No Means No
The following events all took place between 10:00am and 11:30am on June 6, 2009, at the library where I work.
Patron 1: “What event’s going on across the street from you guys?”
Me: “If you mean the event next door at Washington Square, that’s the Utah Pride Festival.”
Patron 1: “Oh, is that an Indian thing?”
***
Patron 2: “Do you got a copy of this you could sell me?”
Me: “We don’t sell books.”
(1 minute later)
Patron 2: “You sure you don’t got one you can sell me?”
Me: “Sir, we don’t sell books. We’re not a bookstore.”
***
Sketchy-looking dude: “What happens if you take a book without checking it out?”
Me: “You mean if you leave the library with it?”
SLD: “Yeah, will it ring?”
Me: “That’s a strange question, if you’re not planning on doing it. But yes, we have an alarm system.”
SLD: “Why is that a strange question? I’m just asking if it would ring.”
Me: “Please don’t take our books without checking them out.”
SLD: “You’re weird.”
Like
June 6th, 2009 at 11:10 am
LOL! I love that SLD called you weird. Working in a library is enough to turn the most hardened humanitarian into a misanthrope!
Doug’s last blog post… singa: @stannyc Except dogs, except when totally abused, understand respect. The wingnuts, however, …
June 6th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
The conversation with SLD was even stranger in its full, unabridged state. He quizzed me pretty specifically about what security measures we had in place, and then pulled a book (his own book, apparently) out of a grocery bag and was pointing to various spots on the cover asking if the security strip was there? or there?
And I’m the weird one? LOL
June 6th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
“Sir, there’s no reason to ask any of these questions unless you are planning on stealing a library book!”
SLD screams and vanishes in a puff of greasy black smoke.
June 6th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
There are several kinds of library patron I wish would go up in smoke when confronted with the following magic phrases:
“Is that porn?”
“Are you eating in the library?”
“WHAT did you just say to me??”
Etc.