With hat in hand, I come to you

[spikesgirl58]

I'm working on a story that will center around a librarian. I'd love some little personal, but not obviously embarrassing, stories that I could use for backfill. I know I have librarians on my f-list. Is there anything you'd be willing to share? You can either leave a message for me here or PM me for privacy, if you prefer.

Thanks in advance!

Comments

[maju01]

This may or may not be helpful. I am not a librarian, but my sister who used to be (recently retired), told me that it's perfectly true that people come in and ask for help finding a book - "I don't know the title or the author or anything about it but the cover was blue".

[spikesgirl58]

I remember seeing a joke similar to this, but cover was red. :P

Thanks!

[threecee]

I'm not sure this is what you are looking for.

My least favorite question was the very common one of "I read a book when I was younger and want to read it again. I don't remember what it was called or who wrote it, but there were these people and things happened to them. I don't know if it was a true story or not. I do know the cover was red." I've never met any librarian who has actually found THE red book, but sometimes you can convince the patron that they might like a different book while you are trying to find the one they remember.

I did get some interesting questions: nutritional aspects of cannibalism, the effect of handedness on response to optical illusions, finding the date represented by a couple specific ancient Mayan glyphs.

I also had to remove 6-ft purple [invisible to me] spiders from the psychology aisle for a patron who was terrified of spiders. I finally got a parrot puppet from the Children's Room to eat the spiders. Then I learned that the patron was scared of birds too.

[spikesgirl58]

This is just what I'm looking for. I'm going to do a story of the library in the UNCLE building, designed to help stressed employees work off a little steam. I love the purple spiders!

[threecee]

The gentleman being bothered by the spiders was seeing them because he was off his meds, but I suppose the spiders might be attracted by being given certain drugs too.

[spikesgirl58]

Wow, that's just. Did you have trouble with folks wandering in from the streets to get warm or anything like that?

[mollywheezy]

My MIL is a reference librarian and I believe second in command at her library (by choice--she doesn't want to be the boss). This happened probably 20 or so years ago. The library had a Halloween display for children, with various Halloween books, and a bulletin board with pictures of black cats, witches, pumpkins . . . that had been sent by the authors/artists and were illustrations from the books for advertising purposes. A patron came to my MIL and said she was Wiccan and the depictions of witches were offensive to her religion. My MIL apologized and said the bulletin board that was put up was state wide to represent a non-religious holiday, and asked the woman if she had a book about Wicca or any depictions she would like to add that could explain her religion to people. The woman flew off the handle and said, "Yes! I have something to add!!! A HEX on your library!" She said something in a language my MIL didn't recognize and then stormed out

[spikesgirl58]

Okay this is a great story. It makes me wonder if those two were in cahoots with one another! Honestly, the Wiccans I have met would not run around putting hexes on anything.

[mollywheezy]

I guess every religion has its lunatic fringe . . . I don't think they were in cahoots because my MIL knew the priest. He was in the library a lot.

[spikesgirl58]

The timing is just odd. I agree that there are a few oddballs in every religion.

[rhodielady_47]

The library in my area is always offering lessons in technology use whether it be how to use the latest 3D imaging machine or how to add Hoopla to your laptop so that you can borrow Ebooks from the library.

Last autumn my favorite librarian told me that they'd had a rather large number of requests for books on Wicca, the occult, and anything remotely associated with it all. She also told me that just before all full moons the requests for such books also increases greatly.
:^)

[spikesgirl58]

That's doesn't really surprise me. There are a lot of wanna be's out there.

[rhodielady_47]

That's not even the funniest part of it all--
I've had several tough old ER nurses tell me that if they could arrange it, they'd hire crop dusters to begin aerial spraying of Prozac three days in advance of every full moon.
One of them also told me that nobody ever got time off on the night of the full moon--not in her hospital.
:^D

[spikesgirl58]

I have a nursing friend who agrees with your nursing friends.

[thespian15]

Some times I think that would be a cool job. :)

Oh, is it going to be a murder mystery in a library? :o
Hugs, Jon

[spikesgirl58]

No, I don't think so. It's going to be at UNCLE HQ, but you can never tell.

[thespian15]

So many choices. :)

[spikesgirl58]

And all of them with their own strengths.