moment but then I asked him,
"You mean, "The Prince" by Machiavelli?"
I figured that would end the matter but he chose to argue with me.
"No, I think you're wrong. It's not BY Machiavelli. It's called "The Prince of Machiavelli."
I looked at him and thought, "Why is this guy arguing with me? I work in a library!"
I calmly told him that no, that wasn't the title. Machiavelli is the author. I ordered it for him and told him that if it ended up being the wrong one, he could send it back. I guess we'll see.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Saturday, March 19, 2005
The Whiner
Ah Saturdays. So tedious. So tiresome. So full of whiners.
At my humble little library system, it is our policy that if a customer is waiting for an item, you cannot renew it. This holds true of any item in our system, regardless if it is new or not.
A customer approached my co-worker J. and just threw a ginormous s***fit just now because she couldn't renew an item because someone is waiting for it. She started yelling, "This is ridiculous! You should always get at least one renewal. No matter what!"
Now, if this woman was the one WAITING for the item, I bet we'd hear another story. She'd complain that someone was allowed to keep it for one three-week checkout to begin with.
So, this whiner is so upset that she demanded to speak the manager about the library's policy. So, far she has been bitching for about 15 minutes. And since we only have two librarians, this is causing a giant line at the reference desk while she pleads her groundless case.
Sigh.
At my humble little library system, it is our policy that if a customer is waiting for an item, you cannot renew it. This holds true of any item in our system, regardless if it is new or not.
A customer approached my co-worker J. and just threw a ginormous s***fit just now because she couldn't renew an item because someone is waiting for it. She started yelling, "This is ridiculous! You should always get at least one renewal. No matter what!"
Now, if this woman was the one WAITING for the item, I bet we'd hear another story. She'd complain that someone was allowed to keep it for one three-week checkout to begin with.
So, this whiner is so upset that she demanded to speak the manager about the library's policy. So, far she has been bitching for about 15 minutes. And since we only have two librarians, this is causing a giant line at the reference desk while she pleads her groundless case.
Sigh.
Monday, March 14, 2005
The Marquis de Sade's Acolyte
Before I begin today's anecdote, I would like to address a certain topic. Blue2go wrote in asking about the library's homeless policy. Our library, like many others, has a policy of letting the homeless into the building on wretchedly cold days. This is a policy that I really like. (unlike most of the library's policies)
We have one homeless person who comes to our branch. I may have mentioned him before. We call him Smokey Lonesome. (after a character from "Fried Green Tomatoes") He comes in and looks at magazines all day and then leaves. One of my co-workers offered him a coat one time but he refused to take it. I worry about him during the coldest parts of the year and I hope he finds a warm place at night.
Now, on to today's story.
This crazy-eyed man came into the library recently to return some books and pick up some holds. All of his holds were books written by the Marquis de Sade. He grinned at me and asked me if I had ever heard of "this de SAY-d guy." [sic] I told him that I had read some of his stuff back in college and didn't care for it. Crazy-Eyes proceeded to expound upon the Marquis' virtues and how he had profound things to say about women.
Riiiigggghhttt.
Anyways, he said he was trying to read everything about the Marquis that he could get his hands on and that every night before he goes to bed, he reads a little bit of it. I'm sure that makes for sweet dreams. As I listened to this man spout absolute inaccuracies about the Marquis de Sade and his writings, I couldn't resist throwing in a little recommedation of my own. I guess I'll never learn.
I said, "Well, have you seen the movie "Quills?"
Crazy-Eyes responded, "Kills?"
"No, Quills! You know, like...a feather pen?"
I put the movie into his hand and felt I had accomplished some good in the world.
So far, the man has checked it out three times.
I hope that we don't read in the paper soon about a local crazy-eyed man who was conducting a sado-masochistic Romper Room in his basement based on books and movies he picked up at the library. Time will tell.
We have one homeless person who comes to our branch. I may have mentioned him before. We call him Smokey Lonesome. (after a character from "Fried Green Tomatoes") He comes in and looks at magazines all day and then leaves. One of my co-workers offered him a coat one time but he refused to take it. I worry about him during the coldest parts of the year and I hope he finds a warm place at night.
Now, on to today's story.
This crazy-eyed man came into the library recently to return some books and pick up some holds. All of his holds were books written by the Marquis de Sade. He grinned at me and asked me if I had ever heard of "this de SAY-d guy." [sic] I told him that I had read some of his stuff back in college and didn't care for it. Crazy-Eyes proceeded to expound upon the Marquis' virtues and how he had profound things to say about women.
Riiiigggghhttt.
Anyways, he said he was trying to read everything about the Marquis that he could get his hands on and that every night before he goes to bed, he reads a little bit of it. I'm sure that makes for sweet dreams. As I listened to this man spout absolute inaccuracies about the Marquis de Sade and his writings, I couldn't resist throwing in a little recommedation of my own. I guess I'll never learn.
I said, "Well, have you seen the movie "Quills?"
Crazy-Eyes responded, "Kills?"
"No, Quills! You know, like...a feather pen?"
I put the movie into his hand and felt I had accomplished some good in the world.
So far, the man has checked it out three times.
I hope that we don't read in the paper soon about a local crazy-eyed man who was conducting a sado-masochistic Romper Room in his basement based on books and movies he picked up at the library. Time will tell.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
The String Lady
Sometimes working at the library makes me feel like a sad clown in the Theatre of the Absurd.
I walked out for my final desk shift yesterday and there was a woman standing there with paperbacks from our booksale covering half of the circulation desk. That in itself wasn't that strange. She had just paid for the books (approx. 30 mass market paperbacks) and one of our employees had given her a ball of string. Don't ask me why. So, the woman was working on this elaborate art project with the string and books. She was tying up little parcels of paperbacks books and covering them with string. But she didn't contect herself with this level of eccentricity alone...oh no....she had to accost other patrons as well.
She took it upon herself to chase after several customers and ask if they had small children. Ostensibly to inform them about the library's children's programs. Why she felt the need to act as our publicist, I don't know. Then, when a police officer came in to pick up his holds, she leaned across the desk and said, "I didn't know you people knew how to read." Nice. Then, she grabbed a book called Tropical Spa off of an endcap and ran over to an elderly Japanese woman with it. She thrust it into the startled woman's hands saying, "This looks like something you might be interested in." Really? On what basis?
After an hour of tying up books, the String Lady demanded that my co-worker J. load them into individual sacks for her and then promised to return soon.
We can hardly wait.
I walked out for my final desk shift yesterday and there was a woman standing there with paperbacks from our booksale covering half of the circulation desk. That in itself wasn't that strange. She had just paid for the books (approx. 30 mass market paperbacks) and one of our employees had given her a ball of string. Don't ask me why. So, the woman was working on this elaborate art project with the string and books. She was tying up little parcels of paperbacks books and covering them with string. But she didn't contect herself with this level of eccentricity alone...oh no....she had to accost other patrons as well.
She took it upon herself to chase after several customers and ask if they had small children. Ostensibly to inform them about the library's children's programs. Why she felt the need to act as our publicist, I don't know. Then, when a police officer came in to pick up his holds, she leaned across the desk and said, "I didn't know you people knew how to read." Nice. Then, she grabbed a book called Tropical Spa off of an endcap and ran over to an elderly Japanese woman with it. She thrust it into the startled woman's hands saying, "This looks like something you might be interested in." Really? On what basis?
After an hour of tying up books, the String Lady demanded that my co-worker J. load them into individual sacks for her and then promised to return soon.
We can hardly wait.
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