then when the parent has FINALLY had enough...

Who gets in trouble? The bad parent? NO! The kid. The kid takes the fall for them all. It's not the parent's fault that they weren't watching their kid destroy the place, right? No, the parents start taking it out on the kid. Come now!

is the library your kids' playground?

Okay, I've been watching this all day, and it's been happening for weeks now. Parents come in, dump off their kids, and leave with the place destroyed. What's UP?!?! Thanks a lot. We're not your kids' babysitters, and we're not your kids' second parents. I actually had a mom ask me to "shush" her kid. If you can't control your children, then maybe you better do so before you take them to public places where civility is expected. Over the years, I've heard many parents tell me (when they find out I'm a librarian) that they don't bring their kids to storytime because of the other parents. They don't want their kids picking up on the bad habits. We're not just talking about being loud in the library -- we're talking about knocking over shelves of books; leaving crayons, stuffed animals, puzzle pieces, and books all over the floor; kicking the stuffed animals around; playing with the lights and doors; jumping over chairs and couches; screaming and crying for several minutes straight; hitting or roughhousing with other children; dropping food on the carpet and stepping on it; leaving strollers in walkways; trying to pry into our money boxes; etc. etc. etc.

interrupting phone calls -- why?

Some people may think it's okay to be interrupted while they're on the phone -- maybe their calls aren't very important or they don't consider the people they're talking to very important? -- but if I'm at work, and I'm on the phone, especially when I'm working at a public desk, I can guarantee you that my phone call is nothing but business and I'm doing my best to treat the person on the other end with as much respect and consideration as I would any person that walked up to the desk when I wasn't on the phone. Why would anyone expect me to act otherwise? I really don't understand staff and patrons who think it's perfectly okay to interrupt a phone call.

"You don't see my daughter's holds on MY record?"

Nope; not all library cards are created the same. After spending several minutes looking for a hold "that you called me about," I find out that it's on the teenage daughter's card. "Well, I'm on her card, too." Not exactly.

Twiddling our thumbs at the drive-up -- ya think so?

Librarians don't just sit at the drive-up window waiting for the next person to pull-up. Think that's a good use of tax dollars, do ya? Nah, we're not sitting here waiting... We're working our BUTTS off back here, okay? So when you pull up and don't see someone sitting there waiting for you that very second, but you honk or knock or yell "HELLOOO?!" or look at us unpatiently when you hand over a single book that you could have easily slipped into the bookdrop right next to the window, just stop and think. Okay?

I guess this leads into another subject, "What exactly do you do at the library?"

Give your books to a stranger? NO!

Okay, as I walked into work today with my co-workers, a patron came up to us with a handful of books. We told her the library wasn't open yet and that the bookdrop was around back. A lady sitting at the front door yelled out, "Hey, I'll take them in for you. I have some 'read-and-exchange' I have to drop off anyway." The patron says, "Oh, okay. Thank you!" So instead of taking an extra minute to drive around back, she hands her library books over to a complete stranger!!

And you just know what's going to happen a couple weeks later -- "No, I returned those books!" Well, we can't find them. Where did you return them? "I gave them to some woman sitting at the front door." Oh?

3 years later...

I guess I've got some things to share. Soon.

Are my library days coming to an end?

I have a STRONG passion for libraries and their purpose in the community.  I am one of the hardest workers in Libraryland, and I have a statewide award to prove it.  I’ve worked on dozens of library committees and service teams, and I have been instrumental in moving our library system into the future and making it “relevant” to our patrons’ needs and wants in these challenging times.  However, I feel as if I can do no more.  My hands are tied.  These last few years, I’ve interviewed for dozens of promotional positions – jobs that looked that they were written specifically with me in mind.  And yet, here I sit day after day checking in and out library books.  I love our patrons, and in general I love my job, but I consistently feel frustrated, stressed, and depressed when I think of all the MORE good I could do if just given the CHANCE.  Is my time done?  Have I done all I can do in this type of situation?  Reader, stay close.  I believe there’s a lot we can learn from each other as I start to share my life working in public libraries.  I’ll be looking forward to your comments in my many posts to come.