Break Time.

Last Sunday I really thought the library would be closed today, I mean, the County system is, so why wouldn't the adjacent City system be. I was even telling patrons that their one week dvd materials would be due back on Tuesday, my bad.
I was so close to calling out today. But I figured if I did, I would spend the whole day play 'Red Dead Redemption' and NOT working on the two papers that are due this week.
I guess my erroneous assumption paid off when I told them their items wouldn't be due next Sunday because its a holiday, because there were only 4 people waiting at the door before opening. That and the fact that all of the phone calls we have gotten have been patrons asking if we're open today.

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.

I Live My Life One Due Date at a Time...

Not too long ago I was really into the import scene. For those unfamiliar, it was "those bunch of kids" with lowered Honda's with loud exhausts, and big rims. Then Hollywood caught wind of it, chewed it up, and spit out its mainstream loogey in the form of "The Fast and the Furious." There's one infamous line where Vin Diesel says he "lives one quarter mile at a time."

For those unfamiliar a quarter mile AKA 1320 (feet) is the length of a drag strip. That horrid line has been embedded in my mind and I have my own library equivalent, "I live my life one check out at a time." Sure its typically three weeks in the future but even the patrons relate to it. A lot of patrons will make comments about how their return date falls on their birthday or some other significant event, or they make a comment about how time flies.

So here's to a Happy New Year to all!

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...

Your Books are Due Back...

Last Friday was an 'odd' day for a lack of a better word. Regular, 3-week, material checked out that day is due back on September 11. Just hearing that date brings back memories. I just told patrons that they "are due back next month on the 11th." I didn't want to link the date with 'September' or '9.' I remember working at (uuggghhh) Best Buy during 2001, and an elderly shopper became completely distraught when she saw a display for "Die Hard" which depicts an explosion on top of two skyscrapers.