Comments on: Improving Neighborhood Libraries

By: k32ff

k32ff — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:14:34 +0000

NMTL, I bet management was happy to see you go off to the ivory towers, too.

By: NotMariantheLibrarian

NotMariantheLibrarian — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:56:09 +0000

My library jobs have included public library, public university, corporate, and private university. Private university is by far the best – mostly because we don’t have to deal with the general public. We get the odd bum but if s/he smells, causes trouble, monopolizes a computer, offends others? The campus police escort them off the property and that’s it.

Street people overran the public library when I worked there. They weren’t welcome at city hall or other public venues but the library had to deal with them all day every day. We also got the pervs who exposed themselves, played with themselves and ogled children. There was no spine to management at all – they worked in a remote area with firmly shut doors. I was so happy to leave that place!

By: lmcshane

lmcshane — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:03:21 +0000

Civility, standards and a focus on the delivery of information. Somewhere along the line that became “anything goes.” Thank you for stating the obvious in this post. It would help if the administrators who signed on here with ridiculous aliases buckled down and enforced some standard of decency. This is not a joke, folks. Our country and our profession needs a serious discussion on library standards.

By: wassup

wassup — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:50:00 +0000

Oops… my italics tag didn’t work; I am bracing for the ridicule!

By: wassup

wassup — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:46:30 +0000

6shb7,

Love your clever use of asterisks, btw. You are so mature. Speaking of which, thank you for the *maturity assessment* (/sarc).

> For many libraries, fines are a revenue source that cannot be replaced.

So, you admit that fines are in place to generate revenue, and not to keep patrons honest. Now we are getting somewhere. . .

By: 6shb7

6shb7 — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:04:07 +0000

*”Anyone” would also include a library staff member putting an otherwise model patron through the ringer for that same 45 cents.*

Unpaid library fines number in the hundreds of thousands of dollars in some systems. Perhaps not-so-concidentally, some systems have a hard time keeping paying their employes, stocking their shelves, keeping their branches open, etc. For many libraries, fines are a revenue source that cannot be replaced.

And let’s be real, if you can’t bring items back you’re not making them available for anyone else, either. If you can’t be considerate of your fellow users, why should I be extra considerate for you?

*Now run along and let the grown-ups talk.
Go eff yourself. And have a nice day collecting fines.*

I haven’t worked in a public library for 6 years and not a day goes by that I don’t thank the heavens for that.

And you certainly proved my assessment of your maturity, thanks!

By: AngelaB

AngelaB — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:51:58 +0000

I’ve worked in a public library for nearly 10 years. Little in my library schooling prepared me for the job I do. My retail work I did part-time in college did. Rarely, am I asked anything library related. I spend most of my day rebooting computers, fixing copier jams, and telling people to take their phones to the lobby. Oh, yeah, I also print out Mapquest directions.

By: wassup

wassup — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 12:21:25 +0000

>Trust me, I’d give this model librarians a wedgie too, if I met them. Woyitie toyities. Can’t >Stand ‘em!

lol, Mr. Kat!

By: Mr. Kat

Mr. Kat — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 03:39:45 +0000

If this person owes $0.45 in overdue fines, and they are even suggesting that they are baulking at paying the fine, they are not model patrons, Now Are They??!!!

A model patron would have the $0.45 out and ready to give to the librarian before the librarian even told them how much they owed on their past due items.

Because a Model Library Patorn knows precisely how long their loan is, how much the fine is per day, and keeps track of exactly when they check the book out and when they return the book.

Trust me, I’d give this model librarians a wedgie too, if I met them. Woyitie toyities. Can’t Stand ‘em!

By: wassup

wassup — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 19:02:24 +0000

k8etf said:
>One can tell your that skills in logic left you little choice as to vocation. We’re talking about >HIS/HER library which definitely does levy fines, as mentioned.

Nice try, my point was that a myopic view is not always best. Take a look outside your own little fiefdom.

>And anyone that wastes anyone else’s time arguing about their 45 cents worth of fines is >the enemy–of multitudes of things, including common sense & common decency.

“Anyone” would also include a library staff member putting an otherwise model patron through the ringer for that same 45 cents.

>Now run along and let the grown-ups talk.
Go eff yourself. And have a nice day collecting fines.