10:30 - 12 noon

What I'm doing between questions: weeding.

10:30
* Word proc
* Tax forms [not out yet]
* Magazines (same guy)
* Pay for prints
* Tax forms
* Calendar

11:00
* [phone] reserve word processor
* Books on Social Security hearings
* Word proc
* Word proc reserver arrives
* [phone call from family member]
* How to rewrite in a text box in Publisher [he'd inserted another box over the text box...]
* Local obit from 1969 [I show her how to use the microfilm...as well as someone else who was confused by the whole concept]
* Telecourse tapes
* [phone] Love Story (the movie) [We don't have it]; ok, then the book [We have it! A book, imagine that! AND, it's on the shelf!]
* Now Showing: Unforgettable Moments from the Movies, by Joe Garner [reserve it: it's only at a VERY small library on the western edge of the state. Odd]
[My replacement has arrived. Eureka]

11 - 12 noon

What I'm doing between questions: barcoding new books, keeping an eye on the weeding that I've farmed out.

[We've been closed since last Thursday: there were five carts worth of books in the bookdrop this morning, and people are swarming the building today.]

* [phone] Multipart question:

1. "You know all that stuff going on in Asia? What language do they speak there? Because I thought English was the universal language now..." [well, and thank God you're on the phone, lady, so you can't see my face]
2. "What's the difference between "Crown Prince" and "Prince"? [dictionary.com]
3. "Where does Monaco get all its money?" [WHAT??]

[Circ Supervisor tells me that the pages shouldn't be working together because they're chattering too much; I tell her I'll talk to them. I do: "What did you do to piss off [Supervisor]? Try to pretend you aren't working together..." There; I talked to them. We all roll our eyes and go back to work.]
* [phone] reserve books 5 and 6 in the Lemony Snicket series
* pay for print jobs [although I can barely understand her]
* SAM isn't allowing this poor woman to log back in after she went to the bathroom [the tech is called. Evenually we just delete her and reenter her in SAM and all is well...]
* the copier is saying "1-2-3" and flashing [yup, go ahead and make copies--it's insane]
[the pages have been sent to me because they need something to do; they are all caught up shelving...they can weed, since my slave-for-the-day (offspring) has disappeared]
* patron wants the fish video she returned last night [much hilarity ensues because she's a little on the weird side and the tech and the pages all go into slight hysterics after she walks away]
* [phone] annual CPI for 1999, 2002 and 2003 in Chicago [thank God for the Internet]
* Fish lady wants "Christmas stories" [we go to the 394 section and she starts getting weird again--I leave before she causes me to get hysterical]
* Career section from Sunday's paper [we forgot to grab it out of the paper this morning, so I send him upstairs to look for it]
* three temporary SAM apps in a row [two of them for "I never saw him before in my life" brothers who are absolutely gorgeous]
* patron with wall eyes needs a "big piece of paper" [I get her a legal sheet out of the copier]
* Career guy asks for the state manufacturer's directory, kept behind the Ref Desk
* pay for print jobs and needs a few more minutes [what the hell, why not?]
[pages are leaving, so they tell me what they've accomplished on the weeding]
[Librarian N arrives for his shift--I tell him about the "Asia" woman because he speaks 3 languages. one of them from that region...]

Whew!
Number of books barcoded: 0

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

What I'm doing between questions: trying not to pass out. Doing the demand order, and going to Public Library Catalog to see what I missed last year in my collection development sections.

I blew it--it's been a strange morning, full of computer glitches and me not feeling great (dizzy and headachy). Why do I stay? Don't know. Inertia, most likely. Possibly in order to infect everyone I come in contact with...

I've had some wonderful questions, too:

- can I check out some of the ESL/Literacy Reference books [I was able to say yes in response!]
- 2003 tax information/forms on disability
- an old amusement park, now defunct (although she didn't know what that word meant) in the vicinity [after digging for more information, all she could give me was her teenage daughter's vague "oh, within an hour or so of here" response; I told her to pump her daughter and call back...none of our old-timers could think of anything except in the city]
- not a question, just a non-trad student who spends her day here doing research and classwork who is walking 'weird' today: she had a hysterectomy this week and has a paper due tomorrow. Aaaackkkkk! Apparently she's unwilling to ask for an extension.
- "how's your Spanish?" question: I translate a 'come-on' email from a Mexican hotel for a patron. Disfrute!

12:00
* Today's Wall Street Journal
* Bathrooms (where are they?)
* Buy a floppy disc
* VERY nice woman signing up for Internet use
* [phone] phone number for "Darlk" company on M- Road [can't find on 'net or in criss-cross, so I suggest she call the city's Economic Development office and see if they would know]
* Woman gets up to leave, walks away and comes back to make sure she's logged out of the 'net, then leaves for good [she's not logged out--I can tell from here, so I go do it properly for her]
* [ I'm bored. Sue me. I found a funny office supply site. Not sure if it's meant to be funny, but it amuses me. Check out the gallery.... ]

10:30 - 12 noon

What I'm doing between questions: barcoding new stuff. If I have time, I'm going to read reviews, since I haven't ordered anything in my subjects in several months.

10:30
[quiet morning, although lots of people are here surfing...]
*Stapler
*Double-sided copies (I just take it to the staff machine for her)

11:00
*[phone] Have we received Citizen Girl? [yes] She's already on reserve for it and she's really excited to read it. She apologizes for calling [I told her I'm always happy to know someone's excited about a book]
*Pay for prints
*Phone book
*"I thought I knew where the writing and publishing books were..." [I show him--maybe we shifted shelves?]
*Pay for prints and get into discussion of money-exchange rates
*Literay Market Place vol. 1? [Same guy as above. Vol. 1 checked out, today!]
*Regular patron asks for the network connection cable as he starts bringing in his "laptop" (four desktop components) [think of the workout he's getting everyday!]
*Long discussion with patron over getting hold of articles out of two historical journals from the state and Big City (Big City library was apparently totally unhelpful and useless when they asked for help there)
*Why is the fly in the 700s flying in a circle and then just sitting there? [this from a woman with white flecks all over her face...]
*[phone message] phone number for our county's incarnation of The Business Journal; he can't find in phone book [and he's on the phone, so I can't tell him what I found]
[Sleek needs to use this PC and it's noon anyway]

9 - 11

What I'm doing between questions: DDC checking, because that's all my brain can handle this morning....

9:00
* Corporate pilot salary survey...
* [phone] Virgin Queen by Philippa Gregory...turns out it's called Virgin's Lover -- I do an order card for it
[there's a message saved on the phone from OCTOBER 14!!]
* Hi to Sleek
* Job/Research computer
* Look up SAM number
* Where do print jobs go (from Job computer)?
* Circ person passes along message that proctored-test person will be here today at 2 not at 1 as originally scheduled [hoookayyyy]
* Someone waiting to use Internet....I suggest upstairs; he goes, clearly excited at the concept
* Pay for print jobs

10:00
[I'm catching up on my blog-reading; it's really quiet today!]
* The library card spiel (what do you need to get one, the difference between the basic rural card and the full rural card, etc.)
[I complain to Sleek about the minuscule issues left on my PC--can't adjust clock, can't print to the copier...]
* Circ person has a patron wondering why two books in a trilogy are shelved in Science Fiction, while the third--actually the second in the series--is in Young Adult [hmmm....I'll move it when she's finished with it]
* Pencil

[No one is here to relieve me, but I'm outta here!]

1 - 4

What I'm doing between questions: {insert laugh} barcoding new books. But it's the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so I don't know that I'll get much done besides answering homework questions from panicked students.

Computers are on, printer has been restocked with paper, yesterday's newspapers are collected, pencils/pens/scratch paper bin refilled.... Bring it on!

[Someone--"Tim"--left his 7th-grade spelling contract here; luckily he also has his name on it. I call and Mom says she'll be in to pick it up today]
1:00
* Can he wait for his wife at an Internet station? [sure, why not?--Meanwhile, the other 10 stations fill up]
* SAM registration
* Scratch paper
* Print Word doc
* St. Barbara [...has been de-beatified...?]
* Print payment
* Hi to ex-page, and offer to 'let' him to work today (ha ha ha)
* Word proc. Twice.
* First patron wants to use Word AND the Internet...so we move him after all
* Scott Stamp Catalog has moved? [See, we should never shift the Reference books!]
* Patron has no money to pay for print jobs--we agree, with Mom, to block Mom's Internet use till she pays
* Ex-page stops to chat
* Help with Blogger
* Check on CCTV -- nothing untoward appears
* SAM registration
* Books on Colonial America
* Aphrodite (mythology question #1 for today)
* The Five People You Meet in Heaven on CD [checked out--reserved it for patron's wife]
* What books does previous patron have on reserve?
* Word proc
* World Book article on Colonies (because we "don't have anything...") [!! I find him some books. ahem... we have about 4 shelves, between the adult and the kids' sections]

2:00
* SAM registration
* Purchase a floppy/word proc signup
* Mythology question #2
* [phone] Phone number for restaurant downtown...long discussion of good places to eat downtown and what kinds of places are best for what sort of thing
* ...and #3
* Family member begging for money for booksale....grrr
* Artist information question #1 (Rene Magritte)
* Colonial boy is done with all the books; can he check one of them out? [Yep]
* Trouble logging onto SAM [they're just waiting for Dad to finish]
[Retrieved more green slips]
* City Ordinances and Code for person running for office
* Rubber bands
* "Where do I check out?"
* [phone] Do we have computers to type letters on?
[I suddenly feel sick--can I last another hour??]

3:00
* Chat with mother of child doing Magritte assignment
* Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About [I'm not sure we can order this: our jobber doesn't appear to stock it, but I do an order card for it anyway]
* Same woman: Consumer Reports on hair growth [Nope]
* Mom arrives to get spelling contract for "Tim"
* Headphones--"You close at 4?? I thought you closed at 5!" [No way, not today!]
[I start bundling up the books to be sent back to other libraries]
* Patron says his record shows a book he requested is in....but it turns out to be 'in' at another library--we delete the hold and I will try getting it outside the library system
[closing announcement]
* City sign ordinance
* Adult fiction
* Patron asks about security cameras
* Only one person left and she's done

VOILA!

11 - 12 noon ; 1 - 4

11:00
What I'm doing between questions: DDC22 checking. Yes, 'still.'
* Typically long discussion with with Librarian J, on weeding for Weed & Feed grant
* Change library card number in SAM
* Word proc
* Turkey Day confab with tech + she is wondering why Librarian JK left a couple things on her desk to catalog (she types labels)
* Patrons needs today's Wall Street Journal--now kept behind Ref Desk because people were cutting it up/stealing bits of it
* Reverse lookup from patron's cell phone caller ID
* "Hi" to Sleek
* Printer payment (some confusion because he can't find his card for me to look up account, and account with the name he gave me doesn't show any activity today...)
* Printer payment
* Turkey Day confab with Sleek
* Pen & paper
* Circ person asking where "Oversize" books are for lost patron
* [phone] Librarian JK looking for Librarian J
* Restrooms' location
* Renew time on SAM for job search patron
* It's homeless day today, oddly enough (usually Wednesday/Thursday). Maybe today's group is made up of those living in unheated lodgings around town?
* SAM password
[I just realized that I can check to see what's going on with the guys who keep wandering around: we have CCTV now!]

LUNCH

1:00
What I'm doing between questions: processing new "demand" order.
* Drunk needs help finding the family he hasn't seen in 10 years. Sadly, they (mostly) aren't where he thinks they used to be
* Please turn on fireplace in reading room -- the building is cold today
* Former page needs help with college English paper on occupations
* Wireless network setup (clueless--I call Sleek)
* [phone] Local service numbers for electricity and gas companies
* Word proc
* Restrooms
* {Current} page asks where the Local History CDs go, and why the same CD is shelved in two different places
[lots of drunks here...]
* Help with PC (CD-ROM)
* Yet another ex-page arrives to use Internet
* Printer has been turned off--major panic at the Internet stations!
* Look up library card number for SAM
* Greek god info (6th grade assignment)
2:00
* Recommend a good book: Jasper Fforde
* [phone] Pathway Publishing phone number: this is the best I could do
* How to do bibliography for Greek mythology kid's mom
* Ex-page reserves book; we chat
* Ex-page #2 returns Occupational Outlook Handbook
* Circ person looking through recycling bins for Dell ad
* Word proc/Internet
* Can you copy info to a CD from the Internet terminals? [uhm, yeah, I think so...?]
* Microfilm from last year's local paper
* CD-guy says it's not working; I send him to research terminal to try it there
* Register for SAM/update card information
* CD-guy says it's asking him for administrative passwords; I call Sleek
* Greek god guy is done
* Sleek explains why CD won't work for the guy....anyway, I sell him a floppy and start formatting CD-RWs since they are useless as they stand now (unformatted)
* How to used word processor without library card: I log him in as staff
* Register for SAM
* More 6th graders, more mythology....no, wait, they want to reserve the new Clive Cussler book sitting on my cart here!
3:00 (Librarian J and I are at the desk together this hour)
* Word proc
* Reserves
* 6th graders areback; good thing I like/know these guys! Much discussion of Clancy and Cussler
* Paper for word proc printer
* Help printing off Internet pages
* Word proc printer is acting weird; I tell him to print at the big one across the room
[have now formatted 2 CD-RWs, working on #3)
* Christmas tree lady here to find out when the group can put up the tree here
* How to get a library card
[homeless cross-dresser strides through the Internet area looking for a non-existent vacant terminal]
* Messy printing; dealt with

FINALLY OFF THE DESK!!

10:30 - 12 noon

What I'm doing between questions: placing reserves on the Demand Order items. There must be fifty of them this week!

10:30
* Word proc
* "Where's your fiction section?" (I walk her to it)
[QUIET morning!]
11:00
[Just realized I forgot to take the vitamin C I brought to work this morning, in a desperation attempt to avoid getting sick...at least until AFTER I cook for 11 people on Thursday! So: GULP, down they go with Dr. Pepper]
* SAM logged patron out of the Internet in the middle of a purchase; no clue why [she still has time left--I suspect she clicked the "End Session" button without knowing what it says, since it's not translated]
* Books on writing college application essays
* Pay for print jobs
[family member calls, sounding awful, to say he's leaving work to go home ASAP because he feels like he's "floating in space"...great]
* Pen
* Word proc
* Writer's Market "for magazines" [it's all in one, just like usual]
* Scratch paper
* Zip code for nearby town
* Stapler ("for just one staple")
* [phone] Circ desk is looking for the Director; she's been in her office since I got here to take over
* "What does 'J' mean?" ["Juvenile" section--I walk her to the shelf she's looking for]
* Word proc

9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

What I'm doing between questions: checking new books against our database
{It's time to resurrect this, on occasion, since I will be doing more Ref hours, and I've "volunteered" to teach a How to Blog class in a couple of months}
* the usual Morning Spaz:

turning on all 25 computers and copier,
sorting yesterday's newspapers (while scanning the headlines) and putting them with the other old papers,
putting out today's papers,
picking up all the junk left laying around the reading and Reference areas, refilling the printer and copier with paper
....which takes us to 9:10

* [phone] Do we have the first two telecourse tapes for Psych 151? [he tells me it's "grand" that I have them and will hold them!]
* Mr. Ick comes by and registers his (probably daily) complaint that since we are getting CCTV (4 cameras) installed this week, we'll soon be a police state
* word processor signup
* patron looking for a children's book from the early 70s about a boy named Collier; it's a western. Her friend named her son Collier because of this book--son was just killed in Iraq. I dig for awhile, then she asks me to show her how to use FirstSearch so she can keep looking. What a nice thing for her to do.
* paper clip
[It's homeless day (they rotate through the county, depending on which city's church keeps them overnight)...they are wandering in slowly. Since it's not too cold, it's only a few today, those who really can't be outside, like the couple with the new baby who just wandered past.]
* local city paper, this week's and last week's
* Adult Programming Librarian comes and confirms abovementioned blogging class with me; I counter with an idea for parent-child craft class. I also show her the "weird stuff" on this desktop, which she messages our tech about, along with my limping cataloging PC.
* ILL person wondering why Waking up Screaming isn't coming up in our catalog [because it was marked to index it under the 'n' in Waking....]

1 - 2

What I'm doing between questions: DDC22

* Word proc signup
* Pencil/paper
[I restock both]
* SAM registration
* Printer needs paper
* PC is frozen [I reboot--voila]
* South Beach Diet re-reserve (we got her the Cookbook instead) [she's already on the list]
* Proposal-writing for grants [where did our huge shelf of reference materials go??? There are only 3 books there now!]
* [phone] Battle Ready reserve
* "I need some help" with a thumb-jerk towards the Internet terminal
* SAM registration
[some confusion about who relieves me now--resolved]

10:30 - 12 noon

What I'm doing between questions: Last hurrah of filling in for the ILL person -- she's back today -- and the ever-present Dewey number checking. I'm up to 628.

10:30
* There is someone taking a test, so we have all her stuff and I'm to keep an eye out for her
* SAM registration
* Pencil
* Test is done [shoot, was I not supposed to sign as the proctor??]
* Scratch paper
11:00
* SAM not working for father & son; he argues with me about everything, says he's changed his address already, and also 10-year-old son should be allowed full access because he has it at home and school anyway [which isn't true; I know the school district has filters every which way from Sunday] sigh
* [phone] Investor's Business Daily calling to be sure we're getting the paper all right
[OY. Father and son cards are actually expired and I missed it. They are SO yanking my chain. They've also left already. Well, they can't use the internet anymore till they prove they live where he says. And the kid is back to filters. And I'm extremely annoyed. Even my Mountain Dew is annoyed: it just exploded when I unscrewed the top.]
[Librarian J is back from her vacation. Let the celebration commence!!]
[A very noisy, cutesy couple who doesn't 'get' library protocol, sitting at an Internet terminal which will be booting them in less than 3 minutes: hurrah.]
[How often are patron expected to open the books so the barcode is showing to speed up checkout? We used to do that when I was a kid, many moons ago (pre barcodes, in microfilm days). But here goes a woman with 12 books stacked up and open, and quite proud of herself for "helping." She has about 40 yards to walk; will the books stay stacked??]

9 - 10

This has been a crazy week; I have been at the Ref Desk numerous times, but it has been too busy with questions to keep track here at the time. Even writing down questions to input later hasn't been possible. I hope the entries today will get me back on track.

* Can we play games on the Internet now? [yep, summer's here, so games are now on]
* Word proc
* Undiscovered Self [there is a book group reading this!]
* [phone] "Any Victorian-era cemeteries in the vicinity?" Well, yeah quite a few [She needs to look at the stones to find artwork]
* [phone] ILL call--do we want Volume One only of a video series on bridge, or should she pass the request along to the next library in the queue? [patron seems to want the whole set, so pass along]
* Government Giveaways for Entrepreneurs IV [what he asked for was books by Matthew Lesko for businesses]
* Update card number in SAM
* Pencil/paper for the guy who NEVER TALKS and looks like a mass murderer [actually, he's not a bad guy; I've only heard him say thanks...twice...quietly]
* Pencil/paper for Mr. Ick
*

9 - 12

What I'm doing between questions: trying to figure out the ILL stuff, and doing the DDC22 dance.
{Hope today is quieter than yesterday morning!}
9:00
* "Can I help you?" needs to print a couple documents [looked terribly lost]
* Scratch paper
* Request to purchase Spitfire Grill on DVD
* [phone] Has Investor's Business Daily subscription started yet? [nope]
* Why isn't our car-repair website working? [dunno--he goes to use the old-fashioned books, I write a note for our tech]
* Guest Internet signup
10:00
[family member on phone]
* Car guy: "Any answers yet?" [Our tech won't be in till Friday. So, no.]
* Woman has logged onto SAM but can't figure out that she needs to click on the 'net icon to open Explorer
* Now she can't find the quote key; once I point it out to her, she asks if she has to use the shift key to get double quotes [we serve all levels here!]
11:00
* Today's issue of the local weekly paper
*[phone] Literacy publicity organization updating info for new directory; nothing's changed
* Local paper is returned
* How to use copier
* New Internet user signup
[Librarian K has shown up...early!]
[Librarian A also has arrived early!]
* Print job payment
* Word proc signup
MUCH QUIETER TODAY

9 - 12 {plus}

What I'm doing between questions: hah! Thank goodness I didn't really have urgent stuff to do!

9:00
* Librarian C is trying to show me how easy it is to print word proc signup sheets ... except we can't figure it out...

and the onslaught begins

* Furnace ratings
* Picture of forget me nots (thank you, Google Images)
[phone is ringing off the hook]
* Headphones checkout
* [phone] Promise You Won't Freak Out: A Teenager Tells Her Mother the Truth About Boys, Booze, Body Piercing, and Other Touchy Topics (And Mom Responds)
* Two guest Internet sign-ups
[phone is still ringing off the hook]
* How much canned cat food do I feed a cat? [1 oz. per pound per day, in case you were wondering]
* Headphones returned
* "Promise You Won't Freak Out" woman left message: nevermind I'll go get it at Border's
* More furnace stuff
[I figure out word proc signup sheets on my own--woo hoo!]
* Restroom is that way...
* Finally, something helpful on furnaces!
* "If I go home and get my email password, can I check my email here?" [?confusion--yessss....?]
* How to attach photos I've taken with my new digital camera to an email I'm sending to my daughter [she's pretty illiterate with computers]
10:00
* Red Pony, Spencer's Mountain, The Devil in the White City, and 125 Best Toaster Oven Recipes [Now THAT'S a well-rounded individual!]
* Pay for print jobs
* Restrooms are thataway
* [phone] "Can you check on Starz.com to see if I won?" [well, it's quiet enough, so yeah I guess--of course he didn't win]
[It's getting kind of loud in here--lots of people talking]
* Dream interpretation [same guy as last week], this time in English since the Spanish one wasn't what he wanted after all
* Stapler
* [phone] Cursed Children [no one owns, not in Amazon or BT...sigh...but I found it anyway]
* [phone] Ever After and HP/Goblet of Fire (CD) [one of two on the shelf--not bad!
[Sleek begins his attempt to unload all the garbage from the Ref terminals]
[I begin working on email reserves]
* Pay for print jobs
* Guest Internet signup
* Barcode lookup for Internet
11:00
* Guest Internet signup
* New Internet user
* Word proc ("for just one minute!")
* [phone] Therapy
* Patron needs Guest number looked up for Internet
[etymology of the word "stuff" as a noun: OED]
* City planning documents, city council packet for tonight's meeting, other assorted documents [This could be a fun meeting!]
[Sleek has finally fixed both PCs]
* Patron needs a book sent from the State Historical Society in Madison, WI [I love patrons like this!] and From Babel to Dragomans [which takes me forever to find!]
[I'm DONE WITH THE EMAIL RESERVES FINALLY!]
* City council packet for school board member ["sorry, it's in use now;" she'll come back]
* Other book by Bernard Lewis, for same patron
* Sunday's job ads
* Guest Internet user: "You're only allowed an hour?" [Yep, it's not long is it?]
12:00 [where's Librarian A?!?!]
* Pay for print jobs
[Librarian JK comes to tell me that I'm stuck here till A gets here, or 12:15, whichever comes first]
* Washrooms are right down there
* Local history on a family from the 1850s; she was sent here from the county courthouse who really had nothing much to help her
[Aha! A has arrived! woo hoo]

3 - 4

What I'm doing between questions: finishing what I started earlier, and creating order records for Demand books just ordered.

* Local phone book [and then she calls someone on her cell]
* Pencil
* Genealogy
* Internet signup with no card (I don't THINK so!)
* Reset timer for Internet user
* Internet signup (same girl; she just paid for a new card)
* Pen. And calculator [I show her how to find in on the word proc]
* Sleek needs paper. It must be the day
* Paper
* Book not on shelf; "Recently Returned"-->check the shelving carts
* The pages are here [since Librarian J is gone, they check in with me. I guess]
* Paper
* Someone turned off the Internet printer [grr--it takes about 5 full minutes to restart itself]
* Heartfelt thank you for extending the guy's time
* How to spell 'cousin'
[it's 4:05--where's my relief!?]

10:10 AM - 1:00 PM

Librarian J went home with a migraine. So there goes my day...
What I'm doing between questions:

checking books against FirstSearch
separating those in our database/catalog from those that aren't
ordering FirstSearch records

10:10
* Pen and paper (with hand motions)
* Pencil returned (different patron)
* Patron tries to pay, but he has an outstanding balance in his printing account
* Word proc (New Mom Librarian, with baby) [I get to hold the baby, who is happy as a clam looking at our light fixtures]
*[phone] Word proc signup for tomorrow
11:00
* Wills [quick, online; I talk her into some books too]
* The Man Who Swore At Me In Traffic [a.k.a. TMWSAMIT] is here to use a word proc [he also has claimed, to other staff, that we discriminate against him because we block chat rooms on the Internet, and that means he can't use German singles websites...he's not German: he's Martian]
* "Why can't I save to my CD?" [New Mom Librarian--she's off to find Sleek, the tech]
* TMWSAMIT needs more printer paper
* [Phone] "Can you used shredded newspaper as mulch?" I give her the number for the Univesity Extension office
* Reserve for Glorious Appearing
* TMWSAMIT asks if the courthouse is open all day today--while I'm still working with previous patron. [I don't know] Are we open after 12 today? [Yes] "Oh, well, then they will be too?" [huh? Wish we could close as often as they do!]
* More paper for my TMWSAMIT... [I think he's printing his personal manifesto]
* "Can I print off my email here?" [ayup]
[I ask Sleek about downloading a screensaver; someone on staff asked me to do it yesterday but I wanted to make sure it wouldn't blow up the PC]
* You have to tell it to print 3 different times; it is annoying. Sorry.
* More staples [we need an office supply cart just for TMWSAMIT today!] -- [I'm shortening his name to MWS; tired of typing the whole thing!]
12:00
* MWS now wants to know how to access recent Supreme Court rulings, but he really wants me to do it for him
* Dream interpretation. In Spanish [one of the ones we found is a Carlos Castenada, which the patron gently tells me has really got nothing to do with dreams. I can't even find "ensoñar" in the dictionaries!]
* Pencil
* More paper for MWS; says he's writing a book
* Internet access blocked; he's got an overdue magazine, the overdue notice was returned to us and he owes money. Oops
* Omygosh--someone besides MWS uses the stapler! I almost want to hug him!
* Books on photography
* Calendar for June
* MWS counts up his prints--132--pays, and leaves [sounds of great rejoicing!!
* Two more clicks before it will print
* Whew lunch hurrah

2 - 3

What I'm doing between questions: those missing lists, and ILL prep.

* [phone] Broken Vows; Wings like a Dove; and When You Preach, Remember Me (3 different videos) [must ILL all of them]
* Pay for prints (40 cents with a $20)
* Scooby Doo Snack Tracks [shockingly we don't own it (not); so I do another ILL to add to the growing pile...]
* Cell phone
* Billy Joel Greatest Hits Vols. 1 & 2 (ca. 1997)
* Calculator for them to use [nope]
[call from family member--how do they know I'm at Reference??]
* [phone] Da Vinci Code reserve (I'm not linking!)
* Stop joyriding in the elevator, kids!
* Criss-cross
* Internet signup
* Word proc (guest pass sign up) [can't find password cheat-sheet] ; turns out he really wants to copy a bunch of CDs and he needs a specific computer, which is in use
* Internet signup
* Print job payment
* [Phone] Can she check out telecourse tapes before the course actually starts? [sure]
* She needs to listen to a CD; we have to find a PC that has the right software [3rd time's the charm]
* Printer is out of paper
* Guy copying CDs finally has a computer that will work for him
[page tells me that the CD guy is a Follower-Arounder and creeps out her and the other pages]
* Print job payment
* Scratch paper
* Criss cross returns
* Telecourse tapes? [same girl]

Wednesday 11:15 - 12 noon

What I'm doing between questions: the dreaded reserves.

[had to be at the school this morning for the awards assembly]
* Printer needs paper
* Stapler

VERY QUIET!!

11 - 12 noon

What I'm doing between questions: marking duplicate DVDs so we get the right disc in the right case. And running a list of long-missing items so they can be deleted.

* There's a pigeon in the building! No, wait it's a toddler with extraordinary vocal talent.
* Call from out-of-state for a local loan company (any), and nearby criss-cross info
[cooing child finally left with its parents]
* Circ checking to be sure patron isn't trying to check out the current issue of People
* The Man Who Never Talks takes a pencil...
* ...and returns it
* Band Saw Handbook, and we own it. And it's on the shelf!

9 - 12 noon

What I'm doing between questions: going through the lost library card basket, and creating the Upcoming Fiction &Nonfiction lists.

9:00
* The Man Who Swore At Me In Traffic [a.k.a. TMWSAMIT] (on Friday) waltzes in again to use Word. Pleasant, for now. Tries to chat with me. As if I can't read lips... [grrr--this is a small town after all!]
* Pencil
* Patron for whom I tried to purchase a book for our collection asks about it; I query if he needs that book (since we can't get it from B&T) or just something on the subject. Just the subject. So I'll find something else...
* Pencil
* Librarian JK stops to chat about the end of the school year
* Pencil (Mr. Ick)
* Restroom [a desperate-looking man]
* "Can you look at this? I can't see what I'm doing wrong" on the Internet [need dashes between mmddyyyy, and password can't match user name--which is exactly what the highlighted red text says]
* Local weekly paper
flurry begins
* Indiana Securites Department contact info.
* Word proc
* Word proc [very together, very cute teen]
* "Where do I find this book?" [I point, because I have 3 people here right now, suddenly, and the phone is ringing]
* Local yellow pages
[phone] Do we have books that list colleges? Good, she'll send her 16-year-old daughter in to start researching.
* Reviews of boats, like the Kelley Blue Book. YESS! I found one after much banging through the 'net
10:00
* Local paper returned
* Mr. Ick returns pencil and complains about others who don't do so
* "Why did my pictures print so weird?" [I wish we knew--she says she'll come back tomorrow and try again; how nice]
* TMWSAMIT assures me that he really (really) only printed 5 pages [whatever, just go away]
flurry over....whew
* No Social Skills is here; he only mutters at me today [backslider]
* Pay for (weird) print jobs
[People crack me up: a woman is having a hot flash--not the funny part--even though it's about 60 degrees, and then putting on more makeup, all while sitting at the Internet terminals]
[Long discussion with Library C of order of worship request for book...too long to explain really]
[Telecom guy here to fix cordless phone problem]
11:00
* High school year book from early '80s [Whoever heard of a public library that doesn't keep the ONLY HIGH SCHOOL IN TOWN's yearbooks?! We are that library!]
* 1989 Mercedes repair (Chilton's)
* How to add person to Yahoo! address book
* Stapler
* Stapler
* How to reply to message in Yahoo! [sigh]
[phone call from family member--I know, we're all shocked]
* Kleenex. And People magazine
[Librarian A is in the building! woo hoo]
* Yahoo! man stops to check to see if I think he'll have any trouble logging into Yahoo! as he travels [well......he's really a nice man, so I'm nice back to him]
* Stapler (same woman)
*

1 - 2

What I'm doing between questions: replacing old Time-Life books with newer-looking copies that were donated.

* "Can you play chess online against the computer instead of other people?" [yes, but not till the end of the school year when we turn the games back on]
* Local paper
* [phone] Used medical books, source. I suggest the nearest college, or hospitals. She doesn't have a computer and she doesn't have the titles yet. Eventually, I find out that she's taking a course in medical transcription and that the school is selling the books for $250 (for 5 titles). I try to explain that $50 is a pretty decent price for a textbook. She's not convinced...so she's going to start making phone calls. Good luck
* [phone] Nighttime is My Time reserve
* [phone] Thespian needs Social Security by Andrew Bergman for audition. [He also wants to chat and talk about directions to the library and chat and tell me about the last play he was in here in town and chat...sigh]
* Grand Dragon : D.C. Stephenson and the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana or anything about him that we have [shockingly--or not--we don't have anything]

11 - 12 noon

What I'm doing between questions: moving J bios again, and moving old encylopedias to the circulating collection now that we've got the new editions.

* Word proc., and can I remind her, please, when her time is up so she doesn't forget to pick someone up...blah blah [sure, why not?]
[SO. Who broke the peg on the back of this keyboard that makes it stand up??]
* Internet signup, not the Spanish one though [wish they were still color-coded...]
* "Do you have one clean sheet of legal paper I could use?" and word proc
* Change for the copier
* A Raisin in the Sun, or "Where do I find the 2002 section?"
* Bleachers [our copy is out, so I put her on the list]...and she chats and chats with me
[I help someone sign up for a free email account; he's clueless, but nice]

9 - 12 noon

What I'm doing between questions: checking orders for "not in FirstSearch" cards. And Dewey. What else?

[Our street is being dug up to fix someone's--not our--sewer problem, so maybe it will be quiet today?]
[The School District Art Show went up Monday, so we have lots of lovely (and some unlovely) student talent on display]
[Did I mention the seam on the desk hsa been sort of fixed?]
[Can you tell I don't want to work today???]

9:00
* Word proc
* Library K leaves me a note that guy using PC was problematic last night; sure enough, he asks why his disk won't work here, but works at other libraries. I apologize, tell him I don't know why it's acting weird and tell him I'll ask our Computer Tech on Friday when he returns. He goes away. [whew]
* Mr. Ick got a haircut and a new hat.
[Today's newspapers all have the same horrible picture on the front page]
* No paper in printer. Even with paper, the print job doesn't work. She retries, then disappears [guess it worked?]
* Stapler
* Civil War encyclopedia for ESL tutor
* Patron finds paperback on table and returns it to me [?]
[yep, you guessed it: family call. But at least I got some help with an Excel thing I'm using to keep track of the messed up Dewey numbers...]
* Kleenex
10:00
* Pencil
[cell phone] twice--same one
--half an hour between questions--weird
* Phone numbers for classifieds dept. at City of R newspapers [can't find bloody R phone book....]
* Consumer Reports on lawn tractors (for me)
* Books on travel to England (also for me)
* ESL tutor returns; too much info for this 8th grader to consolidate into his 8-page school packet, due Friday. [I suggest World Book. And several breaks to clear his brain. Poor kid]
11:00
* Phil Spector walks in. No wait, he just looks like Phil Spector.
* I roust five or six easier-to-understand Civil War books from the kids' room and give them to the struggling pair
* Lawn mower repair [we have next to nothing, so I find a couple to order; there aren't very many repair books out there!]
* Honest patron finds money and a check in the photocopier [I call person on the check and put in money drawer at circ]
[my chiropractor calls]
* Financial aid for college

11 - 12 noon

What I'm doing between questions: the ever-present Dewey marathon. Made it to the 600s at last.

* Long chat with Librarian J [I'm late to the desk. Again. So, this is my penance, I guess]
* "How many books per subject area can I check out?"
* Pay for prints (with a $20). And stapler
[phone][how do my family members always know when I'm at a service desk??]
* Prints woman returns with money because circ broke her $20 and told her to come back and pay me directly....sigh
* Porch/garage/deck/patio design and construction. And county phone book
[Librarian A arrives with book bag AND backpack AND cart]

LUNCHTIME

9 - 12 noon

What I'm doing between questions: my regularly scheduled trudge through all the reserves. This time the mess is compounded by the Local Large Public Library [who shall remain nameless so I can swear at them]. They have decided, because they're idiots, that they are taking their marbles out of the consortia and playing with....er, by themselves. Stupid, stupid. [But it will be good to see them go, as they are the cause of many many issues across every area of library service...] Venting over.

9:00
* Today's papers [haven't gotten them to the reading room yet--nice man volunteers to take them all with him]
* Word proc
* One of our regular Investment Guys is shocked that he is the first to log on the 'net today
* Word proc (times two)
* First word proc guy starts chatting me up as he waits for the copier to warm up [ick]; finally sits down at the Internet
* A current calendar
* "When did we start blocking the state lottery site?" [good question--I look up last night's numbers for him at the ref desk instead, which is all he wants]
* In a business letter, where do you put the person's title--above their name, or below?
* Pay for prints? [nope, you only did 2, so they are free]
* Chatting Up Guy needs a key counter for the copier [no, just put money in the slot]
[Why, at 9:35, is the main printer just now warming up? It always takes a full 5 minutes to recalibrate after someone turns it off, which some 'helpful' patron just did, apparently. Probably Chatting Up Guy...]
* Internet signup, during which I somehow cause barcode reader AND the keyboard at this terminal to stop working, but the mouse is fine
[after crawling around behind the CPU for 10 minutes, trying assorted things--today's the day I had to wear a skirt!--I give up and shut everything down and reboot. So I have now had to cut/paste and delete the original entry....good thing it's quiet, eh?]
* Multiple Streams of Income on cassette [I do an ILL for it] and anything on tape by Robert Kiyosaki [we have something on our shelf]
[I start coughing up a lung--it's a beautiful day!!]

10:00
* Pay for prints
[ok, I think I'm done coughing, sneezing, blowing my nose and otherwise being grossly disgusting]
* Mr. Ick here for paper and pencil
[there have been at least two separate people standing behind me using the tax books or something for about 20 minutes...it's a bit creepy]
* Son of Mr. Ick returns pencil [I feel a bad-movie flashback coming on...]
* Internet signup and the barcode reader blows up the computer again [GRRRRR]
* Magazines that show roofing and siding choices and nothing else [I introduce her to the siding and roofing websites that let you change the colors around to your heart's content a la The Sims--she's very happy!]
* Internet signup, and I don't blow up the PC! [yippee]
* Word proc
[I am 1/4 of the way through the reserves...sigh]

11:00
* Word proc
* How to register as a business in the county/state
[I just realized that two catalog terminals aren't turned on...yep, I'm wide awake today]
* [phone] Grand Canyon Suite on CD [checked out; put on hold]
* Word proc guy thanks me and leaves [thoughts I shouldn't be thinking...]
* Grand Canyon person calls back to see when I think the CD will be back [?]
* Microsoft Excel books

11 - 12 noon

What I'm doing between questions: book order, and going through DDC22 again--591s, God help me.

* Internet signup (rural patron)
* Internet signup
* Bird books
* How to print from the 'net (the same rural patron); and [naturally] the print has no paper left
* staff member: can we ILL for patrons with cards from other libraries? [no-never could]
* Out-of-state person signs up for internet and I spend 10 minutes trying to get his card to work. Eventually I just make up a number for him to use and shrug [meanwhile the phones ring off the hook]
* Librarian J tries to figure out what version of Windows the word procs are using [and tells me I have a message--duh]
* How to find an obit from about 4 years ago; and where are the more recent old newspapers?
* I talk to Librarian A about ILLing for other libraries' patrons; he and I are on the same page.
* Why won't Word let me print envelopes? The print button is grayed out. [no clue--move to another PC]
* [phone message] Patron received call re mag. article she never received. [huh?] I call her back and eventually end up apologizing for not letting her know that it wasn't going to get here [she requested it in November--d'oh]
* Patron wants to reserve book; he has no card with us, but circ "said we could do it." I try to explain but end up sending him back to circ for a clearer explanation
* Phone book for downstate town

J Desk 4 - 5 p.m.

What I'm doing between questions: totalling the stats for the month and entering analytics on a book of American writings about Paris.

* Internet signup
* She's having trouble (not exactly computer literate--but very nice)
[It's dead quiet in here today. Must be the rain...?]
* Headphones return, but we never took an ID (?) and they didn't exit the game
* Pen & paper
[suddenly lots of middle school kids here...minding their own business and staying quiet]
* Where do you keep the kids' bios? [now that's irony for ya]

1 - 2 p.m.

What I'm doing between questions: 1) moving kids' bios. of Lincoln, Washington and MLKing out of 921 and into [so-called] proper numbers, and 2) barcoding new books.

* "Why can't we email the government from here?!" [you can, but you have to use a free email account] "So I have to go back to Yahoo?" [yep] groan/sigh
* Shifty pair of teens arrive. Y'know, if you stop checking to see if I'm watching you, I'm less likely to know that I should be watching you. Dolts [why aren't they in school? I guess looking for pictures of tattoos is more important...]
* Circ person looking for patron from H--she left her card case at the computer
* Hotmail redesign has patron confused
* A different circ person, this time looking for last Wednesday'sChicago Sun-Times
* [phone] Overcoming Overspending and HeartMath Solution; we don't own either so they are ILL'd for her
* Word proc

[v. quiet from 1:30 - 2--the calm before the storm?]

11 - 12 noon

What I'm doing between questions: 1) preparing to shift World Book, New Book of Science and New Book of Knowledge as our current eds. have arrived...some to the kids' section, some to adult circ... It's mildly confusing. 2) moving kids' bios. of Lincoln, Washington and MLKing out of 921 and into proper numbers.

* Word proc
* ...times 2
* Someone walked into one of the staff offices last night and swiped our 'hidden' copy of the local paper--I get to hear another version of the tale
* Printer payment [striking turquoise ring]
* Patron request for Investor's Business Daily; Periodicals librarian says we will be getting it starting this summer. A happy patron!
* Marker (and he even brings it back!)
* Books/DVDs on Mt. Everest [we have loads of books, no DVDs, but he's happy]
[Director points out a Dewey bio option of keeping bios in 920 and adding their field after the decimal point. I'm so glad she doesn't really expect me to do this. Is Dewey headed in this direction? God help everyone who has been moving them to the subject fields, i.e. MLKing to the 323s. Will we have to move him to 920.323 next?!]
* Dandelion Wine. On tape/CD

9 - 12 noon

What I'm doing between questions: catching up yesterday's entry. Trying to find a decent book to read for myself. Doing my self-evalation, prior to having my boss evaluate me and (I hope) give me a raise. Digging out old "need to fix" projects from earlier this year to see how they are faring. Sorting 'fly box' items and labeling them so I know what each stack is for.

* Online info re opposition to gun control. For her son. Grrr
* Jobs PC signup / forgot her card / "Do you have a blue ink pen?" [no]
* Internet signup
* Someone tries to use the phone jacks in the study rooms to plug his laptop in and get online. I guess they never were enabled. Hmm, since I'm the only librarian here, there's no one to ask about this. He has to go home to work
* Change card number in SAM
* The Way to Eat [we don't own; I ILL it for him] He also mentions the "Tax Forms" sign: "Weren't we supposed to pay taxes a month ago??" Smart-mouth.
* [I mention the broken ref desktop to the custodian. He starts fixes it temporarily and says he'll get some more brackets. There is a giant crack between the sections now.]
* Librarian T arrives because the 8th graders are returning today at about 10:45
* Guest Internet user signup
* Paper clip
* Difference between summary view and detail view on a job exploration site
[The kids have arrived. Quietly. Really!]
* Needs specific book on Autoimmune Diseases; it's in the New Books area, not regular nonfiction
[Conference with director re consortial director's meeting today]
* How does copier work?
[Next batch of kids arrive]
* [phone] Summer of My German Soldier for high school teacher
[We also have a class of younger parochial school kids here now]
* Books on pregnancy and childbirth in Spanish. And some for dads too
[More questions from director re today's meeting]
* How to cite an article in an encyclopedia for bibliography
* Reminder from circ person that the kids need ID with address to get library cards [duh]
* Patron R is here. We chat; I show him New Mom Librarian's latest online photo album
* Little boy writes over Patron R's document. Luckily, boy doesn't click on save! Good thing R likes kids, too
* Change barcode for SAM use
[I wipe down phones and keyboards with Clorox wipes so Librarian J doesn't get sick from my germs....sigh]
* Martindale-Hubbell Directory of attorneys; ours is the 1997 ed. so he chooses to use phone books and cross-reference back to MHD

Coughs: every 10-15 minutes
Lost voice: every 20-30 minutes, briefly

Tuesday 11-12 noon

(It was too busy to do this "live.")

* About 30 members of 8th grade class from one middle school arrives, as they will be all day, to work on their research papers (about 30 minutes each)
* Print job payment, times two
* Can't find book to match call number on steroid abuse...well, he didn't write down the whole thing. I find one anyway
* Anything on Animal Welfare
* Of course: family member arrives to harrass me
* Internet signup
* Anything on Community Service
* Girl with a Pearl Earring--was that a book before it was a movie? [Yes] Do you have it? [Yes, but it's checked out] She dithers
* Pen
* Net signup
* Pen
* Librarian T fills me in on gossip re this 8th grade thing, in between fielding multiple, forgotten questions from them

Most outstanding moment: I realize the seam between the two parts of the reference desk counter has come unglued. Like the librarians themselves.

9 - 10:30

What I'm doing between questions: Updating the "Where Can I Find...?" brochure

* [phone] ...my usual wake-up call from family member...
* Art. Well, ok actually pottery
* Some SAM confusion combined with language confusion. Resolved amicably -- didn't undertand that PIN and Password mean the same thing. Plus, you have to take Caps Lock off...
* [phone] 100 Years of Solitude (our copies are checked out--reserve for her)
* [phone] Reserve Job PC for tomorrow
* Word proc
* We have a hamster and a guinea pig visiting for story time.
* Some guy has found a game site on the 'net that we have not blocked. I play with SAM enough to find that he owes for print jobs. So I block his card. heh heh
* Patron asks if new books are "around the corner." [Yep] I tell her she can reserve anything she doesn't see on the shelf and she happily goes to get a library card so we can do that. [hurrah a happy person]
* Big City patron looking for Lord of the Flies on CD or tape [it's not on Amazon, sorry]. Our copy is on hold for another person, and no one else owns it except in print format

I'm off to the chiropractor.

1 - 2 [redux]

* Just sit down to use the Internet if you've already signed up
* Internet "just blew up and rebooted" and now he can't log on because SAM thinks he's still online; I fix his record in SAM and away he goes again
* All in-house database use grinds to a halt; we're frozen
* I kick people off computers (they are staring at the screens, waiting), and find our PC Tech, "Sleek" [don't ask]
* Oooh, Mom Librarian is here with her sleeping baby (hmm, she arrived just as the computers all froze...)
* People try to log on computers that are OFF. D'oh
* Any idea when we'll be back up? [anytime from 2 minutes to tomorrow sometime] Is someone working on it?? [I want to kick him--"YES!"]
* "Soon," says Sleek
[The entire adult non-fiction/Reference area has about 5 people in it right now. Yes, school has not let out--TG for small favors--and yes it is a gorgeous day, but ... 5?!]
* I clean computer monitors
* We're up again (25 minutes)
* Books on ebay
* Internet password

11 - 12 noon

* World Book question (how to use the Study Aids at the end of the articles)
* Word proc
* "Red Scare" of the 1920s (NOT McCarthyism, as Librarian J keeps asking)
* Tax forms (??)
* World Book guy can't spell "kamikaze"--it must be Friday. He's having a terrible time
* Chall#ng#r C#nt#r director Internet signup
* Word proc guy's cell phone works! (he was here trying to figure it out on Wednesday)
* ILL person doesn't know what to do about notice from LoC
* "The computer's done something wild and crazy" [right justified--pretty wild]
* [phone] Test proctoring; she'll be in this afternoon
* Weekly local newspaper
* Paper & pencil
* Local paper lady gives it back and thanks me
* Big-City cardholder Internet signup

1 - 2

* [Covering for A again; this is the longest bout of food poisoning I've ever heard of!]
* [phone] Bergey's manual of determinative bacteriology -- we don't have it, she needs it quick for the end of the semester, she has no card...
* [phone] Easy to Remember -- we don't have it but I ILL'ed it for her
[wow two book requests in a row!]
* Why are summer camp books in the 796s? [oh jeez, I dunno--cuz Dewey says?]
* Paper for printer
* Can I throw this away? and How to get a card
* Can I copy the cemetery directory? and How to use copier
* Continuations-cataloging questions from tech
* Pay for prints
* More weird cataloging s--t (good thing people check up on me!)
* "Can I help you?" [no, he just walks slow, but he's nice about saying no at least]
* Same man needs tax forms [walks slow + blind]
* Yet another tech question. This time we need barcodes

9 - 12 noon

* [It's 9:15, and I just finished updating yesterday's entry. The circ person brought me the papers just now and that's my first contact with anyone today. Could be slow...?] [later: HAHAHA]
* [phone] Do we have a computer to use a CD-ROM with? [I think so, if he's going to try to read something off one...]
* Another patron waiting while I answer the phone question needs to print something off a CD-ROM of his own
* Librarian JK finds me to tell me that Librarian A is still sick, so it looks like I will be at Ref. pretty much all day today. Whee. Not. [so much for a quiet day]
* ILL question; ILL person isn't here today, so I can't really tell patron anything about her DVDs that she wants to renew. I promise that we'll call her when we hear from the owning library
* Reserves for two books on Medicaid that we don't own
* [I can't work this afternoon when I said I would--I have to pick someone up at school. And I can't find Library K; oops, she's in story hour]
* CD-ROM guy from the phone is here to look over his stuff. Computer explodes; I have to reboot, which takes more than 5 minutes...finally, he's able to start learning about his cell phone!
* First CD-ROM guy pays for his print job
* [I notice that we now have extra copies of tax forms for extending your time to file squirreled away behind the desk here. Every year...]
* CD-ROM guy can't figure out how to use the menu; he's not exactly tech-savvy...
* "How do you spell the last name ----?" ...sounds like "whirl" [I give him some possibilities and send him back to start trying them and any others he can think of]
* [Librarian M says she will cover a few of those problem hours this afternoon, at least long enough to allow me to do the school pickup]
* Do we have 2-year-old issues of USA Today newspaper. [nope]
* CD-ROM guy needs more help. Those mice, they are tricky... :-)
* Pay for print jobs
* Books on kleptomania? [no] "Well, then I'll write one." [well, then ok]
* Tax help is downstairs (he doesn't look old enough for AARP!)
* Word proc
* Word proc (Virus Woman) and what happened with Lamb?
* Klept. guy is back, to use the 'net to find an author for his book. I suggest Writers Market/LMP [10 minutes--no dice: MUST--USE--INTERNET!] I register him [10 minutes], I help him log on [5 minutes]. [I think his IQ is about 90...confirmed later by other staff who actually have now rescued me twice from him in the ensuing half hour]
* First word proc. user wants to know if he can scan something in; he lost the disk it was on [no]. He is annoyed, but not at me. I don't think
* Internet registration/lost wallet (turns out he lives in an area where there is no library service, but he doesn't tell me that). I send him up front to get a new library card; he yells at them because they want to send him back here to get a Temp User number for the 'net. He leaves. Thank God for small favors.
* Tax help is downstairs (she's definitely old enough for AARP!)
* Changed card number, needs to be changed on SAM/Internet -- he has an adorable little boy with him who's actually pretty well-behaved
* [OMIGOD--No Social Skills is helping Klepto-Man! Better him than me]
* [Can't it please be lunchtime, or time to go home, now?]
* Anything in the library on saving farmland? Not the internet; he needs books! Imagine that
* Word proc
* Floppy disk purchase
* Patron needs state Circuit Breaker (tax) form, possibly the easiest form in the world. Doesn't know how to do it. Coughs on me profusely. Breathes on me profusely, and stands way -- too -- close. Doesn't understand why one copy of the form is back/front and one copy is 2 pages, front only. I send him down to the AARP people downstairs. And then go wash my hands, and arms, in hot water. Would like to wash clothes, face, hair and vomit too.
* Word proc, with password
* Librarian JK tells me that other staff members don't know about one of the middle school's big year-long project that each student has to do in 8th grade, which they've been doing for about 10 years now. Oh well.
* Pay for print jobs (Virus Woman). She complains about her messed up, unformatted months ago, disk. Again. I try to explain. Again. No luck
* Word proc
* Books on lauds and vespers and other orders of services [I order one for him]
* Pay for print job
* Word proc
* [I hear the unmistakable sounds of Librarian J approaching...]

I couldn't keep up; I know I missed people especially towards the end when I was helping 2 people at once most of the time.
Meanwhile...I got nothing else done. I missed the news report that all wackos should be at the library this morning, or else.

3 - whenever relief gets here... [which would be 4, not 3:30 as I was expecting]

* Direct Assistance for homeless contact info.
* Together in Exile and Poor Ignorant Children by Peter Murphy [we own neither]
* Family member needs help with homework
* [phone] Librarian M wonders if we are using BTonline at the Ref. Desk [nope]
* To Love a Child [not on shelf, hasn't circed in 2+ years, can't ILL because she has rural card...what a mess, poor woman]
* Tax forms. Yes; people really are that blind, I guess
* "County X's city plan." [??] She thinks she wants the county plan documents, but also takes the city ones to peruse
* IRS Form 1098 [sorry sir, no coupon-y forms; YOU get to call them...woo hoo]
* Local phone book and can he use a study room to make a phone call [wow--a polite cell phone user]
* [There are some very cool neck/shoulder tension release websites, but none of the stretches are working for me today; neither did the 3 ibuprofen + 3 Tylenol I took this morning]
* "What's the newest Guinness Book of Records we can check out?" [2002]
* "Midsummer's Dreams Nights..." By Bill [He knew the name, just got tangled up in his words]
* Need paper in printer
* Word proc
* Word proc
* Techie V can't remember a trick I showed her for using the cataloging program
* "Who do I write about the sidewalks in town?"
* Need paper in printer
* Pay for print jobs
* [phone] Left Behind. The first book. Not the comic book which library in town of H says is all that exists. She's been on hold almost 6 minutes!! And was still nice when I finally got there!
* Word proc
[AHA! Relief, and assistance, has arrived!! YAY]
* Print payment, plus needs a floppy
* "Why did my map print weird?" [because the site is psycho]
* Print-and-floppy guy needs to know where Brit History is
* I clear kids from lower level hoping to stop potential goofing off [we've had reports from the schools that we are the best place for....erm, much 'non-library' activity]
* Need paper in printer

Get me outta here!

11 - 12 noon

* I show Rotten Tomatoes to Librarian F, Movie Buff
* Guy stands here using scratch paper to copy an entire letter out of a magazine by hand
* Changed card number (so she can get on Internet) to new one
* Register for internet use
* And she wants to know how to access the blue book for cars online
* Supreme Court case decision on non-biological parental child support requirements; she can't remember the year or the case number/name, but she has the article. At home
* Look up card number for internet use. No ID=nope
* Patron R is here
* How can I check my criminal record online? For free. hah
* What are the websites to file state and federal taxes?
* My relief person is sick! Who is up next? The drama unfolds as my stomach growls
* Tax forms (are people blind??)
* Librarian F brings me more cr#*& to catalog
* Librarian M will cover this hour so I can eat YAY


Meanwhile, barcoding new books...

11 - 12 noon

* Word proc
* Printer needs paper
* [phone] Patron needs one of the state "sales and use tax" forms; I spend 15 minutes hacking around our wonderful [hah!] state revenue department website before finally finding out that she has to call them and request it

Thank goodness for that woman, otherwise this hour would have put me right to sleep!

Time to swap donations for icky-looking library copies.

J Desk, 4 - 5 p.m.

* Someone returns headphones (at least they are sitting on top of the keyboard when I arrive)
* [phone] Family member checking on when I leave today
* Compliment on our educational computer games vs. library in city of M.
* Techie V comes up with several complicated questions. Now my brain hurts. She also wants to find The Tale of Desperaux [placed a hold for her]
* "Do we have today's paper?" asks complimentary mom [Yes, in the reading room]
* Brazen dad takes kids into story room to see the fish better. He then leaves them in there so he can take a picture from the outside. With his cell phone [What a dork]
* Dork's kids are now taking all the storytime supplies out of cupboards and boxes [I just heard the circ desk people 'remind' him that his kids need supervision]
* He now bustles up and asks me, "So what is all this? Do we need to sign up? What are these kids doing?" etc etc. Five questions in 4 seconds. "Do we have any Veggie-Tales videos?" [Obviously not a parent who has heard of books. I try to patiently answer all his questions, once I figure out what he really wants, but boy I'm cranky--I need to go home before I say any of the stuff I'm thinking!]
* ...but his kids are pretty cute...
[new patrons. thank goodness]
* Nope, there really isn't any place around here to see the Easter Bunny "in person"
* Check out at the front desk
* Dork family is back [but I'm leaving!]

Meanwhile, there is a new Demand order to work on.

I am so ready to go home.

3 - 4 p.m.

* Books on drumming
* Reset time on internet? [I'm too tired to argue: SURE]
* Where is the person I'm supposed to be working here with??
* Director reminds me that we need to work on Friends Scavenger Hunt next week; we are the only ones who will know the answers...
* Aha--there's my co-desk person (at 3:13)
* Group of 5 teenage girls, one of whom needs more books on the atomic bomb; they are all noisy, except the actual person I'm helping
* "Do you have my slushies? I left them here an hour ago." [Yes. And yes they are DQ slushies. At the library. What the %^*$?]
* Books on PCs; turns out they can't figure out how to open their email on their new computer at home. They are not young people. And they are clueless. [I suggest they sign up for our Internet class; they agree]
* I find new baby pictures from New Mom Librarian in Ofoto
* Easy Spanish books [she really needs books on learning Spanish]
* [phone] Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon, by Michael Ghiglieri [YES! It's on the shelf, here!]
* Word proc but also needs to use Internet; oh and more time please? [sure, why not?]
* We've lost our paging list page for the day; she's probably not here, what with Spring Break and all
* Internet signup
* The director finds reserves on unordered books from 2002 in the disaster that is the Order Drawer. [oops] Moral and ethical quandary: call patrons and admit we goofed? Ignore the reserves and quietly toss them? Hmmm--WWDD?

Meanwhile, I am schlepping through the box of Weird Cataloging Junk that has accrued over the last month.
Final count for today: one item no longer in system, two items "on the fly," one item on Reserve (for close to 18 months??) to be moved back to circ, one picture book that should be elementary non-fiction, one kids' bio of Robt. Kennedy that needs to be moved to history from 921, and two missing barcodes.

1 - 2 p.m.

* Big box of factory-reject chocolate arrives in workroom; everyone leaps on it
* One of my least favorite patrons, Crazy Airport Man, is back after a year's absence; what have I done to deserve this? He needs another printout of what he already has in his hand, dated August '02. I print it just to get him outta here. Thank God for the Internet!! [He used to come in and ask for all the mayors in the 25 or so communities surrounding our nearest major airport--imagine finding current names, addresses and phones for this, about every 10 months...]
* Word proc guy can't figure out how to put floppy in drive
* No Social Skills patron: "Hel-lo"
* Word proc signup; I notice that the other two are also in use and fill write in approx times
* Word proc guy thanks me: "Couldn't have done it without you!"
* Girl wants to know if card is expired, then tells me she's moved out of town, then asks about rural card choices, then wonders why people can't be online "every other hour"
* Same Girl with friends, all trying to use one terminal and behaving like puppies; I tell them one person per terminal [woman next to them smiles at me thankfully--she very nearly got kicked]
* Librarian T is trying to figure out why she needed to "fill in" today [there are no gaps on the schedule]
* Tax forms
* This year's issues of "Chicago" magazine; the box isn't there [yes it is; he's having a Friday moment]
* Word proc signup
* "Did you need some help?" No
* Same Girl [see above] asks about using typewriter. [yes, it's free, but you need to bring your own paper] I suggest she read a book if she's killing time. She rolls her eyes and goes to a catalog station. [because anything, even catalog searching, is better than reading, I guess]
* Librarian T goes home; not needed after all
* Where's my relief??

Meanwhile, are the books on these lists missing, lost, or what? Hmm, I try to figure it out.

11 - 12 noon

* Chit chat with Librarian J
* "Welcome back" [from Techie L]
* Amortization tables with 4% interest rates for 5 years
* Tax forms
* Librarian J is back: "Where's the director?" [Haven't seen her lately] She wanders away
* Custodian returns errant pencil
* Bathroom, and can he leave his Internet logged on while he's there?
* Internet signup
Another quiet hour.

Meanwhile, back to the telecourse tapes. Ugh.

J Desk, 9 - 10 a.m.

I'm back from vacation--time to hit the Reference Desks running.

* Family member brings me my PDA from home and picks up his reserve
* Child in my son's class wanders through. Twice. Thrice. [I think he's gone now...]
* Another child in same class arrives with mom and sis
* It's definitely Spring Break; lotsa elem school age kids wandering through. On their own, and behaving! WOW.
* 2 Internet signups (mom & son)
Quiet hour.

Meanwhile, I worked on last week's Demand order.

9 a.m. - noon

CRANKY DAY--look out!

* We need more "Where Can I Find...?" flyers; I print and fold
* Patron makes suggestive comment to circ staff (hmm, used to like him too....)
* [phone] She doesn't need Job PC after all
* I find errors in the "Where Can I Find...? flyer--time for a revision
* Stapler
* [I hate copiers!] Multiple jams that take over 15 minutes to clear
* More jams in copier; nevermind, will do it somewhere else!
* 2002 tax form; IRS site is piled up and we can't get form to download. He'll try at 3 a.m., or call to have it sent
* "This Internet station doesn't like anyone this morning." I restart it
* AARP tax help is downstairs
* Tax forms are over there, by the BIG SIGN THAT SAYS TAX FORMS
* No Social Skills is back: aha--I've figured it out! ALL he says is "Hello. How're you." [note lack of ? mark] But he is dressing better now
* Circ person checks with me to be sure the magazine someone is trying to check out isn't the current one [why can't we just barcode them when they arrive??]
* Patron R has snuck in at some point :-)
* I hear the telltale sound of someone rebooting (the monitors thrum when you do it wrong) but can't see who it is
* [I don't think McD's put enough caffeine in my Pepsi this morning]
* Patron can't log back on after his Internet froze up; I think I found the PC-Shutter-Offer. I free up his record....he doesn't LOOK like a Bethany. So he gets a lecture too
* Patron thinks Christopher Moore's Lamb may not be appropriate for middle school kids (where we have it shelved), although she loved the book [so did I]; send book to YA librarian for examination
* Librarian JK asks if I will be at work on April 2
* Temp Internet signup
* Computer blew up again on same guy; I think SAM knows he's using his wife's card!
* Lamb Woman can't access her file: "I think I have a virus." [She does this all the time; usually it's "I think YOU have a virus." She just doesn't save to her floppy. She has managed to erase her whole disk on another occasion, to the point of needing to reformat it. Today her file comes up in ?Korean. "The guy who was using this before me was Oriental." It was Patron R: not Asian! At all. YOU are just a putz.] sigh sigh sigh
* VERY bent-over man needs AARP tax help
* New patron
[shoot, I walk away for 3 minutes and the director appears and starts banging around this PC to show another patron the Ofotos]
* Discussion with director re yesterday's OCLC pricing meeting, IOUG meeting in May, why I haven't opened the Ref Desk email, etc., etc.
* Ina Garten books [we have one on the shelf; that's enough for her]
* Same patron: Renovation of the heart [will have to ILL]
* National Wildlife April/May issue [not on shelf, but not checked out]
* Same patron: Spy; we own it but she needs author's name so she can find it. I get it from the 327s for her...not a lot of lights on in her brain. But she's very nice. Too bad Korean Document Lady (a.k.a. Lamb Woman) decides she needs to be involved in this patron's quest for a book...
* Patron with nasty cough [ick--go away!]
* Weird print-job guy from yesterday is back; the pictures look normal today [whatever]
* Same patron wants to find local comm. college's classes in HVAC; can't find 'em online, tell him to call them and ask [poor guy--I keep failing to help him]
* "Where did my print jobs go?" She's going to try again because she didn't do it right. Of course
* Voila: print jobs. She waited for all the "are you sure?" boxes this time
* Long soliloquy about Amtrak ("Trips I Have Taken") and a thank you for access to Internet. Daughters live in DC and Rochester, MN. What else would you like to know about him; betcha I can tell you
[where should I eat lunch: Mardi Gras or Swiss Maid or Taco Bell?]
* Malignant Self-Love [we don't own; will buy] and books on narcissism

Meanwhile, I went through donations, and tried to copy "New in May" lists. Grr.

11 a.m. - noon

None of the clocks in the building say the same time!

* Basement remodeling
* [stuff is still on Explorer that shouldn't be!]
* New card number; SAM needs to be updated with his info
* [the squeaky copier is gonna drive me nuts!]
* wrong kind of basement books, but she's late picking up her kids; back tomorrow with husband to watch kids
* Director runs past with tour, and leaves envelope for Librarian J at Ref Desk (?)
* No Social Skills says hi again. I'm getting nervous...
* [phone] School district budget
* Techie J arrives with laptop to "collect information" [?]; his wireless connection blows up and he goes somewhere else to reconnect
* Internet printing LSD-style pictures again [like wow man]; I tell patron to try a different terminal. Wish we could figure out why this happens
* Weird print guy can't log in to other terminal [well, duh, you have to log out of the other one first...sigh]
* Haven't seen for awhile: Word signup and typing books
* More LSD pictures; I give up and ask if he can come back tomorrow and try
* [phone] Proctored test
* Southern Living from March [checked out]

Meanwhile, I compiled the New Books in May lists.

1 - 2 p.m.

* Where is Davis Rd.?
* AARP tax help is downstairs
* New baby pix @ Ofoto from New-Mom Librarian
* Copier not working; with help from Copier Guru on staff, we fix it
* Out of paper at Word proc.
* Chelation therapy [we have nothing; nothing much on Amazon less than 3 years old]
* History and text of the Nicene Creed [thank you Dan Brown!]
* Patron wants to know what the rumored new arrangement of libraries will mean for us? (the corsortia is multiplying and splitting and reconfiguring; very confusing)
* Phone book for city of R.
* Temp internet signup
* How to get rid of nesting-in-garage raccoon [university extension office]
* Thesaurus [cutie!]

Meanwhile, worked on Excel chart of moved Dewey numbers; 370-

11 a.m. - 12 noon

* Glorious Appearing arrives as a reserve from another library (Street date is 3/30) and alert circ person dumps it on me to "do something about" [???]
* Patron R is back
* Iggery? Oops; eggery=egg decorating
* "B.C.E." definition (found here; very cogent site)
* [email] registration for kid program over Spring Break
* Short turorial on how to use catalog; they're looking for Lucinda Bassett stuff, specifically, the tapes the patron donated last month
* Her internet screen "went fuzzy" and now she can't log back in
* The Street Date debate continues in email...
* Ooghpf...icky morning patron E is here 3 hours late!
* Print job payment: $1.40. All he has is a $20. All I have is about $2.50 in change
* Local phone book
* Staff member searching for book with wrong spine label. There's irony for ya
* Mr. Ick needs Tim Allen books

Meanwhile...hah! There was no meanwhile.

9 a.m.- noon

The daytime homeless site for today has opened.

* 3 of our "regular" homeless population wander in and plop for the day at "their" table
* Stuff is appearing on Explorer that we never put there. I delete all the extra "favorites" we now have, and close the additional search bar. Some stuff still there that shouldn't be. Need to call Tech Svc for help
* How to spell "shillelagh" [hmmm, wonder why]
* Rehash of yesterday's computer chaos from Librarian JK [go away]
* {where's my Dr. Pepper?!!}
* Director arrives to see the weird stuff. She instructs me to call Tech Support J. I page him
* PTO prez assures us that the public PCs look fine
* TSJ calls back, and I explain. The cell phone disconnects us
* {big slug of DP while I wait for TSJ's call back}
* We will monitor the rest of the day; TSJ is working off-site today. Any more problems, we'll call. Hopefully this is not a worm that the IRA has set to go off today. sigh
* Can I use Internet? I check his card; change his expiration date and he's all set
* CL Computer User Card--"I forgot my password." [I just registered this guy here last week, for Pete's sake]
* Books on lotteries "like this one" (he wants a strategy book for picking); we have none. No one has any. Probably stolen. By other people thinking they can beat the system. hah
* Annoying mom with ratty kids from last week is back. She's here every week trying to do genealogy with a 2-year-old in tow (today she brought an older sibling[?] to help; why isn't this kid in school?)
* Lottery Guy is back, with the receipt for the book in his hand (purchased in 1984). So? I reiterate that we don't have anything; the receipt doesn't change things. He can buy stuff on Amazon or at Borders, but we don't have anything on the shelf today. I think I'm a little gruff with him....
* Do we run Windows XP on any public computers? [no]
* Tax form book for 2003. My brain falls out--that's last year's books, or the ones for this year...? [duh]
* Copier is over there
* Thank you from tax-form patron
* I file 'on-order' cards with holds attached
* Renewed Guy shows his print jobs to me; "only 4." I check his card anyway, cynic that I am.
* Lottery Guy can't figure out copier. Needs to have copies of his Soc. Sec. card/DL/immigration card; front and back. "How much?" [20 cents]
* Very Pregnant Woman needs a restroom.
* More weird stuff pops up on this PC. I try not to panic, pretty successfully
* Word proc.
* Pay phone
* Email reserves for me to do
* Phone number look-up
* PG Librarian isn't PG anymore; it's a girl! {She is now to be known as New-Mom Librarian}
* AARP tax prep people are downstairs. Over there.
* She needs to print off something she downloaded from the Internet into a WordPad file.
* Holy Hormones by Ron Eaker
* Word proc.
* Favorite patron R comes in, finally: I've been saving something one of his nephews left behind a week ago--a PowerPoint about R that is a real tribute to him. R is surprised and really touched.
* Did we get the county daily paper today? Uhm, yeah, I think it was in the pile I put in the reading room 2 hours ago. Not there now....
* Printer payment (an honest word proc user!!)
* Director asks if we should have Librarian A do Word tutoring classes instead of one-on-one; have I ever listened in? Is N good at the one-on-ones? [no clue, but N is very patient with everyone in general] She's going to ask N. [ok then]
* Patron R needs word proc.; asks about PG Librarian's baby--says he will stop by the hospital to see her today
* Thank you from other word proc user as she leaves
* Blank floppy? [yep]
* Is Librarian A here? [not yet--half an hour]
* Now Librarian A is in the building. As is Librarian J (my relief!)
* Patron who normally has 0 social skills says "hi how are you" to me. Gasp
* Circ person & I negotiate Street Date issue. I think it's resolved

Meanwhile, I worked through DDC22 again. 468-571 done.
We have a lot of weird language books! And our Science section is pretty anemic.

J Desk 1-2 p.m.

* I volunteer the JRef. garbage can for patron looking madly for one for her trash.
* Cute-But-Loud toddler tries to use games computer. No parent in sight. SHH!
* Chat with tutor who uses the library regularly
* Learning-to-Walk-Boy enchanted by paper shamrocks hanging around JRef. desk.
* "Don't bang on the keyboard!" (Cute-But-Loud kid)
* Headphones for games computer
* Storytime lets out; 4-year-olds and parents everywhere!!
* A-HA. There's Cute-But-Loud's Mom; on the Internet, where else?
* "Don't stand on the chair!" (different child, same family--turns out there are 4 of them, all under age 5)
* "Don't eat over the keyboard." (different kid, just released from storytime with shamrock cookie in hand)
* "You can't play on the computer unless you're using headphones." (all the kids in Cute-But-Loud Family) [This is a New Rule minted by me especially for this family.]
* Headphones for Cookie Boy, who is really quite polite (the cookie is eaten)
* Cute-But-Loud Mom asks Librarian JK when the next storytime is; I want to say, "For you, NEVER!!"
* Librarian K brings me a knob one of the kids found during storytime. We'll figure out what it's for the next time something breaks. Or it will sit in the desk drawer until 2009.
* Return headphones

Meanwhile, I continued with my attempt to figure out the collection of telecourse videos. I'm beginning to loathe them.

11 a.m.-12 noon

As I survey the wondrous cross-section of our community...

* Pencil & paper
* Address to send in federal tax form
* Temp Internet signup
* Pencil. With lead (picky, picky)
* [phone] Family member called with good news
* Thanks for earlier pencil
* Return of desk copy of Consumer Reports issues, along with borrowed pencil
* Temp Internet signup
* She just renewed card. Wants to reserve book we wouldn't let her reserve till she renewed
* Causes of dizziness, poor man
* [phone] Another library is sending a patron over to pick up a CD. Thank goodness they called; it is nowhere to be found.
* Staff member trots along next to me to tell me that we can work on ILL at noon. My question is, "Can I eat lunch while we do this??"
* Other library's patron actually just needs "C is for Cookie." Success; I have found it on video.
* Gas forced-air furnace repair. Patron says, "Thanks, love" either to me or to his wife.
* Our Tech Svc person tries to explain why a patron couldn't access a website last week. Turns out all gambling sites are blocked. Luckily, the director is here and immediately recognizes that we need to either 1) change that in the Internet software, or 2) put that into our signup form.

[The director is also next at the desk. I finally leave at 12:10 ...]

Meanwhile, I attempted to figure out the collection of telecourse videos: what we have, what we should have, what we don't have. As well as which are cataloged and which aren't.

9-noon

* PTO prez again
* Jobs PC
* [phone] Do we have the Dr. Phil diet book? (Yes, there are 10 holds; shall I add you to the list?) No that's to long to wait. But do you have anything on chair exercises? (Yes, shall I hold it?) Yes please, and can you tell me how much Dr. Phil's book costs? ($26.) Oh, then please put me on the waiting list after all. [grrrrr]
* [phone] Family member called to harrass me again ;-)
* [phone] Word proc signup for this afternoon
* Director brings down two huge notebooks on two new subdivisions. We have no place to put them. We move the cris-cross book and shove the tax books around. Voila.
* [phone from Circ] What does the date after the author's name mean? Is that the year of publication for the book? [sadly, this is one of our tech svc people asking... I don't kill her, or sound too incredulous] [I hope]
* Reserve on Mitch Albom's new book
* Change email address for online overdue notification
* Old baseball player data
* Very frowny woman wants to print her Word document
* Word proc
* Card catalog? (He's sitting at it--but using the genealogy program)
* Do we have card scanners for public Internet logon? (No) Director said we did. (Nope, not yet)
* (same guy) Is the Jobs PC the only one that has CD-burning capability. (I think so, but you're welcome to try the word processing ones)
* The word procs DO burn CDs but they don't access the Internet. (Yep, you got it) [good thing this guy is nice!]
* Temporary Internet user signup
* Is the mail here yet? Wants to see local paper. (no, sorry--one of our nice older regulars)
* Zip code for town of C.
* How to go back one screen on the FAFSA. (Can't figure it out) [Also can't remember new password to extend her time...]
* Where to find these books on scraps of paper. [All on witchcraft, but one is Agatha Raisin and the Witch of Wyckhadden....not what they want, I'm sure; do I tell them? No, because they need the exercise and to learn how to read the card catalog properly...and because I'm mean.]
* Temp Internet signup
* Coin collecting and "no, don't get up, I'll find it, you just stay put" [nice baseball man from earlier]
* Pay for print jobs
* Word proc
* Printer messup--move to next PC
* How to send an email using Yahoo!
* Tax forms
* Nice woman turns in someone's library card; patron apparently left it at the Internet station he was using. I put it in the Lost Card box
* Next Internet user "forgot" card; when I look it up for her, it was found last week and put in our Lost Card box. Weird how this happens...
* Why isn't the printer printing my driving directions? (SAM is too complicated for some people.) [We figure it out and then he tells me he's moving to PA. Nice older man; I'll miss him.]
* Pay for print jobs
* Do I reserve the study rooms? (nope, just go right in)
* State tax forms for a very confused older woman [who, scarily, says she won't need more than one copy because she "won't be here next year" and then says "the hell with 'em" re the Dept. of Revenue]
* Pay for print jobs
* I spot Librarian J, which means I am soon going off desk and, more importantly, to lunch. [growl growl says my stomach]

Meanwhile, I continued plodding through DDC22 looking for "wrong" numbers. I have finished the 300s at last!