At the Reference Desk: 10/2007

What I'm doing between questions: downloading Demand OCLC records,

1:00

Circ person brings today's papers to me and I take out want ads before putting the rest of the papers in the reading room
Headphones
Headphones (2 pair)
"Full already?" [not quite, but well on our way to all net stations in use]
Headphones [that's it--I'm out]
Wireless connection password? [there is none--eventually her computer lets her in]
"I don't remember my password" [with upgrade, she just needs to reenter her info and and start over] ; headphones [try children's room]
[Wandering soul does not need help]

1:30

"The printer never works for me anymore. When I need to print, can you help me?"
One of the two headphones is returned
I turn into a traffic cop: you need PowerPoint so you get that computer; you just need the net so you get this one
Printer guy wasn't waiting for the 'are you sure you want to print' box--mystery solved!
Headphones
Taskbar not accepting clicks [no clue--it's PowerPoint and I never use that; she logs out and logs back in to start over while I find a book to answer our questions...and then it works fine]
Check out at the front desk
Print jobs on kids' computers print in kids room. Yes: all the time. Yes: in color.
Parenting teens [tempting to suggest duct tape, but she seems very nice and not frazzled]
Kids' room staff calls to say that the copier in there actually does print in color
"Is this the library list?" [no, that's the net waiting list signup--catalog is over here]
Where did the print job go?
[we're nearly out of red and yellow toner so I go get some more just in case]
PowerPoint chick got it to work--yay
Circ person wants to know if a U.S. passport means someone is a U.S. citizen, and is it legal to use that plus a driver's license to register her to vote [well, yeah....?]
Highlighter
Foundation grants to individuals [we have it, but it's been put on a shelving cart so it wasn't at all easy to find]
Headphones returned
Cute little guy (about 2) playing tag in the adult nonfiction aisles....his mom scoops him up

2:00

Is there an election next week? [...uh...no? I can't find anything, and I haven't seen any of those ubiquitous yard signs...the county's website is no help whatsoever]
Current People mag.
Headphones returned
[How is Sweet T. getting more time online? He is looking really shady..so clearly something is up...?]
Headphones
[The Bears are losing. YAY!!]
Headphones...and she returns them within 3 minutes
[Speaking of people who shouldn't be online Mouthy Fish Girl has been blocked at her mother's request, and she's online as well! I replace the block on her card.]
World's Fastest Indian [we have it--she's happy]
How to search Google [school-age girl--eventually, I send her into the children's room with her mom to sign up....when I call to give the heads-up to the staff person in there, she sighs as if this is the final straw: that she has to show someone how to use Google. So I bite off her head. #*%^!(*]
Headphones

2:30

3:00

Email to Librarian H about assorted problems I've come across about technology and this order thing I'm supposedly working on
[phone] One of our regulars calling to reserve 5 more bestsellers
Highlighter and PowerPoint book returned
SAM guest registration
[The Bears lost--Bigger Yay!]
How much does a library card cost? [Nothing but you do need ID...which kills that plan for her today]
Living Beyond Breast Cancer [I ILL it for her]
Why can't I save to the CD drive? [no idea, so I left a note for the tech to look at it--right now it's Admin Only]

3:30

Where are my print jobs?
I clean up all the books lying around and make the closing announcement; check the basement
W00t! We're done!

At the Reference Desk