Librarian Ire

Breaking idiot news!!!

A woman attempted to use the library a while back. She started this journey by staring at our signs declaring "library hours" and then wandered away. She returned a few minutes later. She then stands in the entrance and asks, "Is this an entrance?" I answer yes, it's the only library entrance.
She either didn't understand or didn't hear me because I have to repeat myself. Finally she steps into the library and I have to tell her yes, this is the library entrance.
She announces she is looking for a book. She procedes to mumble the title and author and wants to know where we are keeping it. The Internet told her it was here(Apparently it talks to her). I ask for a call number sending her into a frenzy of paper searching and pocket emptying.
When she finds(finally) the call number, I give her directions(simplified) twice!!!to the area of the stacks it's in.
I know she wanted me to find it for her, but I was alone at the desk, so no dice.

When she comes back she complains to me how hard it was for her to find this book and how inconsiderate everyone else is to keep the other copies out for so long.
She mistakes my blank look of disbelief for concern and launches into a saga dating back four years ago about how she needed a specific book and didn't get it. It was missing then and according to her it's still missing since she never got it.
I should have asked her if she actually told anyone at the time the book is missing. Kinda hard to replace it if no one knows it's gone. Or if she re-requested it at any time in the past four years. But sometimes you just don't want to know.
She insisted she was familiar with the library system (she told me at first she worked here and then changed her story telling me it was her kid who was a reference librarian here) and its quirks and extras, but it was obvious to anyone who spends serious time in any library that she was way out of her depth.
She must be the bane of her public librarian.

posted by Nike at 11:15 PM