Scene: Irving, TX Public Library Summer, 2005
Enter Young Frazzled Mom with 4 year old curly haired girl, 2 year old curly haired girl (who is still working on potty-training), and 4 month old skinny baby boy, all vying for position in the battered double stroller shaped like a semi and overloaded with books.
Wow, thinks YFM, such a huge library with so many books! The smell of libraries enough is to make me happy! Yes, I will spend WEEKS in here! And look- computers galore!
[note: YFM is in TX with family for Hubcap's internship, only for the summer. They are staying in a 2 BR apt w/ no internet, no phone, no neighbors with children, no cable tv or anything like unto it. All worldly possessions except for some clothing, bedding, and cookware were left behind in Boston. Sometimes, they all need a break.]
And so, YFM and children spend some moments searching for books. When children are contentedly looking at books a few feet away from the computers, YFM sits down at one of the many open computers to check her email and see if there is any communication from her long lost family members who no longer converse except via email. She is just about to open one in the inbox when suddenly, a Crabby Library Worker approaches....
CLW: "Sorry, these computers are for children only. You're in the children's section. If you want to use the computer, you'll have to go upstairs to the adult section. "
YFM: "Yes, I'm in the children's section because I have children [breaking news, evidently], and I want them to be happy while I am on the computer."
CLW: "Sorry. Those are the rules. You need to get off now." (looking at watch)
YFM: "But there are several other computers available should any children want to use them!"
CLW: "Five...four...three..."
YFM and 3 children load back into the stroller. Baby starts to fuss. They make their way to the elevator, which has all the efficiency of an iceberg. After arriving upstairs, YFM finds a computer, which requires her to stand, while curly-haireds run rampant and baby drools on her arm. She manages to open one email with prehistoric internet speed before chaos breaks out and adult patrons glare icily in their general direction. The family exits stage left to the elevator, to stand in line at the checkout desk while another CLW nags others about bringing materials back in time. So ends the hopeful visit to the libary.
I love libraries and always have. My mother has taken us to the library for as long as I can remember, and I enjoyed spending hours reading and looking for books in the musty smelling, peaceful environments. Sometimes we went for FHE, sometimes after school, and many summer days were spent there, reading and piling up stacks of books to take home and enjoy. Readily willing to admit my addiction for books, I appreciate in particular children's literature and have many happy memories of libraries past and present. However, I have noticed that a cheerful librarian can make all the difference. Some of them are so happy to help, so eager to search for a book which title I cannot remember (nor the author's name), even though it will never benefit them personally.
But for some reason, some librarians are extremely crabby. It is as though they loathe people, the books they love, but if the people would only leave them alone! They could enjoy their work, shelving, indexing, researching, reading. Especially those pesky children, how annoying they are with their silliness and rambunctious behavior in a place that is supposed to be quiet! TSK!
Consequently, we are learning to scout out the happy and forgiving librarians. Sometimes if I have had an infraction, I wait until one is available. Tonight, I did not have that choice. We had lost the last CD in an audiobook (that, might I add, was not highly entertaining to the adults in the car anyway), as well as a "folded and gathered" (softbound, stapled) book AND I had late fines to boot. All of my renewing priveleges were used up and today was the day of reckoning. We tore the house apart searching for aforementioned items and I was tearing my hair out too. Mark had finally arrived home from work and I walked out the door with the books I could locate as well as the checkbook, knowing I would need it.
With a penitent face, I approached the information desk (circulation at this library is taken care of by patrons, quite the nifty scanning system) and interrupted Madam Librarian to say that I had a hefty fine to pay. After I'd explained my situation, she took the discs I had, stating that she would ask around about it and not to worry right now. She renewed the missing book despite my already overreached limit. And to top it all off, she accepted back into library-ship a book that we had already lost and paid for, and then located in our Toyroom Spring Purge last month, which book buy-back paid for the fines and earned me $2.97.
What a difference a nice librarian works. I left feeling at peace with the world and with libraries again. And two new books. (Hey, we have to start small. Our house is still chaotically messy.)
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9 comments:
I take my kids to story time at the library every week, where all the moms give me the evil eye when my 20 mo old pushes down the other little kids and I just sit there with my huge belly and circles under my eyes. Then the kids run rampant up and down the isles where I lose track of them after 2 mins and then have to start chasing them. More nasty looks from patrons and moms. I finally get them all together and stand in the check out line and try, unsuccessfully, to keep all 3 of them close by. After checking out the books/dvds I spend the next 10 minutes trying to pull screaming kids from the library and into the car. Throughout the coming weeks, the books get scribbled on, pages torn, and lost, and the dvd's covered in scratches. So now we just go to story time, where the mom's still give me dirty looks when I son beats up their precious baby, and then head straight home for them to peruse our personal library of about 50 books, lucky to find one in which all 20 pages are intact.
Did the librarian really count down for you to get off the computer? That's ridiculous! I would have probably left never to return. Cute entry it makes me want to take my kids to the library which doesn't make any sense. Thanks.
Funny my word verification is "prose" how appropriate.
I totally agree--a nice librarian can make a big difference. We've been going to the Orem library for so long that they know us by name but still some are much more friendly than others.
I think I would have asked to speak to her boss and explained the situation...I hate it when workers get all power-hungry. "Wow, I think this is the smallest amount of power I have seen go to someone's head!"
I love that story! I could practically copy and paste it as my own story. I always think that for someone who loves libraries so much, I would be a more responsible patron. I think that I, singular, would be, but of course I am really four people.
Read "The Library Dragon," you'll like it. Of course I don't know the author--ask your librarian.
I love the library too! It probably makes me a dork, but I don't care. When we first came to look at our house before we bought it, I noticed that the library was literally a 5 minute walk from the house. A true selling point for me! And so far all of the librarians have been SUPER nice, even a little too much...sometimes you just want to get your books and get out, especially with an Antsy Kent by your side.
I'm racked with guilt right now - I totally should have hung out with you that summer in Dallas. Just incredible guilt. I was too shy and felt sheepish calling you without Kurt being there. That does it. I'm buying you a present.
Let the record show that even though the library is right around the corner, we have NOT ONCE walked to the library.
The Whitman library is tiny and doesn't have a ton of books, but I don't need a huge selection. And our librarians are so happy to help, you feel bad if you don't need help.
Gosh, I hear you! When we first moved here, our local librarian was so cranky. It might have been because my kids were playing with the rope divider thing attached to metal poles (you know what I mean?) after they had been asked to stop, and accidently knocked them on top of themselves, banging their heads and then screaming in pain. So the next time we went there, I had the same librarian at checkout, but this time I called her by name and asked how she was doing. Since that day she has warmed up to us, and we love everyone of our librarians. In fact, we keep going to the small one even though there's a bigger one almost as close, just because we like being on first-name bases with them.
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