Letters to a Young Librarian: Could I Show You the Wine List?, Or, How Waitressing Made Me a Better Librarian

An excellent meditation of customer service in the library. I do find that when I walk into the library, and especially behind the circ desk, I put on a persona: I consciously become more cheerful and outgoing than I might normally be and try to adjust that persona depending on the needs of the patron. It doesn’t matter if I’m a bit shy in my personal life, or if I didn’t sleep well the night before or feel a cold coming on; this job means I’m here to help.

And being able to switch tasks at a moment’s notice — I don’t think I really learned that until I was at the circ desk (never having worked a waitressing gig) but I’m getting plenty of practice in my personal life now with a three-month-old.

I was in my daughter’s elementary school library early this morning when a second grade class came in. Since it is the beginning of the semester, the school librarian was explaining library procedures to the students. She explained that students shouldn’t try to re-shelve books themselves. When she asked the students to explain why that was, one second grade girl said the following: “Books are like animals. They need to be in the right habitat.” Library classification as ecosystem. I like it.

the pinakes: File under ‘cute’

I like it, too. Maybe I’ll borrow this wording, as I struggle when I’m making this request — um, please don’t have your very young kids put books away even though it’s a skill you want to teach them at home.

Our foot traffic is slow enough that shelving after kids doesn’t add much to the work load, either, but I could see this policy being especially important at a school library, where kids outnumber adults/staff. (I’m also trying to perfect how to whisper to parents that the book checkout limit is 50, but I’d recommend they aim a bit lower if they want to find them all again before they come due.)

the tip-making librarian

So, I’ve never had a job where I earn tips*, so today was kind of a unique victory.

An hour before closing, a young man rushed in needing to print car insurance paperwork and then get to the RMV. I helped him after he explained he wasn’t a “computer guy,” and it was nothing too unusual or harrowing, but when he went to print ($.45), we couldn’t give him change for a $20. I steeled myself for the inevitable (pretty fair) meltdown, especially since we were coming up on closing time on a Friday. But instead, he just cheerfully donated $19 to the library, thanked me for my help, and headed out the door to, it is assumed, cheerfully stand in line at the RMV.

Rewarding patron interaction!

*Lest you get too righteously indignant about my employment failings, I did spend one sweltering Florida summer lugging around 30-pound boxes of a woman’s magazine. 

punkassbookjockey: youtastelikenachos: Liquor store guy stopped into the library to give me a gift… Let’s ignore the wrapping and just celebrate the fact that MY PATRONS BRING ME BOOZE. I once had a patron give me some candy from the bottom of her purse.  You win.  I got ice cream once, but I guess booze would be a little inappropriate at this point. If I really play the pregnancy up, do you think an old patron will make me some tiny baby socks or something?
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punkassbookjockey:

youtastelikenachos:

Liquor store guy stopped into the library to give me a gift…

Let’s ignore the wrapping and just celebrate the fact that MY PATRONS BRING ME BOOZE.

I once had a patron give me some candy from the bottom of her purse. 

You win. 

I got ice cream once, but I guess booze would be a little inappropriate at this point. If I really play the pregnancy up, do you think an old patron will make me some tiny baby socks or something?

(via megzam)

Source: youtastelikenachos

When I’m finally eating lunch and realize no one is sitting at the reference desk

thatblondelibrarian:

I will help you, confused-looking patron.

This may have happened once while I was desperately eating a Preggie Pop. I wanted to screech, “I’m not a bad employee! I’m sick and pregnant!” but for once recognized this was probably TMI.

Also, the patron clearly wasn’t as outraged as she maybe should have been.

hypothetical question

It is 97 degrees outside, and 84 in the library, and I am five months pregnant. One of my favorite patrons brought me chocolate frozen yogurt.

I consumed it, and it was very messy and wonderful and unprofessional.

She wouldn’t poison the librarian who always helps her send faxes and get on the computers, right?

how do we explain patron privacy in a world of target markets? | lis.dom

chrischelberg:

Libraries really do care about privacy in a world where very very few institutions care.

(via @LISnews)

From the piece:

If you work in a library, that comes as no surprise to you. You probably deal every day, especially at a public library, with people who want to pick up holds for their wives or husbands, people who want a list of every book their teenager has checked out, people who wonder why you can’t just give them a list of all the mysteries in a particular series that they’ve already read. At the same time, of course, you also probably deal with people applying for library cards who don’t want to part with their basic demographic information or their email address, because they don’t want you emailing them stuff all the time.

Good pitch to remember, despite frequently encountering some of the scenarios she describes.