An actual sucky patron sighting!

[Devilot]

As I've mentioned before, most of the patrons here are fairly good, and even when they're not, my job explicitly forbids me from helping them -- although I often do anyway, if it's in my power, and no-one minds because we're so short-staffed -- so I rarely actually encounter any problems -- I'm busy doing something else on the rare occasions they come up. Once again, I managed to actually see one.

This old guy came in and kept asking the librarian on duty what our "exchange" is, and whether it's some number he had on hand. The Librarian had no idea what he was talking about. He at one point asked "do you mean the first three digits of the phone number?", and was totally ignored, only for it to continue. Finally, the guy asked, annoyed, "You don't know the first three digits of your phone number?" -- the exact thing the Librarian had asked if he meant, only to be ignored.

It turns out the guy had a call from the library about a book on hold or billed book or something, I can't remember what, and he wanted to find out more about it. The Librarian mentioned that these calls are done from a central location and he had no idea what the call was about and couldn't find any information on it from here -- something he could have answered in seconds if the patron had just asked his actual question, instead of going into that rigmarole about the exchange -- during which he was needlessly rude.

[CarcinogenCrunchies]

As I've mentioned before, most of the patrons here are fairly good, and even when they're not, my job explicitly forbids me from helping them...

You're not allowed to help the customers? You're a library page, aren't you? The person who reshelves books and that sort of thing? Seems like you'd be the ideal person to help a patron find something. What a weird rule.

[Devilot]

Yeah. Although, as I mentioned, it's usually ignored because we're a small library with a tiny, tiny employee pool, technically speaking, I'm not actually supposed to help any patrons -- I'm supposed to refer them to one of the librarians. We only have two librarians here, and for a significant portion of the day, only one is on duty due to lunch breaks. Doesn't tend to work out well here.

[KellyHabersham]

That sounds like the way it used to be at my library - pages could provide some help to patrons, but 99% of the time, we had to refer people to the reference or circulation desk. (sometimes I did have to explain to someone that I wasn't allowed to help them with something.....fortunately people were cool about it)

[Stig]

. . . technically speaking, I'm not actually supposed to help any patrons -- I'm supposed to refer them to one of the librarians . . .

It just occured to me that if you were to work with a muzzle and thick gloves you would probably only ever have to tell people once that you're not allowed to help them. They probably wouldn't push it

[MrsEclipse]

You're not allowed to help the customers? You're a library page, aren't you? The person who reshelves books and that sort of thing? Seems like you'd be the ideal person to help a patron find something. What a weird rule.

My job has the same qualities that Devilot described. At my job the reason they don't want us helping is that they only train us to shelve books. Is it something like that?

But of course, if you work there long enough, you figure out how to answer most of the easy questions. "Graphic novels are beside that display. The restroom is across the entrance. No, you may not set anything on fire." Again, something like that?

[Devilot]

My job has the same qualities that Devilot described. At my job the reason they don't want us helping is that they only train us to shelve books. Is it something like that?

But of course, if you work there long enough, you figure out how to answer most of the easy questions. "Graphic novels are beside that display. The restroom is across the entrance. No, you may not set anything on fire." Again, something like that?

Sounds about right.

[TexasT]

I worked in a library as well (on campus one in college) and was also limited on how I can help a patron. They gave us a list of questions we can answer and a list of ones we can't. Things like, "Where is the bathroom?" is a go. Things like, "Where are all the books on the uses of mucus to cure toe fungus?" goes to the professional.

The dumb thing, though, is we were open until 12 and the last librarian would leave at either 9 or 10 (I can't remember). We were told that anyone that comes after they left we were to tell to come in the next day to get help (we opened an hour before the first classes). Of course I, as a college student myself, would understand that if I wanted to do my paper at 10:00pm, I was wanting to do it then, not the next day. So, at that time, I'd help them as best I can. I was usually pretty good at the end, if I do say so myself.

People don't get there's a difference between a librarian and a library worker. I even had to explain it to my friend last night. The difference is 4 years of college.

[KellyHabersham]

Oh, I can believe it about people not understanding the difference between librarians and other library staff - just about every time I mention working in a library, the other person assumes I'm a librarian.

[Ironclad Alibi]

This old guy came in and kept asking the librarian on duty what our "exchange" is, and whether it's some number he had on hand. The Librarian had no idea what he was talking about. He at one point asked "do you mean the first three digits of the phone number?", and was totally ignored, only for it to continue. Finally, the guy asked, annoyed, "You don't know the first three digits of your phone number?" -- the exact thing the Librarian had asked if he meant, only to be ignored.

Asking which exchange your phone is on sounds like such an anachronism today. The exchnage is the local office which all the telephones lines are connected to. Back when a human operator handled the calls, it made sense to know your exchange, and the exchange of the person you were called. Today, with all the computerized switching, it is all transparent. That guy must have been really old if he was still thinking in terms of telephone exchanges.