There is a community on lj that I’ve been meaning to contribute posts in but just haven’t been able to because my lj acct isn’t as anonymous as I would like it to be. A friend I made in the library says she wants to create an lj account since I introduced her to library_mofo.livejournal.com and she wants to contribute to it as long as it remains anonymous. That’s fine, I won’t mention her user name here.
I meant to post some silly incident that might’ve happened to me at the library recently but I can’t think of anything. The things that do happen to me are so extensive and long winded, it’s hard to get it all down accurately without quoting others out of context. Here goes…
PARENT: I’m here to return my books
ME: Okay.
PARENT: I also want to check if I owe anything
I finish returning the last book and check account status.
ME: You are missing one more book. The title is… Hmn. LITTE RED RIDING HOOD
I check the stack of book that were just handed to me to be sure that I didn’t miss one. Sure enough, LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD isn’t in the batch.
PARENT (TO DAUGHTER): Do you know of any other books we have?
DAUGHTER: Oh yeah, that’s the one Hugo checked out. I think I know where it is.
PARENT (TO DAUGHTER): Did I tell you blah blah blah blah.
I get the impression that the mother was scolding the daughter because she had coaxed her earlier to say that all the books they’ve borrowed have been returned, but I wasn’t paying too close attention as I carried the books over to a sorting shelf. I return to give this family my best attentive concern without appearing to be judgemental.
ME: You also have a balance of $6.25 in fines.
PARENT: What’s that for?
ME: Um, it was for some books returned late back in September.
I go into detail about the fines explaining what the title of the books are.
PARENT: But we always return our books on time. Can you write the title down on a piece of paper?
I point to the scratch paper we have on the counter for this very reason.
ME: You can take a slip of paper and write down the title with that pen.
The woman addresses her daughter to write the title down. I turn the computer monitor in her direction and show her the title of a generic item described as hardback book.
The woman was holding back another children’s book and decides to show it to me.
PARENT: I have this book too. Somebody told me I owed it.
Feeling a bit as though this woman is going to want to NOT return the book if it isn’t checked out to her, I go into a rant as I I suspect the title isn’t LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD and the woman is going to deduce that she never intended to return something that she didn’t have to return in the first place.
ME: Okay, but you understand that once you return it to me, you won’t be able to take it back since it is city property.
PARENT: Yes.
I enter it into the computer and just as I suspected, the book was never charged out to her, or anybody else.
ME: Where did you get this book? Did you say you’re bringing it back from home?
PARENT: Yes.
ME: This book wasn’t registered as borrowed to anybody so it must’ve been a clerical error. Thanks.
PARENT: Okay, so all I need to do is return the missing book. But that book I just returned, may I see it, is not the same book.
I hand her the children’s book that wasn’t registered to anybody.
PARENT (cont’d) Somebody told me that this book was missing.
ME: No, this one wasn’t registered to you. We would never have known you had it if you didn’t present it to me. But I can’t let you have it back because it’s clearly marked as property of (the city).
I do a check on the lady’s archive of fines paid and see that the same book happened to be the book that she paid the late fine on and I explain that to her.
ME (CONT’D): I don’t know how it was that you ended up with this book in your possession after you returned it back in September, but this was in fact the same book you paid 6.25 for. Although it wasn’t late this time. It wasn’t even checked out to you. You paid a fine for having borrowed and returned this book sometime back in September.
PARENT: Oh. So the book I have to return is the title that I have here on this slip of paper.
She points to the note her daughter wrote on the slip of paper
ME: No, the title of the missing book is LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD. You’re daughter wrote down the title of the book that you paid 6.25 for which happens to be this childrens book here which I can’t let you take back because is city property. These are two different books we’re talking about. If you want to write down the title of the missing book, you can.
I turn the display monitor in the direction where her daughter can clearly see it.
ME: So, this is the title of the book: LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD. And it is overdue. When you return it, it will be late and there will be a fine to pay. Did you write down the due date? It is October (something).
PARENT: Okay. Thank you. Bye
ME: You’re welcome. Bye.
PARENT: Have a nice day.
ME: Thanks. You too.
