Things have changed!

As you can see things have changed!  I've moved on from the Reference Desk to Youth Services.  My MLIS was in Youth Services and Administration/Management, so it's only natural that I return to my roots.

It's been a good four years since I've updated, but there will be fairly regular posts from now on, I hope!

We are not omniscient...

Yes, I can usually track down a city-person's phone number if you have the address (using the Polk directory & address lookup).  If you don't have an actually house number (just the street name), and only a first name?  That can make it nigh impossible.

Some addresses don't have any names listed.  Some are only initials.  Most aren't going to be what you're looking for.

Might a past directory help?  It might.  I went three years back, though, and it didn't help in this case.

Demonology

Books on demonology are much like demons themselves...very scarce.  They go missing, patrons hide them, pages go missing...

So, every time I'm in a certain section (that would be the 133s), I have to go through them (not just the demonology, but also ghosts, numerology and astrology) and see what ones aren't in, and which ones I need to replace.

Books on Machiavelli

I had a patron come in today asking for books written by Machiavelli.  Did more than a handful of searches, and only 3 books came up.  Two were already 'lost' (aka a patron still has them).  One said it was on the shelf.

So I wrote down the call number (320.1 Machiavelli for those interested) and sent the patron on his way.  A few minutes later, he comes back.  Not on the shelf.

So I go back there and look at not only the shelf it's supposed to be on, but on surrounding shelves.

Not on the shelf.

So I offer to order the book, but he laughs, thanks me but declines.

So I order the book for our collection.  And I gratefully note that I'm glad that I'm weeding the 300s so I can hopefully find it.

There's a special place in hell...

For people who write/draw in library books.  Especially in pen.

Like the book on Alzheimer's I found.  New book, just a year old.  Lots of pen underlining.  Or how about the math equation books with all the answers filled in?

Or the books on costumes with notes and everything written?

Thankfully I can erase most of it.  But the ink stuff won't erase out.  And in that case, the book has to go.

You have study rooms for rent?

We do...but not for instrument practice.  Now, if you were just learning how to read music, that'd be one thing.  But actually practicing an instrument (a flute, in this case) in a study room?  Nope, sorry.  The rooms, although they look it, aren't sound-proof.  And a lot of patrons would be very upset if the sounds of a flute started wafting around the library air.

(Now, I wouldn't mind personally, being a flautist myself, but that's just me.  I can't speak for any of the patrons who are studying etc in the library.)

Can I just take this?

I had a patron call about a needlepoint book she had out.  She wanted to know if she could just remove the patterns in the back of the book since the book was due back in a couple of days.

I had to politely tell her that no, she couldn't, but she could make copies of the pattern at the library.

She reworded the question, but it was the same thing: could she take the patterns from the book since she needed them?

I had to reaffirm what I said: no, she couldn't, but we did have copy machines here for her to make copies of the patterns.