My Days Working at the Library

[Difdi]

We had charged him for a book, because it seemed that he never returned the book, and he could not find it. So he payed the charge.

About a week after he paid the charge, we actually FOUND the book, on the shelf no less. So we called him up to let him know, and that we would reimburse him.

This happened to me once, though I am proud of the fact I never raised my voice over it. I checked out a book, read it, returned it...then the late notices started coming in. I did occasionally lose track of books, it's one of the hazards of roomies (one of which once did me a "favor" by returning my county library book to the city library...by mail...a week after the due date).

So I searched my house, every place (from crawl space to attic, I had weird roomies) a book could fit, searched the roomies cars, quizzed the roomies, no book. The fines piled up, and finally the library sent the matter to a collection agency (fun fun fun). The thing is, I distinctly remembered handing the book to a librarian (no drop boxes at the time) when returning it.

After about a month of collection agency borderline-harassment, I was in the library browsing, and found the book on the shelf. I had a vague memory of the library only owning one copy when I was putting a hold on it months before, and some questioning of a librarian revealed that they did indeed only have one copy. So, acting on a hunch, I tried to check out the book I found on the shelf.

Wouldn't scan, due to already being checked out.

The library got the collection agency off my back, waived the accumulated fees, and expunged the incident from my record. Never got an apology though...

[Kogo Shuko]

As a student, I worked as a page in a local public library. From what I recall, I don’t think there were very many SCs at the library. There were a few, however, that do stick out.

Most of them weren’t really all that sucky, as opposed to STUPID. Maybe not even stupid, perhaps just having a bad day.

Where do you find this?
My job consisted of putting books back on the shelves, and making sure everything was in the proper order. Often times I would get a patron coming up and asking me where a certain section was. One patron, however, did it constantly. And I felt so bad for him too.

P (patron)
Me (me!)

P: Hi, where can I find the Science Fiction section?
Me: Actually, it’s right there behind you!
P: Oh… right.

***

P: Hi, where can I find the DVDs
Me: Look to your left
P: Bah! Of course! Thanks!

***

P: Where is the children’s section?
Me: Well this is weird, I’ve seen you up there before – with your kid. *points to the stairs we are standing in front of* Right up there, sir.
P: Oh yes, thanks.

***

This was constant. He always came up and asked me where something was, and I just so happened to be where he wanted to be! He would immediately get this look of pure shame on his face, and quickly turn toward the section.


613.94
613.94, 613.93

I think these numbers might ring a bell with certain people on this board.
While working as a student worker at the age of 16-18, being the hormone-riddled girl that I was, of course I would memorize the number for books such as The Art of Tantric Sex and The Joy of Sex.

The most entertaining thing about this section is when I would catch people over there. Most times they would move over a little bit so that it would seem like they were looking at something else. I’m no fool.

I think the best time I ever caught someone though was when I was rounding the corner into the aisle with my large cart of books, and a young man (I’d put him at the age of 24) jumped back in surprise, let out a cry, threw the book in the general direction of the shelf and ran down the aisle away from me.

I wandered over, huge grin on my face, and picked up The Joy of Sex. I guess it was burning his hands. ^_^

I have found these books hidden in all sorts of sections of the library, from fiction, to history, to even sports. Hidden under chairs, hidden behind desks. People love to look at them, but they rarely take them out. I worked circulation one summer and during those four months only ONE person took out one of these sexual position books. And she was a woman in her mid twenties.

What do you suggest?

Here I am, a young sixteen year old, putting books away. Up strolls this guy who it looks to me must be 25 years old.

C = Creeptastic Creep
Me = Guess who!

C: Hi! My name is Creeptastic Creep!
Me: I’m Kogo
C: Well, Kogo what would you suggest I read today?
Me: Well, my favourite is always Stephen King
C: King, eh? I’ve read him in Spanish!
Me: o_0 Okay…
C: I’m going to University of <Bigshots>
Me: Omg, he’s perving on me! That’s nice.
C: So what else would you recommend?
Me: *recommends some other author*

C continued to harass me until I finally told him that I wasn’t allowed to talk to patrons, otherwise I could be fired. He stopped talking to me, but continued to follow me around. I was creeped out

The Fabled Washroom Key

The men’s washroom was locked. If a man needed to use the washroom he would have to come to the front desk and ask for the key. Only the men’s washroom. We had problems with holes being punched in the wall, and toilets being broken, etc. So not only did we have to hand out this disgusting, vile key but we also had to deal with the freaks, crackheads, and pervs.

As I have mentioned earlier I worked the circulation desk for one summer. Well, would wonders never cease? I acquired a stalker that summer! It started off fine. This young man, about my age, would come to the front desk and ask to use the washroom. One of us would mentally prepare ourselves to touch that key, hand it to him, and breathe a sigh of relief as the key marched away from us and toward the washroom. When he came back, he’d throw the key in the basket and leave.

Well, soon he was coming to the library every day (to use the internet for an hour, and to read magazines). And soon after that the only time he would come get that key was when I was the only one at the desk.

The last day I worked fulltime, the poor guy came up and finally tried striking up a conversation with me. Then someone came in with donations, and he ran away!

I thought that was the end of that. But no. He ended up going to the same college as me. And he stalked me even more!! He asked my friends for my name, he would look at me whenever I was in the same room, and then… he tried becoming friends with my boyfriend!

Wtf?

Libraries are full of pervs.

I want my money back!

A man came in screaming.

We had charged him for a book, because it seemed that he never returned the book, and he could not find it. So he payed the charge.

About a week after he paid the charge, we actually FOUND the book, on the shelf no less. So we called him up to let him know, and that we would reimburse him.

He comes in, yelling bloody murder about how we were trying to steal his hard earned money, and blah blah blah. He demanded his money back. S, my boss, assured him that was why we had called him. To fix our error, and return his money.

He began harrassing her, swearing, calling her names, as she completed the transaction to return the money (a whopping 50 bucks) to him. Upon completion, he screamed, "I'm never coming back here!"

And so he storms out.

S looked at her watch, proclaimed it was her break time and that she needed a smoke, and fairly ran outside to catch him off property so that she could give him a piece of her mind.

I have never seen anyone so rude in my entire life. It was a genuine mistake. And all he could do was scream and swear about our charging him for a book that we had on our shelf. We called him back to give him his money back! Where in this were we not being honest? Seriously?