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