Shushing the librarian.

There's nothing like having a patron come up and shush YOU, the library worker, in the library (sorry you couldn't handle the 30 second video spot I was showing my coworker). Especially when said patron is consistently the last one to leave at the end of the night & you & your coworker have to stand there & wait for her to pack up her stuff. EVERY. TIME.

If it were any other patron my coworker & I might have understood, but I am really irritated that a patron with so little consideration for the staff would have the gall to try to tell us that OUR behavior is unacceptable to her. Unbelievable.

No fun allowed!

I laughed out loud at this one. Totally a tale about that "cranky librarian" all of us remember running into during our childhood at one point or another.

LibrarianJessie's tale:

When I first started out as a department head of a small public library, I grappled with the problem of managing a very small town staff…

Dress codes: Please wear shoes, no halter tops or short-shorts.

Censorship: No, you can’t toss out that book because it deals with a religion or political stance you don’t approve of.

Theft: No, you can’t have this week’s TV Guide because “the other librarian always let me have it”.

But what really stands out in my mind? One afternoon, one of my older, straight-laced library clerks came to me and asked, “What is your policy on children having fun in the library”. I thought she was joking. When I realized she really expected an answer, I told her I hoped the kids would have fun and grow up to be adults who would remember how much they loved libraries. And that perhaps they would bring their own kids to the library – and might vote YES on that library referendum and tax increase.

I like noisy libraries and noisy patrons.