Librarian Ire

Harassed Patron

Well on Saturday I got to be a harassed library patron. I trotted myself down to the public library to check out a hard-to-find book. I had placed a hold and gotten the message it was ready. I appeared with my id out - ready to be scanned. Of course, I got the high-school student helper. The computer beeps. She stares. She looks towards the librarian for assistance. The librarian comes over and informs me my account's blocked because my address is wrong.
"Oh really?" I ask.
"Yes" She says.
She then repeats the address.
"That's the right address."
"Are you sure?" She asks.
"Yeah, or some stranger must think I'm overly familiar, sleeping in their bed." creak creak go the crickets.
No sense of humor THIS one. So I'm then told that my phone number must be wrong. She repeats. I confirm.
"Well, there must be a mistake." Implication being 'mistake on my part'.
"I got a voice message yesterday about this book that I'm here to pick up now, so there definitely isn't a problem with the phone number."
Well, the 'block' talk was dropped right then and I was submitted to the beginnings of a lengthy explanation about choosing a PIN number because of some new security system, why you need one, how systems works. Being a librarian and pretty quick-witted, I had it. "I know what a PIN number is, I know what a barcode is, and I'll select a new one from my account online when I get home. I'm really in a hurry here for my book."
The librarian then began to tell me about how I could access my account online!! ARGH!

Now I know she probably deals with a great deal more ignorance than I do from the academic sector and that I am slightly more impatient than the norm, but I am highly insulted I was dumped into the ignoramus pile without any evaluation process. I do everything I can in advance, online, and even then I hit a half dozen bookstores trying to get my own copy before I resort to the library. Where's my slack - my professional courtesies??!

posted by Loki at 1:55 PM