Creepy
If I didn't know better I'd swear it was Hallowe'en.
We are getting some real creepy patrons here lately.
The first one is the crazy bandanna lady from last summer. She back using our computers. Now we have good hardware and some great research software. But I don't think that's the draw for her. She asked me about a specific church run school that supposedly is 'nearby'. She wanted to know everything I knew about them. I had no idea. I looked up the name she gave me in the phone book. Wasn't there. On the internet the only thing that came up was somewhere out West. She immediately knew that was wrong. No kidding.
But she's positive that she's got the name of the school right. Well, I gave her the names and addresses listed in the phone book that were close.
The second guy is even odder. Comes in every afternoon and hogs a computer. A very snazzy totally loaded deal. If he hangs around when the computer lab is 4 deep, some students are going to be very cranky.
He 'says' he's studying some Eastern religion, and likes our book collection. But no one has ever seen him in the stacks, just the computer lab. Not to mention he always blocks anyone's view of the screen when they come in.
He's never bothered anyone. So far. But he's creepy.
Miss Attitude
So here we are in the new semester.
All in all I can't complain about my new student workers. Except one. Of course there's always one.
Anyway Miss Attitude is not what you'd call a ball of fire. She could sit and study and do her e-mail from the time she gets here until the time she leaves. Not exactly what we are paying you for dear.
Hey, I could keep you busy from the time you get here until the time you leave. So watch it!
More than once I've had to remind her to do some very basic circ things such as printing the paging requests, reserve policy, and my personal favorite shelving. Stuff I know she knows, since she's worked here nearly a year now.
While she doesn't like
to work when she's here she also doesn't like to take breaks or leave. Once I found her sitting behind the circ desk in the shelving area. When I asked her if she was all right(I first thought she was sick or something) she told me she was fine. She didn't bother to get up, even though it was sort of obvious I needed to move the ranges. I asked her what she was doing there. She then told me she was on her break. I pointed out she was 1) not allowed to sit in the stacks behind the desk and 2) not allowed to take her break while still behind the desk. And 3) she was in my way. And yes, I did say all of this nicely.
She didn't get it at all. Oh, she did get up and move, but waited until I was finished and sat back down on the floor in between the shelves.
She's very odd. I had to explain to her the concept of a required break recently.
But the reason I christened her Miss Attitude is that when I do ask her to do something she gets defensive. She will put it off until I have to ask her again. Or ask for an update. Then she sighs give me a look like she wants to challenge me and reluctantly leaves the desk. She will take a long time to do the task assigned to her.
There is a slight but scary resemblence to Velma, one of our previous circ assistants. We shall keep you posted if any more character traits pop up.
