| no thanks |
[Jun. 14th, 2005|12:04 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  go away | ] |
"good morning" no response...
"good afternoon" no response...
"if you need anything, let me know" no response...
this is the life of a library assistant, a thankless job. this does apply to patrons but i am referring this to some staff.
we have a library staff that originally escaped from a third world country to live in the land of opportunity of the united states of america. some refer to her as the hobbit while others call her all american.
her characteristics proves that hobbit exists. her cubicle is her "precious". cataloging is her profession and making everybody's life miserable. i had once requested to see if i could do some cataloging for special items (spanish materials). her eyes bulged out, fingernails grew like claws not to mention the many sharp teeth just ready to tear you apart.
once i fixed her computer and did i hear "oh thank you for fixing it" no. instead, she complained about something else that was wrong w/ the computer. selfish ingrate. |
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| Cool library |
[Jun. 7th, 2005|12:13 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | Dont's mess with TEXAS | ] |
i took time off to visit my grandparents in uvalde, Tx. since i have worked in a public library for years, for some reason i am inclined to search and look at the public library closest to me. uvalde is a very small town, i would say it is about 14k population. nice, very beautiful town but small. sure is a lot of cowboys, i mean the biggest belt buckles i have every seen. even the little ones have huge belt buckles. i did talk to some of the local people about this town and how it has grown. sadly they did tell me that there is a lot of discrimination against hispanics.
the humid is unbelievable, i heard on the radio it was 95% humidity. well, i went to the uvalde's library which was is called the El Progreso Public Library. very, nice library and very impressive. all what would expect in a public library and more. i went to check my emails and wanted to see how they do the internet sign-ups. ID was the only requirement (Cool!!) then they asked if i wanted a laptop? a laptop? i said. i had a choice of a terminal or a laptop. Laptop it is... almost all tables had power/internet plug ins.
i saw at least 5 other patrons that had laptops, including kids. which i thought was odd but maybe they are not influenced by the right to access all (including porn) philosophy of the american library association. because the library i am, it is BANNED. parents sign a consent form stating we will not be responsible if their kids access explicit materials. also, we will not pay for treatment due to the exposure of the shock and awe.
I WOULD BE A RICH MAN, FOR EVERY TIME A PARENT SAID "I TRUST MY KIDS ON THE INTERNET".
yes, i'd be a rich man...
so if anybody swings by Uvalde, Texas, go the public library. rosa works here and was very helpful. |
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| the new librarian |
[May. 31st, 2005|01:14 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  Youth Librarian | ] |
Yeah, we got a new youth librarian today. i give her 2 years. that seems to be the average turn-over rate for the last 6 years.
youth librarian #1 i met almost 5 years was leaving when i came in. her goal was to stay in a library for 2-4 years and move on. i thought she was one of the best youth librarians i ever met. she was very persistent, promoted a library environment and was a classic stereotypical "librarian". she made sure many young patrons and mothers respected the library. she went to California.
NEXT, youth librarian #2 was ok. nice kids programs and associated with all the homeschoolers and soccer moms. everything was ok, until a incident happened: there was a group of hispanics talking spanish. a woman (paranoid since watching Colors, American me, Traffic and other illegal immigrant/drug related movies)felt threaten by over hearing them talking about something illegal since she didn't know spanish, she assumed. demanded our youth librarian to call police.
she did, cops came, detained them, INS came, detained them. i was really upset about this and emailed management to express my concern.
oh, the police wanted to talk to the threatened lady... she left like a coward that she is.
the hispanics were just reading books and magazines. when was it a crime. that lady had no business to have the library call the police. does that mean that if she hears people talking in arabic, is she going to have other people call the FBI or homedisneyland security? "oh i was threatened because since i didn't know their language i assumed it was bad...".
well, the youth librarian was affected and thought that she was the bad person. i assured her that it wasn't her but should of done it differently. she left to be a teacher.
NEXT, youth librarian #3 was fun. probably because we were the same age. it was easier to relate and talk about many things. we got a new library manager(w/ no experience) and had some issues/conflicts. i know she tried to reason and work things out but there was no reasoning w/ someone that doesn't want to make change and is not organized. she left to be a Library Director of another city. now she can do whatever she wants.
NEXT, youth librarian #4 to be continued... |
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| Everybody loves the Library |
[May. 26th, 2005|06:59 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  this is Jr, he owes $74.23 | ] |
i have been the fortunate library staff of being privileged to deal with the american public at it's best.
- the all american family: everybody gets a library card and yes even the 2 month old jr, gets a library card. but mom (who got parenting skills from Dr. Phil, Springer, Booh Bahs) scolding her kids. it was a magical bonding expressing herself publicly and loud. the "SHUT UP!!! stupid" was classic, i mean you could hear the crack of the whip, wichewwwww!!!
- Freeloaders: in the retail business, people who buy products, use them, and return them back for their money back due to a supposedly defect product are called freeloaders. we have freeloaders in the library also. they bring in a book late and charged according the fines. patrons refuse to pay and argue as if they are the victim. things don't go their way: "i want to talk to your supervisor or manager!!". cowards...
- the responsible parent: remember the 2 month old jr w/ a library car? well jr sure did read a lot of books and saw a lot of movies!!! and guess what, jr didn't call the phone renewal line and was charged a lot of money. how sweet... but the parent says "that's impossible, jr is only 9 months old, he can't read!..." i love this, because i give them a pondering look of OH my gosh what in heck was i thinking when . yet they refuse to accept the responsibility, knowing they were when getting jr's library card. |
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| exciting day |
[May. 23rd, 2005|09:53 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  Yeah for the bums!! | ] |
this monday was soooo exciting that it was too much to handle. typical monday, patrons come and go, you got the regulars and the ones that just want to talk to you for hours.
one thing that drove me crazy today is when patrons come to you without bothering to search the item themselves. then i try to educate them using big pictures and hand gestures, they are like all for them to say "i'm not a computer person" or "me a illeterate wit compiuteers".
even if i ask them if they want to learn, they give me the i want you to look for it now. what kind of questions: it could range from "what is the president's address", "how do you spell library" to "where are your books on sylvia browne and GED (that's a nice combo)"
bums... |
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| stinky patrons |
[May. 11th, 2005|07:49 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  pig pen | ] |
libraries are known to have transients (homeless, bums, hobos, etc). i'v seen all shape and sizes but one thing they have in commom, is the smell (body oder, stinch, something rotten). as you know we can't kick them out, even though many other patrons expressed there concerns.
I though of an idea, all library staff carry a lysol keychain. usually we have to be very discret, carrying a industrial size can of lysol and spray it like a water hose.
thought #2: give them a coupon for a free shower at a mission, church, truckwash, someone's house or in Mexico. maybe on of the minutemen will report them to INS to get deported and that will solve everybodies problems. |
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| A library for the public |
[May. 11th, 2005|05:42 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | need books people !! | ] |
at our library, we have a special reference room locked from the public (this has all public records, yearbooks, southwest collection). originally it was open, but stolen, damaged, ripped, torn, grafitti, missing materials changed everything. now patrons have to go to the reference desk, leave an ID and staff will get the reference materials for them.
today, it was put to the test. patron wanted to do research on southwest collection. explained the policy, got upset because he doesn't know what books he wants, that's why he wants to research. good point...
asked for reference librarian to be there with him if that is the case. rooky librarian tries to explain the policy and show him how to use the library catalog. but she misses the point, he wants to research. i guess she never took classes on how to deal with patrons at library school.
library manager involvement didn't help any neither. this poor patron stayed for two hours explaining and reasoning with no light in sight. even called the rooky librarian and library manager "idiots" "don't know what you're doing". he is going to take to this to the city council, city manager and the mayor. even though none of these politicians don't go to the library...
glad someone said for us non-degree staff. FIGHT THE POWER !!!!! |
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| not in the mood |
[May. 10th, 2005|03:51 pm] |
today, i was not in the mood to deal w/ patrons. i guess i had quite a few that complained. boy if i had a nickel for everytime someone swore they never checkout those books before, i'd be a rich man.
patron #1: over the phone, he found out his fines were, $9.60. swore on his great grandmother's uncle's grave that he turned those in (well yes, he did turn them in but late). cried to my supervisor and got what he wanted, all fines waived. slacker, lazy bum.
patron #2: this mother knew what was going on, as if she knew how to work the system and keep from paying her fines. "i turned them in with other books!". again yes but turned in late... she took the cowardly way out, "i want to talk to your supervisor!" got her wish... what kind of an example is she for her kids, can't take responsibility for her own actions, bum. |
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