Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Secrets in the Attic

A customer came in yesterday and asked for Secrets in the Attic by V.C. Andrews. By the time I found the book, she was gone. When she returned when we opened today, I told her I found the book she was looking for. Her response: "I couldn't wait all day."

Another customer came in when we opened and complained that the newspapers weren't on the shelf already. A colleague tried to explain that the staff had arrived just before he had. He was not satisfied with this answer.

The day can only get better.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Now It's Beginning to Make Sense

I understand the need for a Dewey number, but I still don't understand the need for a database control number, a barcode and an international standard book number (ISBN).

The Dewey number helps you find a book by subject, author's last name and shelf location, but it seems to me that one number ought to suffice for the other three (the database control number, the barcode and the ISBN). With the new ILS system, I hope we'll be able to use only one, probably the barcode, instead of all three.

To add consternation to confusion, we also file books by category (fiction, non-fiction), genre (mystery, romance, health, fitness, test prep, career), format (large print, small print), popularity (best sellers), publication date (new releases), age (adult, teen, ychildren), location (North America, Europe, Asia)and size (paperback and trade paperback.

After library school and three years' professional experience, the system is still not clear to me. I guess you can't comprehend it until you've served in the trenches. Working at Bay Terrace, maybe now I will understand.

When the little cloud of tobacco smoke was on the computer yesterday, a customer asked on behalf of another customer when she was going to be done. On her way out of the library she assured me that she always obeys the rules and then said to her inquirer, "Thanks for sticking your nose where it don't belong." Today she wouldn't get off the express computer even though another customer was waiting to use the computer and was worried about her mother-in-law with whom she'd left her children in the playground nearby. Do as I say, not as I do.

A Hindu House Blessing

A Hindu priest blessed a colleague's son's and his wife's new house. After the house blessing, the priest asked if anyone was going to work. When the colleague told the priest she was going to work, he told her to bring some of the food and share it with her c0-workers. She passed around a plate of Red Delicious apple wedges and some pastry made with chickpea flour, slivered almonds and honey. It was very good.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

der Fahrradfahrer

I bought a "Pla-Dry" T-shirt to wear to work every day. The shirt was designed for golf but is ideal for cycling. It keeps me dry all the way to work. When I arrive, I put on over the T-shirt the freshly ironed and folded shirt I bring with me, and I'm ready for work. The only inconvenience is that I have to wash the T-Shirt every night. But it's fast drying.

After cycling to work I have been stopping at the playground behind the library to catch my breath. Today I was gingerly approached by two uniformed park district employees. They told me that only adults accompanying children are allowed in the playground, and they escorted me out. To be treated like a suspected pedofile was, to say the least, unnerving.

Parents and guardians, not park district employees, are responsible for protecting the children they bring to the playground from any pedophilia threat, real or imagined. It is a sad state of affairs when private citizens cannot use a public park unless he or she is accompanying a child.

This incident is sad commentary on the state of affairs in this country today. I believe the government, by exploiting the public's fear of terrorist attacks since 9/11 for its own nefarious ends, has brought us to the sad state of affairs. But then again I like to blame everything that's not right with this country on George Bush. Yeah, Goerge did it.

This episode also is sad commentary on the kind of neighborhood Bay Terrace is. It is a neighborhood where riding a bicycle is considered aberrant behaviour and where any behavior considered aberrant is reported to the authorities. I don't feel so welcome here anymore.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Route In, Route Out

Seeing how much time it takes to route books in and route them out has been a revelation. The new ILS system will free up a lot of librarians' time.

Still impressed at the level of customer service at Bay Terrace. I don't know if it's the exception or the rule. Today I called several customers who hadn't picked up the books to tell them we would continue to hold them until next Thursday and would return them next Friday. I also called Steinway to ask the librarian to send us a paperback. Paperbacks are officially non-requestable.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Bay Terrace by Bicycle

My friend John picked up my bicycle at the bike shop yesterday, and I rode it to work for the first time today. It's a 1992 or 1993 aluminum Trek, which I had converted to a commuter. It now has pedals instead of cleats, and a rack on the back. It's a thing of beauty. The most beautiful thing about it is that by cycling I have cut my commuting time by two-thirds -- 30 minutes instead of an hour and a half.

Today I learned how to route in books, more knowledge that will become obsolete when we get the new ILS system, which will do the routing in automatically. One young lade must have had a field day putting in online requests. Today we received for her: College Girls, The Meaning of Wife, How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls and Wasted. Didn't somebody say once you are what you read? I did. I did. She sounds like a party girl to me.

I also for the first time in my life as a librarian pushed a book truck. Can you believe it? Three years a librarian before I ever pushed a book truck.

There are a few anachronistic things about the QBPL (or Qbippel, if you prefer) system that make me laugh. Men have to wear ties. That's an anachronism that doesn't make me laugh, but let's not go there. When books requested by male children or your adults come in to the requesting library,they are addressed to "Master" whoever.

Found two more books I want to read: Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum and How the Garcia Girld Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez. Where am I ever going to find the time, especially now that I'll no longer be spending three hours a day on the subway and bus.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

A Day at Bay Terrace

A customer called to request The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar. Too bad, because the customer service supervisor wanted to read it. The customer lost her library card but doesn't want to get a new one; she wants to use her New York Public Library Card. She was told that with the new RFID system this cannot do this. She sounded pouty. If she can't use her NYPL card, she doesn't want the book. Hey, if you're going to play the game, you've got to follow the rules.

A customer who didn't have her library card number or the bar code number called to renew a book. I had to use her name to find her borrower record.

A customer came in to request The Linnet Bird for a friend who was with her. "And I put some eye cream in your bag," the friend said. "It helps with the puffiness." "You're gonna love it. You're gonna love it," the said. "You know Linda? She read it in three days. Three days. She couldn't put it down." The customer didn't know how to spell "linnet," and neither did I. I looked it up on the Barnes & Noble website, which is more forgiving than DRA. "Oh thanks, the friend said. "I'll just buy it."

Did a stint in the children's room this afternoon. After school three Asian boys came running in to play geography computer games. A boy asked for a book on science projects. Another asked for books on sound and light waves. A girl asked for two pencils with erasers. It must be that is is so quiet because it's such a beautiful day.

I made my first cultural gaffe and got my first exposure to the underside of life at Bay Terrace today. I asked another employee, who was born in Korea, if she were Chinese, and I was warned by one of the pages to keep my eye on a customer and to make sure he stayed away from children because he is suspected of being a pedofile.

A customer asked where the reference librarian was. I told him she was in training. "Why does she need training," he asked, "she's been here 25 years."

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

The Itinerant Librarian

Today is day seven at the Bay Terrace Community Library. In February I applied for the newly created job of roaming community library manager; I was offered and accepted the job of roaming assistant community library manager. I started on March 31. Since Ouleye Doumouya, who was named roaming community library manager, is on the team that planned and until July will be giving new integrated library system (ILS)training, I don't think the roaming team will get up and running any time soon.

In the meantime I have been assigned to Bay Terrace, where I'm getting some OJT as a community library librarian, and, I hope, as an assistant community library manager. So far I have been getting to know the ins and outs of the old ILS, knowledge, which, of course, will become obsolete in July. But I'm also seeing first-hand how a community library works and how service at the community libraries differs from service at Central. It's much more personal. I do things I would never do at Central. I go to the shelf to find books customers want. I put reserves on books not yet on the shelf. I override the SAM system to let customers stay on the computers longer than an hour. I call other community libraries to ask that books be put aside for customers who want to go get them. I let kids use the library's telephones to call home.

Because I am less busy, I feel in a way like I'm on vacation. I know it won't last forever, and I should enjoy it while it lasts, but I know before long I will become anxious for more activity and greater responsibility.