Annoying things patrons do, say, don't say, etc. Part 2

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Annoying things patrons do, say, don't say, etc. Part 2

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1vy0123
Editado: Jun 21, 2012, 5:58 am

Este mensaje fue borrado por su autor.

2skoobdo
Jun 21, 2012, 5:47 am

Vandalism on public and private clubs libraries materials done by irresponsible and "no common-sense" people. Digusting !

3weener
Jun 22, 2012, 3:17 am

Re: one of the last posts in the last thread, about the patron who would keep you for 15 minutes

I used to answer the phones for the library system, and JEEZ. I don't miss entertaining all the lonely people. There was this guy who would call for more information about everything he saw or heard about. Near the end of my time doing that job, his number on the caller ID changed to some Airport hotel and he got more and more unhinged.

Pre-Airport Hotel, they were something like this: "I saw this painting in the dentist's office, and the artist's signature said 'M. Heath.' It was a picture of a tree. Can you tell me more about this artist?"

Post-Airport Hotel: "I got a receipt from Circle K just now and the phone number was listed as (999) 999-9999. Can you tell me, in numerology, what this means? Is it a good omen or a bad omen?"

4skoobdo
Jun 22, 2012, 4:36 am

These lonely people need attention, or they just flew over" a
cuckoo's nest".

They need "help", join a social club.

5vy0123
Editado: Jun 29, 2012, 7:34 am

Este mensaje fue borrado por su autor.

6DanieXJ
Jun 22, 2012, 8:53 am

>4 skoobdo: For some, like the elderly or the infirm they can't get to a social club, and they don't want/or don't think they can deal with the internet, or whatever, perhaps they don't have family in the area who can visit either.

They call the library/reference desk because they know that it's pretty much in our job description that if you ask us a question, we can't just say, 'nope, won't answer that', and 9.99 out of 10 of us would never say that as long as it's a real question (and not something icky or rude, if it's icky or rude then we can say 'nope, not gonna answer that').

A lot of them are just as sane as every other sane person in the world, they're just so very, very lonely and homebound.

7vy0123
Editado: Jun 29, 2012, 7:34 am

Este mensaje fue borrado por su autor.

8PropLady67
Jun 22, 2012, 1:32 pm

Vandalizing books, changing diapers on study tables, dropping their kids off as soon as the doors open and not returning for some hours to pick them up and then complaining when we'd call the police in the meantime, "why should I have to pay for an old book?" when they lose it and trying to explain to them it's not paying for an "old book" but that it's replacement cost, patrons who monopolize the photocopier, parents and spouses who demand to see their children and spouses records and don't understand they can't because of patron privacy rules, and my favorite "This is what my tax dollars are going for?" and I'd always say, "my taxes go for this too, you know."

9weener
Jun 22, 2012, 1:57 pm

I answered a call from a patron who said she was injured, had no way to get around and needed some books. She asked if I or someone else would do her a "random act of kindness" and find all the books, check them out to her, and bring them to her house.

I asked her if she had any friends or neighbors that could go get the books for her, but she kept insisting that she didn't, that I was the only person who could do this for her.

I felt bad for her, it really stinks to need something and be unable to get it. But I could not do this for her. Not only is it against the rules, driving books to a caller's house sets a precedent I don't want to set.

Off point, it's not really a random act of kindness when you call someone and demand a favor.

10DanieXJ
Jun 22, 2012, 4:42 pm

>9 weener: Do y'all have a homebound sort of program?

I think that those sorts of programs are amazing. Volunteers usually do the delivering (or the libraries do it through the mail). And, the patrons can call up and ask for specific books (not to mention, they don't even have to be old, I know of people who were really, really hurt and recovering and got books delivered just for the time that they were recovering). Sometimes the volunteers even go in and have a cup of tea or coffee with the person if they know them. And, heck, these days, the patrons don't even have to actually talk to a reference librarian to get their books anymore, if they're internet savy, they can request their own books....

But I know that in the current economic climate not all libraries have the resources to have a homebound program though.

I agree that it's like vy0123 said, it's all about the community you live in, what sorts of programs they have, not just at the library, but at the Churches/Mosques/Temples and if the community has a senior center, etc. etc. Is it a community where, even if you don't know the person who lives in the house that you walk, drive by every day, do you go up to their door if you see their newspapers piling up, or not.

11lilithcat
Jun 22, 2012, 4:56 pm

> 10

But I know that in the current economic climate not all libraries have the resources to have a homebound program though.

My local library barely has the resources to shelve and re-shelve the books. ;-((

12DanieXJ
Jun 22, 2012, 7:07 pm

> 11 Yep, that is the suckiness of US economic downturns (or maybe worldwide ones too, I know it's not great in the UK, and in some places in Europe either). Libraries are generally the first to get cut, and the last to get a piece of the pie when the economy gets better too.

And, what I love about summer at the library the most is all the 'willing' shelvers.... ah... okay, so maybe it's more like they have no choice than are 'willing'. But, I say put all the teen volunteers to work shelving and hefting things for their NHS volunteer hours, crack that whip.... ;)

Hmm... but, back to annoying things patrons do. I forget if this has been commented on before, but when a patron comes up to the main desk, looking for their hold, and instead of giving their name, they give the name of the book, sometimes the author. Because, yes, we librarians are all psychic, and we know which Patterson, or Steel, or whatever on the shelf is yours. Then, they sigh significantly when we deign to ask them their name.

13EliaJuarez
Jun 22, 2012, 7:43 pm

Our library does homebound visits and something called a "lobby stop" when on a certain day the folks from Info Services will take a laptop or Ipad with Wifi and a whole bunch of newer books to senior centers, convalescent homes, hospices etc and set it up so folks there can check out items.
They are some of our best customers!

14lilithcat
Jun 22, 2012, 8:30 pm

> 12

when a patron comes up to the main desk, looking for their hold, and instead of giving their name, they give the name of the book, sometimes the author.

My library has an open shelf for holds. The books are shelved with the spine down, and a slip of paper with the patron's last name is stuck in the book. So we can go find our own.

Now, many years ago, when I was living in the 'burbs, they didn't have that system. One day, I wandered into my local library and figured I'd check to see if any of the books I had reserved had come in. When I asked the librarian, "Do you have any books on hold for me?", she responded, "We always have a book on hold for you!" And that was pretty much true.

15vy0123
Editado: Jun 29, 2012, 7:33 am

Este mensaje fue borrado por su autor.

16weener
Jun 22, 2012, 10:55 pm

>10 DanieXJ: We have a mail program but it's only for the blind. If I recall, this woman had broken her leg.

17DanieXJ
Jun 23, 2012, 11:38 am

> 14 I don't mind frequent fliers coming into the library and asking if they have books (and usually they get the same sort of answer you did, 'of course you do, you always do'... with a smile of course... :) and if I've seen them before but blank on their name, they never seem to mind when I ask for the name. And we always, always hope that the frequent book recipients from our hold shelves check with us even if they aren't sure. How many times do they get home and have an email or text from us saying 'yep, book is ready'.... :)

Which brings to mind a different sort of patron, this one not annoying at all, just interesting. Those who print out the entire hold notice and bring it with them. I'm not exactly sure why, I've never asked any of them (and usually offer to recycle said notice on its 8 1/2 x 11 paper), but, no where in any of the notices do we say that you have to have proof (other than your library card/license) that you put the book on hold. Just an interesting thing that some of the patrons do... hey, it's their printer paper and ink.... :)

18Deedledee
Jun 24, 2012, 11:03 am

It's the same thing for me when I go to a gov't office - I'm never sure what they're going to want so I bring the notice & everything with me. Some patrons don't borrow from us that often so they're not sure what they're suppose to do.

19jjwilson61
Editado: Jun 24, 2012, 12:57 pm

Yeah, printing out the notice is a pretty small insurance against having to make another trip to get the book.

"...but, no where in any of the notices do we say that you have to have proof (other than your library card/license) that you put the book on hold."

Maybe if the notice said explicitly what they do need to get the book there would be fewer misunderstandings.

20ReadHanded
Jun 28, 2012, 4:36 pm

Earlier today, a (graduate) student paid a late fine and I gave him a receipt. He looked at the receipt, looked at me, and said "What am I supposed to do with this?" I explained that it was just proof that he did indeed pay the fine in case of any discrepancies later. "It's just like a receipt you get when you buy things in a store," I told him. He looked at me blankly and said, "Yeah, I don't really know what to do with those, either."

Okay...?

21foggidawn
Jun 28, 2012, 4:37 pm

#20 -- If you could manage it with a straight face, you could say, "Well, they make good bookmarks. . . ."

22artgirl64
Jun 28, 2012, 5:39 pm

Adolescent girl comes in today and asks if we have the book "Sherlock Holmes".

Which one, I asked?

The original one, she replied. Then she takes a call on her phone and is totally rude to the caller. She's like ten, for pete's sake. 10-year-olds need cell phones? Her father is standing there too, not helping at all. Like, they've never used the computer to look up a title? She seemed to know her way around the library, though. She did find a Sherlock Holmes book but it wasn't "the original one." Whatever that is.

23tiriash
Jun 28, 2012, 6:32 pm

Referring back to the original thread, #406: I think she's a member of our adult book discussion group, unfortunately. She actually showed up at the library today and hung around for quite awhile, talking to whomever was at the circ desk. She knows my name now so I don't think I'll ever escape.

24EliaJuarez
Jun 28, 2012, 7:22 pm

This wasn't really annoying - it was more of a "you can't possibly be seirous" moment.
Our library hands out free lunches to kids 18 and under during the summer.
The other day a girl who looked to be about 15 or 16 came up and asked what time we start handing out the free lunch. I said "At noon." She replied: "Oh, awesome.... that means one o'clock right?"

25DanieXJ
Jun 29, 2012, 9:30 am

> 22 Perhaps she meant the first Sherlock Holmes book, ya know, the first one that went with the first Movie.... :) Then she may want the second Sherlock Holmes book, which goes with the second movie? Just a guess of where her head was at.

>24 EliaJuarez: I just... there are no words.......

26TimSharrock
Jun 29, 2012, 10:24 am

24> a student aware of Summer-time perhaps? the Sun says noon, but the clock says 1pm...

27lilithcat
Jun 29, 2012, 1:08 pm

> 22

She did find a Sherlock Holmes book but it wasn't "the original one." Whatever that is.

A Study in Scarlet was the original Sherlock Holmes book.

28EliaJuarez
Jul 6, 2012, 11:49 am

We live in Arizona where the is no daylight savings, so I think she genuinely did not know what the word "noon" meant.

29ReadHanded
Jul 26, 2012, 10:06 am

This probably happens a lot at public libraries, but I was shocked that it happened at my small, graduate school library. One of the students in our fellowship program was highlighting in a library book!
Me: "Are you highlighting in that book?!"
Patron: "Yeah. Why? Are we not allowed to?"

"Do not permanently deface anything that doesn't belong to you" is pretty much a rule of life, isn't it? It's not something specific to libraries, but even still, who doesn't know that they shouldn't write in or highlight in library books?

30mamzel
Jul 26, 2012, 1:40 pm

*jaw drops in horror*

31EliaJuarez
Jul 26, 2012, 2:32 pm

#29 - Oh it happens all the time to us... just yesterday I had a little girl ask me if she was allowed to write inside a book, though at least she has the excuse of being a child and maybe not knowing the rules.

However, that same day a grown up asked me if it was ok if she just "tore out this one recipe from this cookbook." I told her she could photocopy it. She asked how much a photocopy cost. I said 10 cents and she said "Does the machine take debit cards?"

REALLY??? You're going to DEBIT 10 cents??? Why not just get a LIBRARY CARD and, oh, I don't know... CHECK THE BOOK OUT.

32tymfos
Jul 26, 2012, 3:56 pm

Some people just don't have any common sense!

33tiriash
Jul 26, 2012, 4:11 pm

We have this one woman who seems to think we all "know" her so she doesn't have to bring in her library card or ID. When I told her she needed to bring something or she couldn't check out her books, she got all huffy and said "Well, fine, I'll go get them out of my car if you're going to be like that about it." Yes, I will be like that, because it's library policy and I don't "know" you. Even if I did, I'd make you get your card anyway because of your attitude.

34DanieXJ
Jul 26, 2012, 6:05 pm

>31 EliaJuarez: If she checks it out you might not get it back still with the recipe she wants in it.

35tymfos
Jul 26, 2012, 6:25 pm

34 >31 EliaJuarez: If she checks it out you might not get it back still with the recipe she wants in it.

Or, at the very least, it will probably be highlighted and have coffee stains on it . . .

36jjwilson61
Jul 26, 2012, 11:39 pm

...and cat hairs.

37DanieXJ
Jul 27, 2012, 2:38 pm

...or banana leavings....

38EliaJuarez
Jul 27, 2012, 6:55 pm

Well, yeah, but at least if she checks it out and damages the book we can bill her for it.

39tiriash
Jul 30, 2012, 8:39 pm

Here's something super annoying: We had a bomb threat today. A patron and her children overheard a teen mention something about a bomb in the bathroom. The kids screamed, ran out of the library, and their mom called the police. We had to evacuate. The teen, of course, was nowhere to be found. He clearly needs to be better occupied or at least supervised!

40tymfos
Jul 30, 2012, 10:07 pm

The teen was probably just using slang about a, shall we say, "smelly" bathroom movement, and those who overheard took the term literally.

41Silverlily26
Jul 31, 2012, 7:34 am

I agree tymfos, as a FE College Librarian (16-19 year olds mainly) i have to get used to slang words a lot. Though, we have had 2 stink bombs left of in the library this year

42tiriash
Jul 31, 2012, 2:54 pm

40, 41: That's probably what it was, but I guess they have to take things like that more seriously. At least we had a 15 minute break because of it.

43rockinrhombus
Ago 12, 2012, 11:51 am

Dear Ridiculously Frugal Patron:
Yes, I know toner cartridges are expensive. That does not give you the right to use our printers and abuse our staff over your lack of computer expertise. Cough up the price of your toner or behave. Otherwise you are out of the library for 90 days, and appealing to the city manager won't help. She doesn't like you either.

44EliaJuarez
Editado: Ago 15, 2012, 12:08 pm

43 - that made me giggle! Don't you wish we could say those types of things to their faces?

45mamzel
Ago 15, 2012, 2:28 pm

I had a student print a dozen color pages before realizing it was out of paper. She tried to make a stink about paying for all of the copies once the paper was loaded. One or two extra I can understand but a dozen was uncalled for. I told her that the unpaid charge would keep her from getting her diploma. She paid.

46EliaJuarez
Ago 15, 2012, 6:45 pm

45- See, we just solved that problem by making them pay for everything BEFORE they print them. And we still have people who claim they didn't KNOW they printed to the color copier (.25c a page) and could they just pay the .10C it would have cost in black and white (but of course still KEEP the colored ones).

47amysisson
Ago 15, 2012, 11:45 pm

When I was still at my community college library, I was surprised (probably shouldn't have been) at the students who couldn't BELIEVE we didn't have a color copier, a free fax machine, a state-of-the-art scanner, and so on. They thought we were supposed to be a free version of Kinko's.

48EliaJuarez
Ago 16, 2012, 7:34 pm

47 - Oh yeah, we get that at public libries too - people want scanners, faxes... I even had one ask if we could laminate something for her.

49Silverlily26
Ago 17, 2012, 4:36 pm

>47 amysisson: >48 EliaJuarez:. In my college the students get £5 credit for printing and photocoping, they need to bring their student card into activate the printers. I still spend a large amount of my time saying no to students who forget their card and want the library to print their work for them.

50theretiredlibrarian
Ago 20, 2012, 5:34 pm

#47, The public library I used to work at did laminating; we charged them for it, something like $.50 a foot.

51mamzel
Ago 21, 2012, 5:15 pm

At the local technology high school the students pay a printing fee at the beginning of the year. I wish they would do that here but I know it won't since we have too many financially challenged students who wouldn't be able to pay it.

52rockinrhombus
Sep 19, 2012, 6:10 pm

Some days I am glad I can't reach through the telephone. . . .

53AngelaCinVA
Sep 22, 2012, 8:11 am

I usually work in the children's room. I recently had a mother whose young son was having difficulty with a game he wanted to play on the computer. She wanted me to sit and show him how to play the game and seemed surprised and unhappy that I didn't know how. Sure, in my copious free time on the desk I practice every Internet computer game there is so I can teach children how to play them.

54foggidawn
Editado: Oct 4, 2012, 4:15 pm

#53 -- Yep, I've had parents make that assumption more than once. And often the child doesn't really want or need help, it's just the parent (or grandparent) being leery of letting the kids experiment on the computers.

55susiesharp
Oct 4, 2012, 1:42 pm

Phone call from the nursing home:We have a new resident looking for a book she was reading she thinks it is called Life and it is about black people...

Me: Uhmmmm

I've thought of Secret Life of Bees or The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks!

56ReadHanded
Oct 4, 2012, 1:52 pm

#55 - There's a movie called Life that stars Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence. Might be based on a book, or the lady might have been confused...

57susiesharp
Oct 4, 2012, 1:58 pm

#56- I couldn't find any book called just Life except the Keith Richards Biography and well she is in the nursing home it is possible!

58tiriash
Oct 4, 2012, 6:41 pm

I had a creepy man ask me for my phone number. When I said I wouldn't give it to him, he told me I was "mean." Like that's going to make me give you my phone number.

59rarm
Oct 4, 2012, 7:32 pm

#55 - Maybe she's getting four-letter L words confused and she was reading Love by Toni Morrison?

60Cailiosa
Oct 4, 2012, 8:59 pm

tiriash: I had some guy randomly slip me his digits while I was weeding the self-help section. I only wished there had been a book at hand that would have told me what to do in that situation.

61tiriash
Oct 6, 2012, 7:12 pm

60: It's so awkward, right? The guy proceeded to hang around for about 10 minutes after and was seriously weirding me out. I wasn't sure if I could just leave or not, but thankfully my boss told me I can just exit the situation if it ever happens again.

62Cailiosa
Editado: Oct 31, 2012, 3:34 pm

I had a student come in who mistakenly thought she could just stick her friend's PowerPoint notes into our printer and it would spit out a copy of it. She seemed affronted that I would tell her she'd have to use the copier out in the hallway for that sort of job and even more put out that it would cost ten cents per page for something that's for a class assignment. Sorry, I can't make technology do what it hasn't been designed to do.

More on the creepy patrons front:
There's this rather odd fellow that comes in frequently to the public library I work at, who wears a cravat and waistcoat, sports a massive beard a la some nineteenth century mountain man, and eschews modern technology in favor of his trusty quill pens. At first I thought he was some sort of reenacter, but I've come to learn that he prefers life from 'simpler times.' He asks a lot of random questions vaguely having to do with the King Arthur legends (we've become convinced that he's searching for the Holy Grail).

Note that I am not criticizing his lifestyle choices or his interests. To each his or her own. What I do find fault with are the personal questions and comments that always seem to accompany any reference questions he asks me. It started out innocently enough, with him asking if I would cook for him at a restaurant he wanted to open, but it's quickly progressed to sly invitations to go ice skating with him, multiple questions about my plans for different holidays (with the emphasis on Valentine's Day), out of the blue comments about having had four previous girlfriends named Jennifer, with the insinuation that he would like to add me as number five, and just the other day he told me that he doesn't get close to many people, but he really cares about me. I also found out that he did the same sort of thing with another young coworker of mine, even going so far as to visit her all the time at the bookstore she was running at the time, to the point that her boyfriend had to have a little chat with this guy. It seems like a harmless sort of infatuation, but, still, being around him makes me uneasy.

63amysisson
Oct 31, 2012, 2:59 pm

^I would be very uncomfortable in that situation. Maybe worth discussing with your supervisor? You have a right to a safe and comfortable workplace.

64tymfos
Oct 31, 2012, 11:59 pm

I wonder if he might have Aspergers' Syndrome. The sort of obsessive interest in odd subjects ("simpler times" & the King Arthur legend) and unconventional dress would fit. Folks with Aspergers have difficulty understanding social rules, so often make people uncomfortable by crossing those unwritten boundaries regarding personal questions, etc.

65Cailiosa
Nov 2, 2012, 8:00 am

I never considered that, tymfos. I am honestly hoping that this is the case, and not that he is some sort of creepy stalker.

amysisson: I'm lucky to have a great supervisor and coworkers. If this guy lingers too long, they give me a phone call and find some sort of excuse to pull me away from my desk.

66Nabilah
Nov 4, 2012, 4:23 am

"Is this library?Where is the library?"

A patron came in and asked me this last week.

67Tafadhali
Nov 19, 2012, 4:14 pm

A teenage boy hands me a booklet of about thirty pages.

HIM: I don't know how to photocopy.
ME: Okay, I'll show you. Come with m--

And he'd already wandered off and called his mom on his cell (a no no in our library). "Yeah. No. It's fine, I've got someone copying it for me."

And the worst part is I did copy it for him because I was so new to the job that I wasn't comfortable putting my foot down. It takes like *three seconds* to learn how to make a double-sided photocopy of a normal letter page, and it's not like it's a skill you *don't* need later in college.

68Literate.Ninja
Nov 26, 2012, 8:17 pm

This evening, a patron walked up to the desk and handed me a DVD, saying he'd found it in one of our public computers. I noticed that the disc was marked as belonging to our library, so I checked it against our catalog, and found out that it had been marked lost about a month ago.

Since it wasn't found in the computer until today (and our computers get A LOT of use) I can only make the assumption that a little over a month ago, someone stole this disc, then sometime in the last day or so they brought it back to the library to watch on our computers, and managed to forget it in the drive.

And to put the cherry on the top of this debacle of theft and ineptitude, the film was a documentary about the history of the bible.

69skoobdo
Dic 7, 2012, 11:32 pm

Awesome !

70lilithcat
Dic 8, 2012, 12:02 am

> 67

called his mom on his cell (a no no in our library)

I've just learned that our city's library system is going to change the rules regarding cellphone use. Rather than "no cellphone use in the library", it's going to be "no cellphone use if it's disturbing others". Which means totally random and arbitrary enforcement. Can't you hear it now? "But he's on his cellphone! Why do I have to stop?" I pity our librarians (a/k/a cellphone police).

71tymfos
Dic 8, 2012, 12:29 am

Rather than "no cellphone use in the library", it's going to be "no cellphone use if it's disturbing others". Which means totally random and arbitrary enforcement.

Frankly, I'm glad our library is flexible on that subject. When people are on the computers filling out internet applications for jobs or other important paperwork and they need to call somewhere for assistance, it's sometimes less disruptive -- and certainly easier for them to follow whatever instructions they're given over the phone -- to have them simply talk quietly at the computer rather than running in and out making calls and coming back to the computer to try whatever advice they think they remember from the phone call.

72rockinrhombus
Dic 8, 2012, 10:40 am

>71 tymfos:: I agree. There is a huge difference between "I'm at the library. What are you doing?" and people getting information via cell phone. I generally give people 2 minutes to wrap it up.

73mamzel
Dic 8, 2012, 5:29 pm

In my library I am trying the tack of silent cell phone use only. No ring tones or conversations. That allows them to access the Internet and I don't have to be a texting police.

74tymfos
Editado: Dic 8, 2012, 11:23 pm

73 But that doesn't help if they need to contact someone for, say, help navigating a web-based application process. Sometimes you need to actually talk to someone for directions, and it helps if you are AT the computer when you call.

It would also make it pretty hard for the Career Link, OVR, and GED staff to operate if they had to leave the library every time they had a phone call. They need to be in touch with their bases.

Of course, our library isn't a SHHHH!! type library anyway.

75Tafadhali
Dic 9, 2012, 1:25 am

Well, I don't really crack down on people for quick conversations (or for texting/music-listening/etc.), but it is a school library and everyone there is generally studying or in class. (And, actually, we're much more lenient than my school was. I would have had my -- non-existent -- phone confiscated if it were used anywhere in the building.)

76Dragonfly
Dic 9, 2012, 1:44 pm

Years ago late at night at the university library, a student showed up at the Government Documents/Maps/Microform desk with a big complicated assignment. He didn't want to touch anything I showed him. Finally I got exasperated (yes, that's a no-no) and said, "It seems to me that you want me to do your research for you." He just looked and me and said "Yes."

77Cailiosa
Dic 9, 2012, 7:47 pm

>Dragonfly: Wow, he's a bold one, isn't he?

78tymfos
Editado: Dic 10, 2012, 5:31 am

Finally I got exasperated (yes, that's a no-no) and said, "It seems to me that you want me to do your research for you." He just looked and me and said "Yes."

Well, at least he was honest about it . . . ;)

Seriously, we encounter that less at our public library, but occasionally I have students who seem to want to not do any of the research for an assignment. Sometimes they send their parents in to get us to do the work . . .

79theretiredlibrarian
Dic 10, 2012, 2:46 pm

Cell phone use is a non issue in my elementary school; so glad I left the public library before cell phones were so common. The public library I use now has a large sign instructing people to use the lobby area for phone calls.

80mamzel
Dic 10, 2012, 2:51 pm

Now, most of us, if we forgot our wallet or were a little short, would ask if we could pay for our printing before we print it out, right? I have never not let a student print if they didn't have the money but it bugs me if they don't ask first and say, "I'll bring the money at lunch."

81tymfos
Dic 10, 2012, 6:31 pm

Perhaps they're following something akin to the old adage, "better to ask forgiveness than permission"?

82librorumamans
Dic 10, 2012, 9:21 pm

>80 mamzel: In my high school library, when students had no ready cash and needed to print I offered them the option of entering the cost as an outstanding fine. That worked pretty efficiently: I didn't need to keep a list, and they needed to pay up if they wanted to borrow materials later on.

83skoobdo
Dic 11, 2012, 10:05 pm

Good payment arrangement, you have done a good favor in helping a "needy" student. Bravo

84mamzel
Dic 13, 2012, 11:55 am

We have so many students on free lunch that I usually don't push payment. But it just irks me when one of them prints and then says they don't have the money. I ask them if they go to the restaurant, eat, and then ask if they can come back with the money.

85.Monkey.
Dic 13, 2012, 12:05 pm

heh if they thought they could get away with it, I bet they would.

86DanieXJ
Dic 13, 2012, 6:40 pm

Ah, see, I really like what our library has. To print, the patron has to put the money into the coin/cash box and then the program will let them print. It also tells them exactly how many pages it's going to be, so that we don't have people coming over to us and handing us a stack of half empty pages because 'they didn't know' or whatever. If you have a two page document and it comes up that you have to pay for 4 pages, you can totally cancel out and go figure out what's adding on pages.

Also, as an added bonus. When I go home at night, my hands aren't black from touching all that money from the printers (oy tax time was the worst).

I'm all for being there for patrons. They're a public library's lifeblood of course, but I also love, love, love that my library's administration decided to go to the automated printing.

87tymfos
Dic 13, 2012, 7:51 pm

86 Oh, your system sounds great! Especially the knowing how many pages it will print.

88DanieXJ
Editado: Dic 14, 2012, 5:53 am

It is a bit of a learning curve. For both the patron (mostly) and the librarian, but, yeah, I definitely think it's worth it. I mean, we have coin boxes for the copiers, and for the vending machines, so it makes total sense to me to have one for the printing too.

I believe that the company that makes it is called Envisonware, and it's called something like LPT One or something like that. At another library I work at I believe that they use a PC reservation system by the same company and that seems to work too. We've had some ups and downs with the software, but, it's software and it's running on Windows and Macs, so, that's not exactly a shocker...

But really..... the Steelers?? (just kidding, but still Go Pats!!)

89amysisson
Dic 15, 2012, 5:12 am

When I was at a community college library, our system told users in two different places how many pages would print, at the computer they were using and at the print release station. But still they did not pay attention, and since they used a print card instead of cash, all pages got deducted off their cards. I had no way to add money back on and they would get disgruntled even though they were not paying attention. Sigh.....

90DanieXJ
Dic 15, 2012, 12:41 pm

>89 amysisson: Ooh, that's a bummer. Ours do have to use cash, so, unless they're not paying attention to how much they're putting in (if they use a dollar and instead of printing one page it prints three or something) the complaints to us librarians have gone wayyy down (well, other than complaints about the system, which have replaced the complaints about how many pages they.... meant.... to print... :))

91mamzel
Dic 20, 2012, 1:00 pm

The school my kids went to (a technology high school) had the students pay an upfront printing fee, something like $10.00 for the entire year. If they didn't pay it their profile prevented them from printing. I wish we could do that at my school. That would relieve me from any stress and pay for cartridges and paper.

92skoobdo
Dic 21, 2012, 12:49 am

Good idea !

The other way is to charge double the usual rate for photocopying or use a photocopy that need a valid "cash card" to use it.

93Bibliophilistic
Dic 29, 2012, 10:29 pm

I've recently had 3 separate occasions where teens (14, 16 and 19) did not know where to put the address on an envelope (we send the library cards to their homes, to make sure we really have an accurate address) and they needed to fill it out themselves. Not annoying, just sort of sad.

I get a lot of patron's who want me to look them up when they arrive without card or ID- and some get quite nasty. I can certainly understand accidents, but the attitude I get from the majority of them, as if none of the blame lies with them, really irks me.

94DanMat
Editado: Sep 18, 2013, 6:10 pm

For some reason people often feel the need to use the document feeder for a single page copy and--if it doesn't get eaten by the feeder, approximately 50/50 chance that happens--have put it in print side down and then threaten us after they recieve a blank sheet of paper, if they figure where the copies come out, that they better get their money back.

The printer is also right near our computer at the reference desk. The constant "I didn't print this!" is a lovely refrain whilst you are on the phone looking for an 800 number for a company that doesn't have an 800 number so a perennially angry and ungrateful shut-in (who's not even in your district or near your district but calls the desk daily sometimes three and four times in an hour) can complain or better yet verbally harass someone about a bag of frozen spinach as she bought last month.

95Dragonfly
Ene 18, 2014, 11:43 am

It always surprises me how many people come in to get their family history and don't bring a single piece of paper and something to write with. Many of these are the same people who think that there's a book on the shelf with their complete family tree in it. We keep plenty of scrap paper and give out a free pedigree chart. Then I lend them a pencil

96cardinal_biggles
Editado: Feb 5, 2014, 6:36 am

During tax season in the U.S., there's a group of patrons we never hear from all year who are suddenly all over us like a rash. I consider it to be the library equivalent of "C & E Christians" (people who only attend at Christmas and Easter). Anyway, here's a couple transcripts of actual conversations/phone calls I've had in the past week:

"Do you have your federal tax forms yet?"
"Apart from a few stragglers, yes, they're all out."
"What do you mean by 'a few stragglers'?"
"We have not received the instruction booklets for 1040 or 1040-EZ, nor do we have Schedule A."
"What about the instruction booklet for Schedule A?"
"We can get that for you off the internet, sir."
"Oh, God... OH MY F***ING GOD..." (hangup)

"Do you think this is deductible?"
"I'm sorry, I'm not a tax accountant."
"Just give me your best guess."
"I don't feel comfortable doing that, I'm sorry."
"You're useless. Is someone else here who can help me with this?"
"No one who's a tax accountant."

I did recommend that this patron sign up for our AARP tax help, but that's only on Thursdays, doesn't start until 2/13, and the first three weeks are already booked solid; he wanted help NOW, OR ELSE.

97theretiredlibrarian
Feb 5, 2014, 1:16 pm

One of the perks of being an elementary school librarian...my patrons never ask for tax forms. But I remember those days well when working at a public library. My thoughts, prayers, condolences will be with you until April 15.

98sparemethecensor
Feb 5, 2014, 1:34 pm

>96 cardinal_biggles:

I am not a librarian, just a patron, and I just witnessed a conversation almost exactly like your first example in my local library this past weekend. A young man, perhaps 25ish, picked up the paper forms and said to the librarian, "Why don't they just have these online?"

The librarian said, "You can get all of these forms online if you prefer, on the IRS website."

He said, "You're lying. People don't print stuff if it's available online." Then he said, "Do you guys do people's taxes here?"

Sigh.

99tymfos
Editado: Feb 5, 2014, 2:09 pm

He said, "You're lying. People don't print stuff if it's available online."

Another sigh. And how would people without computers get it if there weren't printed copies? I suppose he'd expect the library to print out all the pages of the 1040 instructions for free.

Perhaps he might consider actually filing electronically, if he feels that way.

100cardinal_biggles
Feb 5, 2014, 10:05 pm

I suppose he'd expect the library to print out all the pages of the 1040 instructions for free.

Oh, we get those, too. Doesn't matter that paper and toner cost us money; printing out tax forms and instructions is a "public service" and we should eat the expense because they're a taxpayer and pay my salary (why is there always an implied threat to go over my head and demand I get fired just because they didn't get their way?). Most patrons are reasonable and understanding, but then they're also only printing a few 1-2 page tax forms, not a 140-page monster like the 1040 instructions.

101tymfos
Editado: Feb 5, 2014, 11:50 pm

I sometimes get that, too, the "my taxes pay your salary" speech. The funny thing is that taxes don't supply much of my minimum-wage Library Aide pay. Except for the Incredible Shrinking State Subsidy, our library is not government supported -- it survives mainly on private donations and grants. The local taxpayers have repeatedly voted down any kind of library funding from the local tax base. And the people who demand the loudest are probably people who are nowhere in sight during our Annual Appeal.

Of course, whoever pays our wages, we are there to provide public service. But in these times, it needs to be done in a fiscally responsible way.

102cardinal_biggles
Feb 6, 2014, 2:13 am

My library actually does get most of its funding from local income taxes, so they actually do pay my salary. :-P

We're in the middle of a fundraising campaign to secure funds for some big capital expenditures, and I can't imagine having to do that every year just to keep the lights on and new books coming in. Best of luck to you and your colleagues.

103Cailiosa
Feb 6, 2014, 11:36 am

cardinal_biggles: I'm pretty sure I've had the exact same scenarios happen to me. I'm also glad that we're not the only library who still doesn't have the instruction booklets for 1040/EZ or Schedule A (which are, of course, what all the patrons seem to want).

I think tax season is my least favorite time of year.

104weener
Feb 7, 2014, 11:06 am

I work in the kids' section, so I don't get the tax questions too much. But last year, we had a tax help night on April 15th where we were open til midnight with volunteer tax preparers and free printing to help people who really needed it. We even did free child care, provided by me and some other youth services people. I played Candyland 10 times that night, but fortunately no kid told me that their tax dollars paid my salary.

105amysisson
Feb 7, 2014, 11:33 am

^ 104 One of those times when I want a "like" or "thumbs up" button on LT! ;-)

106tymfos
Feb 7, 2014, 2:13 pm

104 Also "like" that one!

107susiesharp
Feb 8, 2014, 10:15 am

Yes to all of the above... I am in a small rural town so we are the only ones that get the forms and if I could talk anyone else in town into getting them so I didn't have to I would.

-Just because I have forms does not mean I can help you with your taxes
-I have no control over the idiotic way the IRS sends out forms and instruction booklets
- No, I'm sorry I am not printing out a 100+ page booklet for free
-No, I do not get W-2's & 1099's you are a business you should have them and I am sorry it is Jan.30th and you didn't think of this need sooner
-I am sorry I don't have every single form anyone may need I try to get the ones that are requested year after year, yes I can print that form for you no just because it's online you don't have to do your taxes online I am printing this out for you.

Will be so happy when tax season is over!

108theretiredlibrarian
Feb 8, 2014, 11:45 pm

I once had a co-worker who had once been the director of a small public library. When he got the "I pay your salary" speech from problem patrons, he would take out something like $3.49, hand it to the person, and say, "That's your portion of my salary." When I worked with him, he was just a reference librarian and no longer had the authority to make such a statement, although he frequently told me he wished he could.

109ACComayagua
Feb 23, 2014, 1:16 pm

104 has already gotten two informal likes, so I'll give it an informal +1.

110DanMat
Editado: Feb 24, 2014, 4:51 pm

I think you'd need to see the person's tax return to see how much of your salary they really paid. For instance, as a single male in an undesirable tax bracket with little by way of deductions I probably pay more in taxes toward my salary than anyone who's used that little bit of righteous indignation.

My beef is that a lot of the people who "hate" government waste are the ones we get the forms for, 80 percent of which aren't used and are tossed or excuse me, recycled. I'm sure it costs somewhere around 1 k (for what we get) to print, box and ship the forms...

But if you do them online you should be able to file online for free, not just print up the forms, etc. At least that was the way it was a couple years ago. A nominal charge, but still there shouldn't have been any charge.

111theretiredlibrarian
mayo 16, 2014, 4:14 pm

It's the end of the school year...all books are due back today. Last week was the last time to check out books. I've made this announcement every class for the last month. Today, I instructed students to put all their books in the book return. Made a long spiel about "find your book, return your book, pay for your lost book, we're not checking out anymore this year, yada yada yada." Have made that long spiel every class for the last month. Every class had at least one student ask, "Are we gonna check out books today?" Starting next week, overdue notices go out every day. Come the last day of school, I'll still be chasing down books. And some will never come back. Sigh.

112foggidawn
mayo 16, 2014, 5:04 pm

>111 theretiredlibrarian: Doing school visits advertising our Summer Reading Program, I run into the same thing: no matter how many times you make a point, some kid will ask the question that you've already answered three times. Either that, or they come up with some out-there scenario: "What if we go on vacation the week before summer reading ends, but we're supposed to get back on the last day for picking up prizes, but we all get sick and have to stay another day, and then the dog runs away . . ."

113mamzel
mayo 17, 2014, 8:44 pm

>110 DanMat: Had a similar week. I put items in the bulletin all week and still have over 250 books not returned. I killed a tree printing out overdue notices. Students can't get their yearbooks if they have any thing owed (includes items from art classes, sports, music groups, etc.) At least another clerk had to do the notices for textbooks owed.

114theretiredlibrarian
mayo 19, 2014, 10:43 am

And again today....so far 3 children have asked can they check out a book. And WHY can't they check out a book. Ummm....because school is out in 8 days and they need to come back??? And these are the 4th graders, not the little kids.

Good news: School is out in 8 days. :)

115tinymouse2
mayo 22, 2014, 12:26 pm

I will end library check out next Friday. But, I know I will also get several students asking if they can check out after the deadline no matter how many times I announce it. It happens every year and students always appear confused or shocked when I remind them that check out is over.

All the library books, including the textbooks will be due the first week of June. No matter how many times I remind everyone and no matter how many notices I put up, only about half the students will return by the different due dates I set up during the week. I get excuses such as, "The books were too heavy to carry from home," "I forgot," "I don't have time," and "My teacher never told me." When they are scheduled to come in as a class to return books, some students simply leave them in their lockers or in the backpacks they left in class! They have so many opportunities to bring them in during the week and I am available all day. It's baffling.

116lilithcat
mayo 22, 2014, 12:28 pm

"The books were too heavy to carry from home,"

You have to wonder how they got them home in the first place!

117mamzel
mayo 23, 2014, 3:18 pm

I have students who want to turn in their textbooks to the library early. Unfortunately that means I would have to then carry them myself to the textbook room, so, No!

The toner cartridge came to its end this morning and of course many students ignored my plea to hold off printing and continued to print. I finally had to go over to the computers, get everyone's attention and tell them to stop printing until I could get the cartridge out and changed. What a waste of paper!

Crabby clerk day!

118theretiredlibrarian
mayo 23, 2014, 4:21 pm

2 more days of school left, and 70 students still having missing books. Sigh. The final overdue note will go out Tuesday; Thursday is parent/teacher conference and each teacher will have a copy of the overdue to present to the parent in a final attempt to get the book or payment. Any not paid will go into the student's permanent file, and their library privileges revoked until it's taken care of. Secretaries will have lists to take payments this summer. And many of the parents will never take care of it. In all my years, I've never had this many missing books so close to the end of the year.

119LISandKL
mayo 29, 2014, 8:00 pm

I love the "my taxes pay your salary" line. I wonder if the same angry patron would throw that line in the face of a police officer, if they don't like what the officer is telling them. I stumped one of our ever-angry patrons who loves to use the "my taxes" line one day (to my eternal pleasure). During an argument over the library's "unjustifiable" and "stupid" 90 minute computer time limit, he used that line. I replied, "I pay taxes too, so in theory, I pay just as much of my salary as you do." He stared at me, dumbfounded, before walking away and ending the argument.

120Deedledee
mayo 29, 2014, 9:45 pm

I once worked out how much of my salary was paid by someone's taxes - the temptation is to give them the cash & tell them to vamoose! I haven't done that... YET.

121lilithcat
mayo 29, 2014, 9:59 pm

> 119

I wonder if the same angry patron would throw that line in the face of a police officer, if they don't like what the officer is telling them.

Believe me, they do!

122tinymouse2
mayo 30, 2014, 11:27 am

I haven't had anybody tell me that their taxes pay my salary, but I've had people tell me that their taxes pay for the books so they think they shouldn't have to pay for any books they lose or damage.

123rockinrhombus
mayo 30, 2014, 3:16 pm

My boss had a supervisor who actually got the estimated amount of tax from her wallet and handed it to the patron.

I want to be her when I grow up.

And I have told patrons I pay my salary, too.

124susiesharp
Jun 13, 2014, 12:44 pm

This isn't annoying but Hilarious!

I just had a lady come in to the library and say I have some books about World War 1,2 and 3 do you take donations. Why yes I am curious about the WW 3 book.

125Esta1923
Jun 13, 2014, 1:35 pm

>124 susiesharp: Please be sure to tell us too!

127susiesharp
Jun 16, 2014, 5:37 pm

>126 cpg:-cpg- Wow that was a longer list than I expected!

128weener
Jun 24, 2014, 6:02 pm

We just hired some new people, and I am trying to explain to them how patrons will (almost) never, EVER tell you what they are really looking for right off the bat. It is your job to painfully extract this information from them so you can actually help them instead of waving them away and leaving them thinking that librarians are unhelpful non-mindreaders.

If somebody says they need "history books" or "books about computers" of "information about Mexico," this is just the start of what could be a very long reference interview. You need whittle their query down the the specifics, rather then waving them off to the 900s or 005s to browse.

For instance, the other day a guy came up to the kids' desk and asked for Disney books. I was eventually able to bludgeon him into telling me that he wanted a screencap of a certain scene of Sleeping Beauty so he could use it as reference for a painting he was making. I was able to find it online, print it out for him, and he was happy. If I had taken him at his word and handed him whatever Cars beginning reader book was on the shelf, he wouldn't have been happy. But it took 15 minutes to get to the point of even knowing what he needed.

Patrons.

129DanieXJ
Jun 24, 2014, 6:32 pm

Um.... I'm really hoping that those people don't have MLISes, 'cause, uh, when I got my MLIS there was sorta this whole class 'called Reference' that was basically --all-- about the reference interview.

Now, if they're paralibrarians, that makes more sense that they have to learn it, and should learn it. The more people who can help puzzle out patrons, the better... :)

130Keeline
Jun 24, 2014, 8:48 pm

#128 by weener>

Having made such ultra-specific research librarian questions, I sometimes feel that the people at the desk are only so interested in my motivations and project so try not to give too much detail. Often the librarian's knowledge of my field was minimal so the suggestions were for resources I had long ago consulted. I recognize that not everyone is in my position.

Managing a bookstore that specialized in old children's books in the 1990s, we routinely had questions where we had to draw out the details from the potential client so we could learn just what they were looking for and sometimes why. Some clients carefully avoided certain details lest we might learn about a feature that would make a given book worth paying attention to in the future and perhaps pricing a bit higher.

James

131weener
Jun 25, 2014, 2:32 am

It's mostly paralibrarians. My city relies on those mostly because they are cheaper and the MLS's are mostly working behind the scenes. I am a paralibrarian too, but I learned to do reference interviews from a training seminar offered at my branch.

132amysisson
Jun 25, 2014, 10:11 am

I remember being told in my reference class in library school that it was NOT appropriate to ask personal questions during the reference interview. For instance, if the patron says "I need books to learn Italian," you're not supposed to say "Oh, are you going on a trip to Italy?" So it can be very difficult to balance getting the info you need to help them without asking inappropriate questions. It's also hard to resist your own human nature of friendliness and curiosity. I mean, if they're going to Italy I'm excited for them and want to tell them so!

133redpersephone
Jun 25, 2014, 4:36 pm

>132 amysisson: I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that your professor for reference class was not from the Midwest. Personal questions are how we converse in Minnesota. :) I mean, I know none of us want to actually see the rash the patron is hoping to cure with homeopathy (!), but knowing, to use your example, that they are leaving for Italy in two days means that anything I could get for them via interlibrary loan is going to arrive too late to help them.

On the general topic, I agree that it usually takes a good 10-15 specific questions to get to the heart of what the patron really wants. Then again, I'm one of those people who often wants to just browse for something in a general area, so you have to try to make a quick judgment call on what kind of patron you're dealing with.

Re: training, we had someone come in a do a full-staff training on reader's advisory, which was immensely helpful. Even an hour or two can make a difference for most staff members, MLS or not.

tl;dr: I agree!

134amysisson
Jun 25, 2014, 4:40 pm

>133 redpersephone:

I'm not sure where he was from, but I agree that was kind of extreme, and I have trouble imagining any patron would object to such an innocent question. Asking if they're going on a trip to Italy also tells me whether they need conversation or more formal training, whether they want a pocket-sized versus full-sized item, etc.

135manatree
Jun 29, 2014, 3:21 am

I work for a university library, and my favorite is when you have a student that comes in at the end of the semester to look at their course reserve materials not knowing the course name or the professor's last name.

136mamzel
Abr 30, 2015, 1:43 pm

Bumping this back up the page.

137tymfos
Abr 30, 2015, 8:52 pm

>136 mamzel: Thanks!! :)

138MarthaJeanne
Jun 17, 2015, 4:25 am

Bump

139manatree
Jul 22, 2015, 5:26 pm

I'll add another pet peeve. People that don't pick up their books from the hold shelf. Especially Interlibrary Loans. In house books only sit on the hold shelf for seven days before they are sent back into the wild or put on hold for the next requester. If someone doesn't pick up an Interlibrary Loan, it will sit on our hold shelf until the due date, usually 1-3 months. ILLs require our staff's time to find a copy from another library, and the other library agrees to give it to us for 1-3 months and pays to ship it to us, and we pay to ship it back. The waste of money, time and courtesy really upsets me.

140mamzel
Jul 23, 2015, 8:26 pm

>139 manatree: Not to mention how rude it is to others that may be waiting for it!

141susiesharp
Ago 7, 2015, 5:45 pm

For our Summer Reading Program the kids read 5 books do an activity and get a movie pass...

Boy:Can I get a free movie pass?
Me:Sure you need to read 5 books and do an activity to get one
Boy: Uh umm can I just get the pass?
Me: .....
A few Minutes later
Boy: picks up 5 random books...I read these
Me: Great can you tell me about them?
Boy: Blank Stare....can I have a movie pass now?
Me: ...

142Cailiosa
Ago 7, 2015, 6:18 pm

I think Summer Reading brings out the worst in some people. We had one group of teens steal a whole handful of the Wendy's coupons we were giving out and then they (rather stupidly) took a bunch of them to Wendy's and attempted to get all sorts of free meals with them.

I also had some kids who came in to get prizes for the reading that they had done, but, oh no! they had lost their reading logs. I gave them new reading logs and asked them what weeks they had gotten prizes for already, so I could stamp them off and give them the prizes they still needed. Turns out, these kids had gone up to pretty much every one of the librarians with the same story and they had absolutely cleared us out of prizes before we caught on to them. Then they started bringing up younger kids to the desk and told them to tell us that they had lost their reading logs. These kids looked to be about eight or nine and were no way eligible to be in the teen program. How stupid did they think we were?

I love doing Summer Reading for the people who have fun with it and appreciate what we do for them, but incidents like these make me dread running it next year.

143weener
Ago 11, 2015, 10:28 pm

It really does bring out the worst in people.

A couple of years ago, we had candy for a teen prize, and every Wednesday, a large church group came it, and every get grabbed a log, filled out the whole thing, collected candy for all their prizes, and left. Every week. And all we were allowed to do is grit our teeth and say "Congratulatons."

144theretiredlibrarian
Ago 25, 2015, 9:20 am

I believe I might have had a little chat with the youth director. But you're right, there's really not much you can do. Last year I had a reading program (elem. school), where the kids were challenged to read 100 books during the school year. Two 4th grade girls were the only 4th graders to complete the program, both besties, one of them a known liar and thief, both in the same classroom. The teacher and I were both certain they were cheating, but the parents had signed the reading logs, so we had to let them get their prizes.

145morwen04
Sep 14, 2015, 6:25 pm

I just had a patron shush me, finger and everything, while I was helping another patron... We do not have a silent library. The SSSSSSSSHHHH went on for about 7 seconds. Enough time for me to think "are you joking right now" and "really dude you're making a lot of noise for someone who wants silence". It is the only time I have ever wished a problem patron was in the library and needed my help. Please someone give me a reason to explain something 6 or 7 times nearby.

146hnau
Sep 15, 2015, 11:03 am

Expect a horde of loud BarThingamabrarians to arrive shortly...

Btw, which continent are you on?

147tinymouse2
Editado: Sep 18, 2015, 12:31 pm

>145 morwen04:

I work as a library clerk in a Middle School. I once had a student come up to the desk to tell me that my student helpers and I needed to be quiet because she was trying to study. I was shocked because this same student was always coming in to sit and chat with her friend. I guess we were disrupting her conversations.

148WilsonsGarland
Oct 26, 2015, 1:22 am

I work in an elementary school library, so there is a lot to hate.

- The kids NEVER putting anything back on the shelf properly. Yes, they have been shown many, many times how to do this and are given special sticks to mark the spots on shelves they pick books from. Or they decide at the last second they don't want something and stick it wherever they want. I've accepted this as the norm given where I work, but it's still annoying.

- At least one book gets destroyed/ruined per week, whether it's a student accidentally spilling juice on a book or their dog gets hold of it and eats half the book. Already had three kids so far this year who intentionally tore up books.

- These kids who will check books out and decide afterward they don't want the books they got. But rather than telling me so I can check the books back in, they just throw the books on any random shelf. Then, they go grab other books and leave with them. This causes two problems: the original books still show up as out in the system, and the books that actually left with those students show up as being in. Then those students throw tantrums when they can't take out more books because their first ones were never checked back in.

- The maniac parents who stomp in and screech at the library staff over something like their kid was accidentally allowed to take home an inappropriate book or their kid wasn't allowed to take home books because he was being a brat.

- The malfunctioning computer. Normally, I can find out which students have books still out based on their class, but some classes won't show up because the system sucks. So I have to rely on students to be honest with me, which means every single one of them lies because they're kids. Then I have to take books away when they check out and find out they've still got books at home. Cue tantrum and/or angry mommy letter/call.

- The student helpers. I HATE THEM. At best, they do nothing. At worst, they make more work for me. Yes, they are improving, but I still find books in ridiculous places because many of the helpers just put books wherever they feel like it. We've also had two angry mommies of helpers who got "fired" from their helper jobs (for not listening and/or for misbehaving) come in and scream at us. Hey, not my fault your kid is worthless, lady. It's also like pulling teeth to get them to listen sometimes - they always want to do everything except what they're told, and they do know what they're expected to do. I've also had them take stuff from the supply closet behind my back after I specifically told them they could not have anything out of it.

- Normal classes who do not listen. I tell the students every single time I see them what they are and are not allowed to take out. Never fails, some kid always thinks he's extra-special and can take home something he knows he shouldn't have. It's incredibly easy for even the dumbest kids to tell which books they can have: any children's book or any "regular" (fiction or non-fiction) book with a lime-green label. Sometimes it's just one kid, sometimes it's half the class. Sometimes kids have to get sent back to the shelves four or five times because they keep bringing up books that they can't possibly read or understand.

- The kids who come in and say they can't find anything to read. I'd say at least 1/3 of all the books in the library are available to the classes I deal with. There is plenty to read.

149DanieXJ
Oct 27, 2015, 11:04 am

>148 WilsonsGarland: In the Childrens' Room, usually when I hear a kid say 'I can't find anything to read', I hear it as 'I can't find anything I --want-- to read', and I try to help them find the answer to the second question instead of the broader first question. (It's like when I stare into the refrigerator and lament that "there's nothing to eat". I don't actually mean that there's nothing to eat in the fridge, there is, but in fact there's nothing that I --want-- to eat in the fridge at that moment).

150tinymouse2
Oct 27, 2015, 11:45 am

>148 WilsonsGarland: When students come int to the library telling me that they can't find anything to read, I ask them what kind of books they usually like to read (genre, subject, author etc) or what kind of things they are interested in and that eventually leads to them finding a book they might enjoy. This reminds me of the time when I was working in a public library and a teenager came in and asked in an exasperated tone, "Do you have any books?" I just waved my hand around the library to all the books on the shelves. They then said, "I meant, do you have any GOOD books." I wanted to say that all of them were good, but then I asked them what they usually like to read or what they are interested in and when they couldn't tell me, I then pointed out where the new books were as a place to start. I think this was the first and last time I couldn't figure out what a person was looking for in the library.

I also have an issues with students not putting books back on the shelf properly. The rule in my library is to use a marker to mark the spot before pulling a book out, but way too many students seem to have difficulty understanding the concept. I even tell them that instead of just randomly shelving the book, they can just leave it on a table, on an empty part of the shelf lying flat, at the circulation desk, hand it to me, etc, but they insist they must shove it between books wherever they see fit. I even tell them that I don't care about having to shelve them myself because it is my job to do so and that I don't consider it leaving a mess if they place them on tables or counters. But, still, they feel the need to shelve. So, when a student consistently uses the marker improperly or misshelves books no matter how many times I warn them or remind them, I usually tell them to leave and come back when they are ready to follow directions. The student always learns at this point. I actually thought about using reverse psychology by telling them to shelve the books themselves. I wouldn't be too surprised if they suddenly decided to leave them all over tables and such. lol

151WilsonsGarland
Oct 30, 2015, 2:15 am

>150 tinymouse2:
I do that too, and I'd say about 50 percent of the time, the student hems and haws because they can't decide what kind of a book they want. From there, I basically start throwing sh*t at the wall to see what sticks. Do you like cats? Bunnies? Fairies? Ghosts? Princesses? Frozen? Superheroes? Curious George? Sometimes that works, but other times, the kid still doesn't know, and since I can't spend every moment with one student, I just let them figure it out on their own because if they don't pick a book within a certain amount of time, they don't get a book at all.

And yep, I've got the same rule in the library with the markers. Same function and everything, but in spite of explaining to the kids countless times how these little markers are used, they still don't get it. They'll stick the markers into the books wherever they feel like it, or they just think that if they take a marker with them, it still counts as using it. I always find them all over the library and because the kids like to mess with them, a few break every week.

Personally, I think the markers are pointless because the kids don't use them right or don't use them at all. The kids will just shove books onto whatever shelves they feel like it. This often results in books being pushed into one another (like a book inside another book), which results in bent pages. I would like it more if there was a rule saying that if you take a book off a shelf, you put it on the cart, but I don't make the rules and I don't think the librarian will agree with having to put more stuff away.

I don't even bother putting the shelves in order anymore because it's completely pointless (well, the nonfiction shelves anyway). If the books are in the proper sections, that's good enough for me. The kids come in and screw the shelves up anyway, so the time I used to spend re-ordering everything is time better spent doing other things.

152theretiredlibrarian
Oct 30, 2015, 8:55 am

I had the same problem with the shelf markers. This year, I got paint stirrers and modge-podged (half and half solution of water and Elmers glue) the students' barcodes numbers on them. Spray painted some coffee cans, added the teacher's name; the sticks go in the can. The sticks serve as both the shelf marker and library card. I made a big deal at the beginning of school about the proper use of the shelf marker, and that if they leave their marker anywhere but in their teacher's can, I will know who it was. So far, only ONE stick has been left behind. Before, I was picking them up everywhere all day long. The kids got to decorate their stick, and they really seem to be taking care of them. Only 1 kid has picked at the barcode. I just re-applied the glue to it.

153librorumamans
Oct 30, 2015, 9:24 pm

>152 theretiredlibrarian: Cool idea! But what's your school's enrollment?

154theretiredlibrarian
Oct 31, 2015, 8:51 am

200...I picked up paint stirrers every time I went to Walmart or Home Depot. I've done it at one campus to see how it works, and plan to do it next year at the other school.

155princessgarnet
Editado: Nov 24, 2015, 10:07 pm

Heard 4 times today from (different) patrons today: "I forgot my glasses and can't (fill in the blank)." By the last hearing, it's bad funny.

156jillrhudy
Nov 25, 2015, 10:56 am

Are student "helpers" mandatory? It's hard to believe you can't find even one worth her/his salt. I would have been a dream student helper in a school library at just about any age. I would have especially loved to be a library helper during recess.

157jillrhudy
Nov 25, 2015, 11:07 am

I'm an electronic services librarian in a public library, which means my main job is teaching computer classes and helping people with devices (primarily so that they become digitally savvy enough to check out ebooks). Well, when people find out they can get free tech help at the library, they try to bully me into all kinds of crazy things. Clearing off viruses from laptops. Installing software. Talking them through router installations over the phone. Getting hundreds of pictures off digital cameras. And my personal favorite: coming TO THEIR HOMES to fix their computers and/or help them with their computers. I have had this request from at least a dozen people. Here is how it usually goes down:

Some person, always over 55, calls the library and asks if I will come to her house. I refuse, and refer her to a local computer repair person who will come to her house.

She discovers his rate is $50 an hour and calls me back determined to bully me into coming to her house. This astonishes me. They don't try to bully circulation people into bringing their holds to their homes (at least not that I've ever heard of), so why in the world would they think I am the only librarian on earth who makes house calls? Even our outreach librarian does not visit private residences; for safety reasons she goes to community centers that people can get to more easily than the library, and to residential centers. I don't get it.

158morwen04
Nov 25, 2015, 2:29 pm

You'd be surprised. We once had a patron who demanded we check out books on their account and then just leave them at outside the door so they could pick them up after we were closed because they weren't going to make it that day!

159tymfos
Editado: Nov 25, 2015, 3:09 pm

Our library had to set a written policy regarding the nature and amount of tech help we are allowed to provide. I don't think anyone thought about requests for house calls, but I can imagine a quick update to the document if we get those requests.

160infjsarah
Nov 25, 2015, 5:27 pm

The person today who bothered to put an out of order sign on a scanner but didn't bother to inform library staff!
Of course it wasn't out of order. They'd forgotten that small thing of TURNING THE POWER ON.

161bnielsen
Nov 26, 2015, 5:03 am

>160 infjsarah: Could be worse. I had someone who tried to fix a printer (which probably didn't need fixing - like in your case) and removed the ink ribbon from a cassette and then put the cassette back and left without saying anything. It took a couple of minutes to discover what was wrong but then I noticed the ribbon in the garbage can nearby and a couple of very black fingerprints on the printer :-)

162MarthaJeanne
Nov 26, 2015, 6:29 am

I think the local children's librarian cringes when he sees me coming. He's very nice about it...

The thing is that most Mondays I am at the library looking for books to take to school with me because I am a reading volunteer. It seems that every week I look through books that the children and I might enjoy reading together, just to discover that someone has underlined large portions of the text, cut out a nice picture - at least I assume it was a nice picture, torn the first page most of the way through ... and I CAN'T take a book in that condition to school. So I hand it in at the info desk.

Like I said, he's very nice about it, even says how glad he is that I do it, but I know he sees me coming long before I get to his desk.

163jillrhudy
Nov 29, 2015, 2:22 pm

I would be extremely interested to see that policy! I have attempted to draft one.

164jillrhudy
Nov 29, 2015, 2:23 pm

Unbelievable.

165morwen04
Sep 30, 2017, 11:26 am

Patrons that force you to hear their entire conversation but worry about the noise opening their drink will make...

166bibliotecara
Ene 26, 2018, 1:06 pm

Patrons who continue to talk on their cell phones in a normal tone of voice after you've politely asked them (twice) to take their phone conversation out into the hall and they acknowledged you. This is all while they're sitting at a computer with a sign less than a foot from their face that reads "no cell phone use in the library."

167DanieXJ
Ene 28, 2018, 7:15 pm

>166 bibliotecara: I had an experience related to this the other day. I had to tell a young woman three times that we don't allow cellphone use anywhere but the stairwell, but, for the first time I've experienced, she wasn't talking on the phone, she was video calling someone (facetime, skype, or whatever). Which meant that not only was her side of the convo disturbing people, but so was her boyfriend's side...

168morwen04
Mar 12, 2018, 7:45 pm

This isn't so much annoying things patrons do, etc, but does anyone else have that one author they just hate shelving? Mine is William W. Johnstone. Mostly because every single one of his titles has Series: Subseries (?): Title on the front of the book and only the series is on the spine and no one can agree how they should be shelved.

169bernsad
Mar 12, 2018, 7:57 pm

>168 morwen04: That's easy, they get shelved my way!

170morwen04
Mar 13, 2018, 11:35 am

>169 bernsad: snort. I've done that a few times. Of course then the next person shelving (and probably someone who shelves more regularly than I do) comes along and re-shelves them to however they think the books should be shelved and then the next person comes along, etc, and then of course patrons get to them and then we just throw our hands up and cry.

171morberry3
mayo 25, 2018, 7:23 pm

Hello, new to the site. Sorry if this has been mentioned before, but one of the things I hate the most is when a patron comes in and says, "Do I have anything in?" and they just stare at me, not reaching for a card or telling me their name. I stare back for a moment and sometimes they repeat themselves, to which I tell them I'm not sure who they are and I need their card. Some snap back to real life and apologize, but others act offended. Well excuse me, Brenda

172DanieXJ
mayo 27, 2018, 4:13 pm

>171 morberry3: I have a similar thing to this. When they come to the Ref desk and just stand there*. They don't speak, don't say anything, just stand there and stare at us, sometimes there's a grunt involved too. Thankfully, it's only a few of our regular patrons (all males), but, it's... very annoying. Words were invented for a reason. They need to learn how to use them.

*They want a guest pass.

173lilithcat
mayo 27, 2018, 5:28 pm

>171 morberry3:

I must say that I once went into my local library to pick up a hold, and when I went to the front desk and said, "You have a book on hold for me", before I could get any further, the librarian responded, "We always have a book on hold for you." (It was true, too.)

174MarthaJeanne
mayo 27, 2018, 6:04 pm

When I return books and say I have something on hold, if I offer them my card they usually say they don't need it, find the book and check it out to me without even looking at the card, all on the basis of the account I just returned books for. If I don't have the card out yet they usually demand it, look at it for my name, and scan it to check the book out. I can't win.

175bernsad
mayo 28, 2018, 5:14 am

The librarian who operated the mobile library for some 30 odd years retired recently. He was a lovely gentleman with a phenomenal memory, he had committed to memory the 7 digit library card number of 100's and 100's of his regulars. Even without returning anything if you went to check out he usually had your account open before you could pull the card from your wallet.

176MarthaJeanne
Editado: mayo 28, 2018, 5:58 am

I think it's mostly different levels of computer competence. It probably just feels like I do the opposite of what the person is going to want. No real problem either way, because If I'm going to look around and check other things out, I'll need the card. But more power to him- I don't know my number even though I know it has an easy pattern.

177lilithcat
mayo 28, 2018, 9:32 am

>176 MarthaJeanne:

I don't know my number even though I know it has an easy pattern.

I used to have my number memorized, but when my wallet was stolen last year and I got a new card, I also got a new number, and I couldn't tell you what it is. I think that's because at one time I had to re-enter the number every time I went to the library website to check my records or request a hold, but now the site remembers it so I don't have to do that.

178morwen04
mayo 29, 2018, 10:29 am

Oh man your librarians should always ask and get identification (library card or photo id) before touching your accounts. This honestly concerns me. Not just because of privacy laws but also because we have patrons here (not accusing any of you of this) who have yelled at new people when they ask for a library card "they've never asked me for that before, get me your supervisor, etc etc". There are multiple patrons I have their card number memorized and I greet them by name and ask how they're doing and how they spouse is but they know if they want something from me they need to hand me their card.

179MarthaJeanne
mayo 29, 2018, 10:41 am

I don't think it's unreasonable to check books out to the account that books were just returned to, although there might be times when that isn't really right. I certainly have never been upset when asked for my card.

180bnielsen
mayo 29, 2018, 1:47 pm

The local library here is self-service most of the time, so I can check in using my card and code or my card-number and code if I don't feel like finding the card in my wallet. I don't think I've ever shown ID except when I registered some 20+ years ago. My wife sometimes ask me to check out some of her books and just lends me her card and code so I can impersonate her in the library system.

Returning a book doesn't allow you to check out books without authenticating with card+code though. So I think the system works flawless.

181morwen04
mayo 30, 2018, 9:43 am

Plenty of patrons have friends, relatives, neighbors, etc return items for them but they are not on the library account (unless they are given the card and/or the patron has requested that that person be able to check out items on their account) and therefore they are not allowed access to the library account. That includes personal information, circulation information, the ability to check out items, and computer access. Returning books in no way proves that the account is yours. It's very possible a smaller library would be able to relax this rule a little bit but it could still very easily break the law depending on where you are.

It's like when I worked as a bank teller basically anyone could deposit into any account but you couldn't withdraw or check a balance unless you showed ID.

182Zoes_Human
Nov 21, 2018, 9:05 am

A freshly tanned woman turned in a pile of children's books. She had checked all of them out at the same time, she had renewed all of them once, and they were all 1 week late. This means she had had the books for 7 weeks. The books all felt sandy, and one of them was water damaged. The water-damaged one STILL felt damp. When questioned about the still damp, faintly sandy, water-damaged book book that she'd had for 7 weeks, she said (you can guess, I'm sure you've heard it) "It was like that when I checked it out."

If you can afford to take your 4 kids to someplace warm and sandy with tanning weather at this time of year and pay late fees on 30 books for a week, surely you can afford to replace the picture book that was dropped in the water. Or at least shop for a better lie.

183Verkruissen
Nov 29, 2018, 4:11 pm

Yes! Everyone at our branch hates shelving him! LOL

184morwen04
Dic 17, 2018, 7:41 pm

I'm not sure if this exactly falls under this thread but does anyone else read the comments (I know we shouldn't but we all do) or forum threads and wonder which of their patrons wrote it?

185WeeTurtle
Dic 18, 2018, 3:26 am

Not sure what you mean. Do you mean comments about patrons being made here? I assume since it's a public forum (I think?), it can be assumed that the content is open to all in the group. Or do you mean complaints received at a library?

186morwen04
Dic 18, 2018, 9:31 am

Not here per say but just in general when I read people ranting on the internet it just brings to mind some of my patrons. I've helped more than one patron post an ALL CAPS rant online before.

187conhantaottp
Dic 19, 2018, 2:56 am

Este usuario ha sido eliminado por spam.

188WeeTurtle
Feb 19, 2019, 10:35 pm

Am I being annoying when I leave little condition notes inside books I return? Like about tears in a page, or loose covers. I'd just fix some of them myself but I hear that is also being annoying.

189MarthaJeanne
Feb 19, 2019, 10:45 pm

I hand the book in giving a spoken report, sometimes with postits at the important places. The person does not look pleased, but the thanks sound sincere. One day I found several books in the children's nonfiction that had had pictures cut out. By the third book it was rather embarassing. But the librarian assured me that she would rather know than have the books on the shelf like that.

190WeeTurtle
Feb 19, 2019, 10:51 pm

These are books I've borrowed. One had the cover about to fall off, which I mentioned to the woman at the desk when I returned it. These other two have tears in the pages that are close to detaching completely and taking some text with them. It's tempting to try and fix them since I'm pretty sure I can pull it off, but maybe there's a procedure involves that I'm going to mess with and the bureaucrat in me would flip at the idea! So, little notes it is (without stickies! I've heard those are bad.)

191Zoes_Human
Feb 20, 2019, 10:01 am

>190 WeeTurtle:

I like it when patrons let me know there's an issue with a book. We don't always catch it, and sometimes knowing there's a small problem can help to avoid it becoming a big problem. You are definitely making the right call not to fix it yourself though. There is a procedure and specific tools involved. Personally, I don't mind the sticky notes. We use them ourselves in our system.

192morwen04
Feb 20, 2019, 10:34 am

A couple of sticky notes are no problem. We can get annoyed when you leave more than a couple, but we'd also be annoyed if you left a bunch of slips of paper in a book as well. The only warning I'd have about leaving notes IN a book are that staff can get a little backed up and might not notice if the note isn't really visible (and sometime not even then, to my annoyance).

We always appreciate being let know that a book is starting to come apart. But as >191 Zoes_Human: says please don't fix books yourself.