Gifting Patrons/Patron Gifting

A couple of months back, a very pregnant patron with a toddler in tow came up to me at the info desk and asked if I could help her with a flat tire.  I first asked if she had AAA or if she had a new car which included roadside assistance.  She said she had neither so I figured it was time to roll up my sleeves and get to work.  A few weeks later, I get an email from my supervisor saying that she stopped by to drop off this thank you gift.

It was my weekend off and he was really anxious to see what it was, he assumed it was a Rolex.  I told him he could open it, but he said he would wait impatiently until my next shift.

One thing library school professors don't tell you about public librarianship is about how thankless it is.  I can't speak for other library fields, I can only talk about my years of working with the public.  But I knew this before going in, you don't become a librarian only because you like to read or like books in general.  You do it because you genuinely love to help people and answer any and all questions imaginable.

During the holidays, patrons go out of their way to show their appreciation.  This was our break-room from this past holiday.

Parking Lot Pimpin': Library Edition...

MSRP $116,670

2012 Aston Martin Vantage V8 Coupe.  Not surprising that a patron at my branch would drive a six-figure car.  As a car enthusiast, I am always spotting nice rides on my commute to and from work.

I remember a comment my supervisor made to me when he started at my branch.  He just had his first baby and during storytime he came up to me and said, "Add up all those strollers in the lobby and you could buy a car"  I thought he was exaggerating until I went to the local baby store with my sister, who is due any minute now, but he wasn't joking...

Welcome to the Public Library, Where No One is EVER HAPPY...

I remember doing this in 2nd grade, I wrote a letter to my Mom...

Last week, the library received a letter in the mail from a local elementary school child. I remember doing this project in second grade, measuring the placement of the stamp with a ruler thinking that if it wasn't in the proper place, parallel to the edges in the front right corner of the envelope it wouldn't be sent.

I actually just had a short conversation with a regular patron this afternoon.  He asked if anyone ever thought about putting a wall between the children's area and the rest of the library.  This library was just remodeled last year so I highly doubt there will be any new construction on the horizon.  I really think there is a strong disconnect between architects when it comes to library function and form.  When was the last time they were actually in the to see how "things work."  Nice airy spaces look and feel nice, but how about you throw up some sound-deadening here and there.

Anyways, sorry Little Miss Patron, but I refuse to "Shhh" anyone or make references to it.  It's bad enough I'm rocking the stereotypical cardigans at work.

These Patrons are the Best...

No, seriously, these patrons are the best.  I know I can be highly cynical and snarky but this is a break from that (for this post).

1 lb. of diabetes in a nicely wrapped box

Last Saturday on the desk, one of my regular patrons walked by to say hi and reached into her ginormous purse and pulled this out --- 1 lb. of Trader Joe's choclate.  When she handed it to me, she kept thanking me for helping her all those times and that this was just for me.

She's an elderly patron who is pretty adept at using computers and the internet but still has some troubles, which is where I come in.  I have been at this branch for almost 6 months and I helped her my first day there.  My supervisor made a comment about how I "stole" one of her patrons away from her since she used to ask her for help all the time.

"I don't like it unless it's brand new, brand new..." --- Rhymefest

Yesterday, a patron donated a handful of books.  While I was going through the ILS to see if we or another branch needed them, I came across these 4 titles, all of which are fairly new releases.  Between these four books there was a combined count of 990 holds.  This branch is much smaller than my previous one, but the amount of new books donated is astounding. 
Patrons at my older branch would complain and bitch about "What?? 200 holds?  Why are there so many holds!? I'll never get this book, what good is the library if I can't get the book I want, blah blah blah." 
At this branch, a patron will reply, "Oh wow, that's a lot of holds.  Don't bother placing the hold, I'll just buy the book and I'll donate it when I'm done."  And by-golly they do just that.  I have added so many "hot titles" to our collection, as well as other branches in the system, from these generous patrons.

Now, if only we could get some donations for The Hunger Games, that title alone has almost just as many holds as these four books!

Digitized Dividing = 1 ÷ 0

I'm pretty sure the stats would be higher if I wasn't such a tech-fiend.

The Digital Divide will always exist but there is also another side to the coin.  Besides those who are not fiscally able to gain access to the internet and new technology, there are those who are more than capable to purchase the latest tech toys but who remain tech-illiterate despite walking around with these devices in their possession.

You would hope that over time these individuals would end up learning how to use most of those features they spent all those hard-earned dollars on, but that does not always happen.  You know what is just as sad, people are proclaiming that there's an "App Gap," that's just pathetic.  "Oh, noez, little Timmy isn't able to play Angry Birds!  Now he's going to fail at life!"  Please, kids these days are so spoiled, the last thing they need is another Digital Distraction.

Last week, I had a patron who came up to the desk and ask, "Do you know how I can look at Twitter on my Kindle?"  Sounds like an easy enough problem: "There's an app for that."  So she fires up her Fire (like the wordplay, eh? eh??)  and we download the Twitter app.  I ask her if she has an account and she says, "I think I do."  So she proceeds to slowly enter in her username and password.  After several failures, I mention that she can always reset password.  Before she did, I made sure to ask if she has access/remembers her email credentials.  She says, "I think so," this is where I know that this supposed 5 minute interaction is going to end up being a little bit longer.  We reset her Twitter password and considering that it took awhile for her to maneuver on her Fire, it might be easier if she used on of the public internet stations.  Once we bring up Gmail she ends up pulling out her Blackberry and goes through her contact information to find her email account password.  You know how they say that the majority of people have their most-sensitive account passwords written down at there desk somewhere, well, she answered 'Yes' to that question during the survey.  Her email account was not linked to her Blackberry, in fact, none of her emails are linked to her phone, she just keeps all of her account information on it as contacts.

Not surprisingly, she has the wrong password listed on her phone so she gets frustrated and asks me, "Can't I go to Staples and they'll do all this for me?"  I'm a pretty patient person so it was more out of her own frustration.  I told her that we could make a new email and Twitter account and she agrees that this is the best solution.  So I go back to the Info Desk and let her do her thing.  She calls me back saying that she finished creating a new email account and needed help making a Twitter one.  So I go back and help her create a new Twitter account, even made up a password for her because she was so irritated at the thought of having to "create yet another password which [she] will forget."  Okay, account created, but wait there's more!---stupid confirmation process.  I let her know that she needs to go back to her email account and confirm her info.  Yeah, she forgot the password to her new email account which she had just created not 5 minutes before. 

Finally gets her usernames and passwords correct and we finally get her logged in to Twitter on her Fire.  Turns out her daughter is a pretty big and important public official or whatever, and she has a bunch of trolls and haters arguing with her on Twitter.  So after 45 minutes helping this patron, here comes mom to the Twitter fight rescue!

Well, Exccccuuuussssseeee Me...

This afternoon I noticed a little girl who seemed like she was looking for her parent, I think she's around 5 or 6 --I'm really bad with gauging kids' ages.  When she walked by the info desk I asked if she needed help finding someone.  She nodded and followed me as I walked around the info desk to walk with her.  I try to remember patrons' faces when they walk in, but the school's were out and all of the kids were at the library so I had no idea who I was looking for.  So I asked her, "Are you looking for your mom or dad?"  She pauses to look at me like I asked her if she prefers Transformers Generation 1 or Beast Wars and replies (very snobbishly for a wee one mind you), "I'm looking for my au pair."

Damn, Google Ads, why are you so on point??

Google never ceases to amaze me.

The browsers on all of the PC's at the info desk have a tab with the branch location on Google Maps.  It's been pretty helpful for me to help those directionally challenged patrons who call me lost on the road.  I'm still getting acquainted with the area my damn self.

This Google Ad popped up for the library's location and it couldn't have been any more on point.  It has been discussed with my friends who work for other branches, that I have ended up working at the richest one out of all of them.  When I emailed this pic to them, they replied thinking that I was signed in under my account, so Google was just basing the ad on me and not the library's location.  I'm not bloody a chav!

To those that say that only the poor use the public library have no idea what they are talking about.  Look out at the parking lot any day and you'll spot the latest luxury cars, and these patrons aren't in the library just to use the internet to update their Facebook statuses either, they, you know, read books and stuff.


I also found out last week that the local Giant has valet... really Giant!!?
Welcome to my bougie branch!

Nor Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor Snow, Nor Plague...

Yesterday's door count was a spine-breaking 381. Get it!? Spine-breaking.... Oh nevermind.  That astounding figure is probably off by a lot too, because out of the few patrons we had, several have small bladders so every time they would walk past the counter to use the restroom the numbers went up.  I've seen the Branch Manager walk back and forth between the counter several times a day for no apparent reason. Cookin' the books the way I see it.

The weather wasn't all too bad yesterday, but it wasn't exactly sunny skies and clear roads.

I was manning the desk alone, fighting off the endless hordes who wanted to check out The Girl Who Boxed a Beehive or was it The Girl Who Attacked an Anthill.  I can never keep up with what those crazy patrons are into.

My coworker who was working later in the day, covering a different branch, IMed my phone asking why the library was still open in this kind of weather. Granted it wasn't blizzard-like conditions, but the schools were closing early, damn you school system! I replied, "Because people need to update their Facebook statuses."

Until people get Facebook chips implanted into their brains, the library will always be open.

Rules of Circ #11 (RoC)

"Circ Desk Small talk"

Most interactions with patrons at the desk last less than a minute, two at the most because it takes a long time to print up a due date slip listing all of the 50 items checked out.

I do not know if this is only for specific patrons who are "loose" when it comes to self-disclosure or if the circ desk is the equivalent of a bar. Patrons can be particularly gabby, and I'm not just talking about the lonely elderly ones either (it's worse when they call because I feel bad when I have to politely tell them I have to go back to work after helping them).

Popular topics of discussion are
1. The weather; from a blizzard to a heat wave, patrons will always mention the obvious. Although, I particularly hate it when patrons mention how great it is outdoors and I'm stuck indoors and I also just started my shift -- don't rub it in!
2. Changes in library policy; it's always fun to bond with patrons by complaining about "The Man," you know, the one guy in his executive suite, smoking his cigars in his expensive suit who is always increasing library fines and shortening hours.
3. Personal issues; most of the time I honestly do not need any more information other than your library card number, and sometimes your name or address. Everything volunteered varies so greatly on many levels. It can range from happy subjects like finally getting a job after using the library to find jobs, to the sad like a widow clearing up a recently passed away spouse's account.

No matter what the topic, I openly welcome anything over the awkward silence of waiting for the printer to finish. I love it when patrons get really excited when they see that I am willing to listen. I had an elderly patron go on and on about a play she was putting on and kept inviting me to go. I recently had a patron tell me all about her trip to Greece which occurred during the economic riots; her husband was pick-pocketed within 20 minutes of setting foot on land and she came in to pay for books they lost when they had to quickly leave their hotel due to the riots.

So bring some books and some stories to the check out desk and I'm always willing to lend the books and an ear.

The Library: We Ruin Your Mother's Day

We were fully staffed yesterday, the first time in months.  Even though half of the staff is new, its better than nothing and its great to blame things on the "new guy" [new GAL(s)].

It being Mother's Day also relieved the patron rush, still had a 1000+ door count though.

Only one "bad" patron interaction out of a hundred or so, not too bad.

A mom and her 10 year old son come up to the Circ desk to check out.  The first card she hands me has a lost item fine of over $20.  The item is from another branch, and they're closed so I can't do a shelf check.  I recommend her to call during the week to have them clear it up.  I ask if she has another library card we can use, that one is blocked too with 3 lost items totaling over $50.  Both lost items were from over a year and a half ago.  I was going to work with her and override the $20 block since I couldn't check the shelves for it, but she instantly started giving me attitude saying that they only have been to the library ONCE and everything has been returned.  Following her logic, yes she has been to the library once to check the items out, and she never made a SECOND trip to return the items.  So I go back and call my supervisor.  She comes out and talks to her and tries to talk to her.  The patron becomes even more irritated while her son is right next to her telling her, "It's okay mom."  Mom replies, "No, it's not, it's ruining our day." 

I got bored listening to her complain so I moved to a different station to assist the other non-disgruntled patrons.  The problem patron and her son walked out without the books only to return 5 minutes later, she was looking for my supervisor who returned to the backroom so she walked up to another coworker and asked her to pass on the message to my supervisor, "Thanks for ruining my Mother's Day!"   Ouch, really?  You're going to take it there?  And I suppose that if this happened a week earlier your message would have been different: "Thanks for ruining my Polish Flag Day!"  To make matters worse, my supervisor just had her first baby last November, so this was HER first Mother's Day.

The Patron is Always Right

The patron is always right, unless I say so.

Last week a patron wanted me to check in her items to see what was still left on her account.  I checked them in and showed her the screen of what was still checked out.  She said that out of the remaining items, there was one she was sure she returned.  Okay, routine shelf check, nothing new.  She asked me if she would have to pay for the item, even though she is "100% positive" that she returned it.  I assured her that she wouldn't have to, and she didn't believe me and asked who she would have to talk to fix the matter.  I told her I could and she seemed okay with it, she then looked back at the computer screen and said that she also returned another title that was still listed.  I told her, okay, I will check on that item too.  She then asked yet again, if she would have to pay for items she knew she returned already, I told her no, AGAIN.  And then she says, oh wait, those two were also returned.  It was at this point, that I commented, that 4 items is a lot to have not been checked in, and she went on to say how she is very good at keeping track of her accounts, showing me a handful of due date slips in her purse.  My spidey-sense was already going off, but I never take the route of accusing patrons.  I know my coworkers, and I know that there will always be mistakes with people's accounts.  I told her I would email her the results of my book hunting.

Well, shocker, none of the 4 items were on the shelves.  I guess I have not been in the library system long enough to be jaded to go against the patrons, so I emailed her that I will take the items off of her account.  I looked at all 4 items and they were just added to the system last year, I added up all of their prices in my head and I started to get angry at this patron.  I'm not one to argue with a patron, unless I know for certain they are in the wrong.  I just let karma handle all of the patrons who have pulled fast ones on me.  A couple hours later, I get a reply email saying that she found all 4 of the books.  It was at this point I did a face-palm. 

Thankfully, this patron turned out to an honest one, confused - yes, but honest.

Your Books are Due back on Hallmark Day.

Work yesterday was rough, I don't know what brought all the patrons out but they came out in droves.  I didn't have any time to check the Jets/Colts game on my phone at all, but I digress.

When I told the patrons their due date, surprisingly, only one patron out of the near 100 patrons I interacted with actually said, "Oh, Valentine's Day."  I never referred to their due dates as that Hallmark Holiday, but I would just say the 14th of next month.  It was funny to watch the reaction of the couples that I helped.  The females would nudge their husbands/boyfriends in the side and give them a look, while the guys would just roll their eyes.  A couple of the guys would just mouth back, "I know."

The most awkward was a preface to a fight on the car ride home: she asked where he made reservations, he seemed to not care and shrugged it off, she gave him "the look," which continued on their way out to the parking lot.

Gotta love those unique patron interactions.

What's In a Name Part I.

My PICAW (Partner In Crime At Work) and myself found ourselves bored at work when we were covering the phones. 
I randomly searched for unique names in our patron database and was quite surprised what names (first and middle) popped up.  So what started out as a way to pass the time turned into a competitive game.

Our list became quite extensive and we have tried to keep it organized, somewhat...

States:

Florida

Georgia

Illinois

Indiana

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Montana

Nevada

Virginia

Washington

We found out that our library system has its own "United Nations" of patrons names when it came to countries along with some other cities.

Countries and Cities:

Africa

America

Antigua

Argentina

Asia

Austria

Bari

Benin

Bolivia

Brazil

Burma

Canada

Chad

China

Cuba

Denmark

Dominica

Egypt

England

Eritrea

Ethiopia

France

India

Iran

Ireland

Israel

Italia

Jordan

Kenya

Mali

Manila

Milan

Niger

Oman

Paris

Romania

Rome

Somalia

Spain

Sudan

Tonga

Trinidad

Tunisia

Venice

Wales

Zaire

Zambia

Not in my Job Description...

I get to work this morning to see a plow truck clearing up the parking lot. The back entrance wasn't plowed so I walked around to the front of the building. I'm greeted at the door by a coworker who asks if I'm up for sanding the front entrance and bookdrop. Sure, why not, wouldn't want any of my older coworkers to slip and fall.

There were two people actually waiting at the door for it to open at 10. Started off the day with the bare minimum staff, 3 info and 3 circ. The first patron I helped on the desk remarked how surprised she was that we showed up. On her way out she turned around and said "thank you."
And they say libraries are "nonessential." Tell that to all of the patrons who came in today. I'll have to take a look at the circulation numbers tomorrow.

You can't say libraries aren't necessary, especially during times like this when more people flock to them.

Milk, Bread, and Books

Seems like today's conversation is about the impending snow storm.

All of my coworkers keep going on and on about how much we're expecting and how bad it's going to be.

Then you have a rush of elderly patrons who are stocking up on books like we're giving them by the armfuls for free... okay, so they are "free" to a certain extent but still.  It's really not that big of a deal.  Weather forecasters have let me down numerous times when I was in grade school.  I spent so many nights going to bed expecting not to have to go to school the following day.  Only to have my hopes dashed away because the "jetstream" changed its course unexpectedly. 

Over a foot of snow you say?  --- I say "BS." 

Don't get me wrong, I have no objections to being snowed in for a few days with a big box of Popeyes chicken and the warm glow of my big screen, playing MW2 to keep me warm.  But I'll believe when I see it.

Lost in Translation

I had a patron bring up a book to the Circ Desk and handed me their passport. So I used it to search for their account and when I showed them the screen query that their name was not coming up they said in broken English, that they have to be in there. I then asked if they even had a library card and lo and behold they never did. So I gave them application form and when I was done entering their info, they asked how much. I told them that most services are free and told them the few occasions were fines may occur. They asked me how much for the book, I tried my best to explain that it was free to borrow and we went back and forth for a few minutes. I'm not sure if there's a universal hand sign for "due back in 3 weeks," but I don't think the library will be seeing that book again...

What's in a Name? part 1

There's not much to do during down times at the library, you could read but why would you want to do that?
I have resorted to people watching from the circ desk. I have also gotten very good at guessing patrons ages +/- 3 years, but it only works for female patrons. Needless to say I get bored at work often (see exhibit 1a: photo album of the library).
It's even worse when I'm not working the desk. So what to do when I'm working the phones? Well, I do have the library's entire database at my disposal. I began to query odd names to see what hits I would get. It just started out as something to give off the appearance that I am actually doing backroom work to anyone who passes by but when I realized how many 'unusual' names there are, I started to write them all down.
Aided by my PICAW (partner in crime at work), Rebecca, we've come up with a pretty impressive list so far: first and middle names only. There are only so many people in the library database so this is not as extensive or thoroughly researched as the one case in Freakonomics. But it is funny to see what names do come up, they are all broken down by topic and there are several sections.

So what is in a name? Apparently, geographic locations are very popular. Is it because it is the place of their conception? Birth? I don't know, maybe I'll ask Denmark next time. But we do have a well-represented United Nations in the library system.


Geographic Locations
Africa
America
Antigua
Argentina
Asia
Austria
Bari
Benin
Bolivia
Brazil
Burma
Canada
Chad
China
Cuba
Denmark
Dominica
Egypt
England
Eritrea
Ethiopia
France
India
Iran
Ireland
Israel
Italia
Jordan
Kenya
Mali
Milan
Niger
Oman
Paris
Romania
Rome
Somalia
Spain
Sudan
Tonga
Trinidad
Tunisia
Wales
Zaire
Zambia

States
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Montana
Nevada
Virginia
Washington