The Utah Library Association annual conference is this week. I'm not attending and being professionally developed, because we have to leave enough people at the library to man the reference desks and keep the public from burning the place to the ground. This year I'm one of the librarians left to languish at the desk (and I do languish after returning from vacation), so I've been working with the public more hours a day than I usually do, and at different times than normal. Specifically, I've been working when the businessmen come into the library.
I do not care for the businessmen. They drop things on the reference desk (money, papers) and give me a look that suggests that a) I should know what they want even though they're not using their words (and even after I prompt them to use our common language to express their needs, there are no pleases or thank yous forthcoming) and b) I'm an 18-year-old unpaid intern from their offices who should be scurrying about doing their bidding. Neither of these things is true, which is why when I finally open my exclusive, MBC-dictator library, businessmen will not be allowed inside the building. Unless you count the kid who tried to make a deal with me today in which I would sell him Internet guest passes in bulk for $0.50/each so that he could sell them on the street for $1.00. I declined his offer, and he went off to try to forge some court documents (he asked me if they looked official). Friendly kid. Way better than the businessmen.
6 comments:
hear, hear
i can get behind that motion!
Why are businessmen in the library? Don't they have mom and pop stores to crush and a proletariat to oppress?
Remember in Russian class when we learned that you should never, ever, ever say your dad is a "businessman" even though that might be the best way to describe him? Do you suspect these guys of having Russian mafia ties?
Ann-Marie--You will be allowed in my businessman-free library.
Amy--Exactly! Maybe they get tired of kicking puppies and building bigbox stores after a while and are looking for books to burn.
I'd forgotten about the Russian thing!
My favorite is when the walk up to the desk, and, without looking at me (let alone using their words), shove a piece of paper with a call number on it in my face.
Oh, wait, that's not my favorite, that's my pet peeve. One of many.
This is exactly my dad, how funny that he messes with the library too. And sometimes I wonder about the underworld...there were mysterious Oprah tickets that seemed very John Grisham. I will try to keep the man away from your library.
Jer--Yeah, anytime patrons come to the desk and don't speak (even if I know what they want), I'm deeply annoyed.
Eliana--Oh, dear.
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