Some Rules to Keep in Mind When Using Your Local Library
This is all from Saturday morning.
If You Have Not Used a Particular Piece of Machinery in Years or Ever, Don't Argue With the Person Who's Been Working with One For Six Years
an older woman comes in looking for...oh I don't remember what. Reference was helping her out most, I just help with the microfilm machines. So she came up to ask for help. I was on the phone at that time, and by the time I was done she had well wandered off and didn't seem inclined to come back over. Had to go up and ask if she still wanted help. She did.
She had the film on the spool and threaded "But where are the images? I'm not seeing anything!"
Well obviously not since she hadn't actually advanced the film enough. "You just have to advance it a little bit more," I told her, and demonstrated how to do so to the point where the first page appeared. The image was upside down so I showed her the nob to turn it. Except then it was backwards. I looked back at the spool and realize it wasn't threaded quite right. I explained so and offered to show her how to thread it correctly. See, she had the film coming out from under the spool, instead of atop. As I switched it around and started to rethread it she said she merely followed the diagram on the machine. I know what she was talking about, and I know that the diagram shows the film coming from the top, bust she kept insisting that it doesn't, and finally proclaimed, "Well, the picture is wrong then!"
Got the film back to the first page, turned it right-side up and showed her again which button to use to advance it. "But that's not advancing it, it's going backwards!"
True, on the screen the images were moving from right to left. "It's okay, it's still taking you to the next page in right order."
With an exasperated sigh she said, "I'll just have to take your word for it."
"DON'T JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT! THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING, THAT'S HOW IT WORKS YOU STUPID WOMAN!" My brain shouted, by my desire to keep my job prevented my mouth from expelling these words.
Oh for Fuck's Sake, Just Chill Out okay?
A man comes up and says, "I don't need to be a nag, but could you get rid of the girl in the brown dress?"
I know my eyebrows raised at that choice of wording. I looked over at the computers and saw a girl in a brown dress standing by her mother seeming not to be doing anything really.
"She keeps talking and jiggling the counter, and it's really annoying."
"Okay, I'll say something." After all, a patron complained, must address it.
I mean, here's the thing. If the mother and daughter were talking, it was never very loud. I mean I don't know, they were even two computers down from where the man was sitting. Was he upset that they were talking at all? We don't demand silence, you know. And yeah, she was leaning on the counter, and I guess that might've caused it to move a little when she leaned then lifted up. But it's not like she was purposefully jiggling it. So I went over and asked them to keep their voices down and the girl not to lean on the counter anyway, just to appease Mr Sensitive Hearing and Motion Vibrations. I think they were getting ready to leave anyway since they left only a couple minutes after I spoke to them.
But my mind kept on going back to the original request "Could you get rid of the girl in the brown dress?" What was he expecting? Me to kick her out, with or without her mother? What the hell?
Don't Try to be Clever. Just Say What You Mean
"Where do I go to get my 40 lashes?"
"An S&M club? An 18th century naval vessel?" I didn't say. I just stared at him. "Um..."
"Is this where I pay my fines?"
"Oh! That'd be at the circulation desk, actually."
"Oh, right thanks."
A few minutes later, he comes back.
"Ah, now that I've suffered my penance...can I get a book put on hold for me?"
Ugh. Just really. Think you're being funny? With your little metaphor? No, instead you're just wasting my and your own time. Like did he really expect me to me to understand what he meant at first? Probably not. The entire point was to appear all "clever" and surprise me. But really it just annoyed me. I'm there for you to ask me for assistance. Can't really do that if you want to play fucking word games.
If You Have Not Used a Particular Piece of Machinery in Years or Ever, Don't Argue With the Person Who's Been Working with One For Six Years
an older woman comes in looking for...oh I don't remember what. Reference was helping her out most, I just help with the microfilm machines. So she came up to ask for help. I was on the phone at that time, and by the time I was done she had well wandered off and didn't seem inclined to come back over. Had to go up and ask if she still wanted help. She did.
She had the film on the spool and threaded "But where are the images? I'm not seeing anything!"
Well obviously not since she hadn't actually advanced the film enough. "You just have to advance it a little bit more," I told her, and demonstrated how to do so to the point where the first page appeared. The image was upside down so I showed her the nob to turn it. Except then it was backwards. I looked back at the spool and realize it wasn't threaded quite right. I explained so and offered to show her how to thread it correctly. See, she had the film coming out from under the spool, instead of atop. As I switched it around and started to rethread it she said she merely followed the diagram on the machine. I know what she was talking about, and I know that the diagram shows the film coming from the top, bust she kept insisting that it doesn't, and finally proclaimed, "Well, the picture is wrong then!"
Got the film back to the first page, turned it right-side up and showed her again which button to use to advance it. "But that's not advancing it, it's going backwards!"
True, on the screen the images were moving from right to left. "It's okay, it's still taking you to the next page in right order."
With an exasperated sigh she said, "I'll just have to take your word for it."
"DON'T JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT! THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING, THAT'S HOW IT WORKS YOU STUPID WOMAN!" My brain shouted, by my desire to keep my job prevented my mouth from expelling these words.
Oh for Fuck's Sake, Just Chill Out okay?
A man comes up and says, "I don't need to be a nag, but could you get rid of the girl in the brown dress?"
I know my eyebrows raised at that choice of wording. I looked over at the computers and saw a girl in a brown dress standing by her mother seeming not to be doing anything really.
"She keeps talking and jiggling the counter, and it's really annoying."
"Okay, I'll say something." After all, a patron complained, must address it.
I mean, here's the thing. If the mother and daughter were talking, it was never very loud. I mean I don't know, they were even two computers down from where the man was sitting. Was he upset that they were talking at all? We don't demand silence, you know. And yeah, she was leaning on the counter, and I guess that might've caused it to move a little when she leaned then lifted up. But it's not like she was purposefully jiggling it. So I went over and asked them to keep their voices down and the girl not to lean on the counter anyway, just to appease Mr Sensitive Hearing and Motion Vibrations. I think they were getting ready to leave anyway since they left only a couple minutes after I spoke to them.
But my mind kept on going back to the original request "Could you get rid of the girl in the brown dress?" What was he expecting? Me to kick her out, with or without her mother? What the hell?
Don't Try to be Clever. Just Say What You Mean
"Where do I go to get my 40 lashes?"
"An S&M club? An 18th century naval vessel?" I didn't say. I just stared at him. "Um..."
"Is this where I pay my fines?"
"Oh! That'd be at the circulation desk, actually."
"Oh, right thanks."
A few minutes later, he comes back.
"Ah, now that I've suffered my penance...can I get a book put on hold for me?"
Ugh. Just really. Think you're being funny? With your little metaphor? No, instead you're just wasting my and your own time. Like did he really expect me to me to understand what he meant at first? Probably not. The entire point was to appear all "clever" and surprise me. But really it just annoyed me. I'm there for you to ask me for assistance. Can't really do that if you want to play fucking word games.