When librarians are trying to help you, maybe listen?
So we get a call one day from a guy looking for a book that only our library has. I explain to him that our computer says it’s currently available (the “our computer” phrase will become important later) and I can put it on hold for him so it can get sent to his local library, as long as he has his number on him. He refuses, claims his library told him that couldn’t happen, since his library is in a different system. I tell him that isn’t true (literally illegal for a library to refuse to do that in our state, it’s just a longer process to send a book between libraries in different systems), and I ask which library it is so I can explain what the process is between our systems. He refuses to tell me, so I can’t explain, nor can I go through the process of putting the book on hold over the phone.
He insists on coming in, even though we are apparently “so far away” from his location, so I say sure, explain how he can take out books in our library with a different system’s card. That’s that.
He comes in the next day, looking for it. I check the shelves for him because he refuses to look in our collection himself (fiction book, so as long as you know the alphabet, you can orient yourself in our clearly labelled collection). It isn’t there–this happens. Sometimes books are stolen or misplaced. I explain this to him, he understands, but then says he still wants the book. Uh, great. It still isn’t there. He said I said it was there the day before. I explain that it was listed on the computer, but I cannot physically confirm if books are in our collection because of the size of our library, unless if there are no or very few patrons in the library (we are supposed to have someone manning the desk at all times, unless if there is a legit emergency. I was able to look at that time because there was someone else on desk).
So he got mad again because he drove so far away to get here, and insisted on checking himself and when I said of course he could, he immediately backed down because god forbid he do something. I offered to order a new copy of the book, and he got angrier, demanding I explain who is going to send us books. I explain that we have a supplier, which he doesn’t believe (where does he think library books come from?). He then gets snotty and says I probably wouldn’t be able to find it anyways. I say okay, then I won’t order it, and again, he changes his tune and asks if I can take his info down for when we do get a new copy (although getting his phone number was a struggle, one wonders how he was expecting us to contact him otherwise).
Final kicker is that… So, when he came in, we were sorting seeds at the desk for our seed library. So final kicker is that he grumbles a comment as he is going that we’re gardening instead of doing our jobs.
In conclusion… Yeah, sorry you were inconvenienced or whatever, but we did give you options that would have circumvented all of this, so I really do not feel bad. Also the book is $10 used on Amazon, so buy your own book, dude.
