Damn Mice...

To all of the novice PC users who come in to the public library to use the internet stations I can understand your frustration.
I do try my best to give you as much one on one time in between answering the phones and helping other patrons at the information desk.
I know how difficult it is to learn how to use a mouse properly.
Yes, there is a ridiculous amount of buttons on today's mouse, most of which are never utilized by the general public.
I can understand how confusing it is at first: the right and left buttons work independently from each other, and yes, double-clicking does seem odd at first and  it does take some practice.
And of course, one of those buttons happens to control the pointer speed.
I do apologize for them, because the settings seem to run from "Squirrel on Crack" to "Must Use a 3' x 3' Mousepad."
If it is any consolation, at least they are optical.
Back in the day, the mouse I learned with was awkwardly shaped like a brick and the pointer would skip wildly around on the screen when the track rollers got dirty, which was all the time.
So don't give up, once we get past the basics I'll explain why I didn't show any excitement when you came up to the desk to tell me that the internet told you, "Congratulations!  You have been chosen as today's lucky winner!"

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."

The Public Library Hierarchy...

Circ was short-staffed last week and they had to ask Info for help.  Because I was the most recent one to work on circ, I was chosen to work 3 hours on the circ desk.  It reminded me of when I swore off circ work after joining the info side.  In fact, I did the same thing when I moved from Page to Circ.

It all relates to the hierarchy of the public library.  From my experience, I believe that there is a direct relationship between the amount of work done to one's position in the library pyramid.  The higher you are, the less work you do.

Pages do a lot of work, if they weren't around I'm pretty sure the library would grind to a halt.  The circ desk would be overrun with returns and info wouldn't be able to find anything.

The workload at circ can be pretty overwhelming when you consider that most libraries let patrons borrow 30+ items on each card.  It is no fun when you get a whole family with 5 different cards with 30 items on each card.  But even with that, it is a lot better than pushing a cart around and shelving books from the minute you walk in the library to the minute you leave.

The Info desk is easy compared to circ, I don't have to deal with patrons who complain their way out of the 60 cents in late fees on their account.  Yes, I know the info desk does have to deal with patrons who are too loud, parents who let their feral children run amok, "issues" with the public restroom, and help non-tech patrons with the internet, but I would take info over circ any day.

Branch management is above circ and info regardless of whether its info or circ management, they both do much less than their non-management counterparts.  How can someone who works a full 8 hour shift not work the desk once??  What are they so busy doing in their offices?

Library administration and the library director are so far removed from any of their "coworkers" who work in the branches.  Which makes it quite ironic in that the majority of decisions related to branches are made by admin: procedures, snow closures, even the temperature of the branches, etc.  During one hot summer day at work, I had a patron ask if the A/C was broken.  I replied that Admin has the control over the thermostat and that they raised it because of the budget cuts.  The patron made a quip about how comfy Admin must have it in "their ivory tower," and that is now how I describe library admin's offices.

Will my public library journey end up with me working in the ivory tower, who knows.  It is the equivalent of starting out in the mail room and working your way up to the top floor.

Covering Another Branch's Info Desk...

Last week I covered another branch's info desk while they held their Chris... Holiday party.


Despite it being a much larger library than my own, I helped a total of 4 people in the 3 hours I was there. 

If that wasn't bad enough, all of their screen resolutions were set to legally blind.  They must of had a default font size of 20 for their browsers --- I had to scroll down on Google to find the search bar. 
Their default search engine was also set to Bing... what the hell.  It's bad enough that we are forced to use Internet Explorer; I really need to have a talk with the librarian in charge of tech stuff there.

It all reminded me of a Parks and Rec episode: "Why does everyone in this town use AltaVista? Is it 1997?"

Long Distance Patron...

I was on the desk this afternoon when I received a call from a gentleman over 800 miles away. He was looking for an obituary for someone who lived in the same area as the library branch. He doesn't have access to the internet so he ended making the long-distance call which I ended up picking up. The person passed away in 2003 so I assumed that it would be pretty easy to find. It always begins that way, you get a question at the desk and you would think the answer is easy to find but the more you dig the more frustrated you get. After a couple of minutes I asked the caller for their contact information and told them that I would continue my research when I was off of the desk. I spent some time going through every single available resource and used all of the information I had but came up short. I could only find a small online article about the car accident where the person lost their life. I was at my wits' end when my supervisor reaffirmed that I looked every where and tried every search, and maybe the person didn't have anyone write an obituary for them. That just made the cold, rainy day, even more morose.

Winter is Coming Librarians - Get those Cardigans Ready...

After working just a mere three weeks at the Info desk, I get the whole librarian and sweater deal. I don't know why I didn't see it before.  I guess it's different working on the Circ side, although I did have to wear my winter jacket once when I worked for the City but that's because the automatic doors weren't closing all the way.

It seems that almost every library I have worked at is set up the same way.  When you walk through the front doors, the Info desk is right in front of you.  I can understand why, it is the first thing people should be greeted by.  I mean how else are they going to find out where the bathrooms are despite the fact that they walked right past them and didn't read any of the signs.

Unfortunately this means that the Info desk also bears the brunt of all of the cold fronts that blow through every time a patron walks in or out.  If it is this chilly now at the Info desk, I cannot imagine what it will be like mid-winter.  But I have already winterized my closet:

I also have a back up cardigan along with a hoodie in my car.  I don't have a holiday themed sweater in my arsenal, but I will be graduating from my MLIS program in the next few months *hint-hint*... I like blue.

Info Side --- First Impressions...

For my first day I shadowed an Info vet whenever I was scheduled on the desk.  I just found it very intimidating to be on "the other desk."  I can handle anything at circ, but at info the sky's the limit when it comes to patron questions. 


I didn't encounter any major problems just a slight one with requesting an ILL.  The coworker who I was training with was pretty flustered herself when it came to finding the exact item the patron wanted and she's been on info for over a decade!  I find that very common in every branch, a staff member who has been working in the library for ages but still does not know how to handle the simple day to day stuff that is explicitly stated in the job description.  Of course being the passive aggressive library, managers don't say anything or do anything so they just stay inept at the job they're supposed to be doing.

Overall, I'm feeling the new digs.  Every staff member seems nice and gets along well, now I just have to remember all the new faces and names...

Peace out Circ, Hello Info...

Next week will be my last time working as a library aide/assistant.  I have been beckoned to join the almighty ranks of the Information professionals.  It has been a long time coming.  I have learned everything there is about the circ side, which isn't much really.

I'm excited but also sad because I'll be leaving my current branch and coworkers.  The new branch I will be joining is a much smaller one, a "baby branch" as my coworker called it compared to our current one.  There are only 7 designated staff parking spaces compared to 26 now.

I really need to brush up on reader's advisory.  One of my info friends told me to just pretend like I know whatever the patron is talking about and then Google it. 

Oh, for all of those out there who are potentially thinking about joining the public library ranks here are some current facts for you.  There were 3 info assistant positions open and advertised.  Library HR received OVER 500 applications.  I have not been able to find out exactly how many people were interviewed but my supervisor puts the figure at around 25.  2 of those 3 positions were filled with CURRENT library employees, myself and my coworker-friend.  I am not exactly trying to dissuade anyone out there, I just want you to be fully informed because knowing is half the battle, the other half is making sure you bribe the correct person in library HR, I'm thinking cat toys, knitting supplies, and some secret family baking recipes....

My first Reference Interview...

Sorry for the bad play on words, this afternoon I had my first (and soon to be many) interviews for an info position.

I am undecided on how it went.  Everyone at the branch wished me good luck and told me I would do great, I really think they jinxed me.  One of my coworker-friends has her interview tomorrow, so there is a bit of personal competition involved.  I don't know if I would feel worse if I didn't get a position and she did or vice versa.  I should hear back sometime next week.

Week in Review

So I've been at my temporary branch for a week now and have a pretty good feel for the place.

Overall, it's an "okay" branch.  I wouldn't be willing to stay here permanently. 

The patrons are more patient, I guess they've been trained to be that way with 3 self check out machines and only 1 full service computer.  Lines can get pretty long in a short amount of time, but I have never seen or heard any complaints about the wait.  That is completely different than my home branch.  If a person has to wait for 30 seconds for assistance, they go into full ballistic mode. 

The branch is set up like a big square with the stacks on opposites sides, so there really isn't any where to hide.  I'm not saying I hide all the time, but it is a good distraction to disappear into the stacks for a few.

The backroom set up is wide open, it's not the cubicle farm I've come to like.  Info and Circ staff are interspersed among each other but there isn't much interaction between the two camps.  At least we joke around and talk to each other at my branch.

Even though I already have a maternal coworker at this branch, I'm counting down the days to go back to my original ones...