How This Blog Helps My Marriage

Blogging is for me, if nothing else, cathartic. We all have this feeling at one time or another that no one appreciates what we do. If you're like me, you feel frustration about that and need to talk about it. If you work for a non-profit, you probably have a good education, a lot of passion, lots of student debt, and are constantly moving back and forth in your head about whether or not it's all worth it. If you're like me, you feel frustration about this too and need to talk about it.

I do consider my husband my best friend. He is a totally great guy who has a lot of patience and is typically a good listener. I've been with my current employer for nearly seven years and two years as a volunteer before that. The amount of stuff I've brought home and needed to talk about over these past few years... well, it would test anyone's ability to listen and patience.

We still share a lot, of course (and believe me, I listen to a lot of his crap too!), but now I can temper some of "my need to share" with this blog. Thanks everyone for listening!

What I need to share this week:

A New Level of Entitlement
We circulate our collection to staff and volunteers, primarily docents. Volunteers are supposed to keep books out for two weeks, then return them. Several months ago I realized there were so many books checked out to volunteers that were months overdue, that I ran a report and sent letters to nearly forty people. Some of these books had been out for more than a year.

I won't belay the hemming and hawing that ensued with "I didn't even check that book out!" "Really? Because your name, in your handwriting, is on the card." (Yeah, we still have cards, don't go there.)

But, one particular incident was especially interesting. I sent letters and many never replied. Some books trickled in during the next several weeks. Some people apologized, some didn't. While I was with a visitor, one person brought in a DVD they had checked out along with the "please return" letter I sent; she held it up so I could see it, literally slammed it down on my desk and stormed out. I was stunned, but couldn't do anything because I was with someone.

I go into my office a little later and go to check in the DVD. The DVD is clearly marked with the name of my library in two places and has a library spine label on it. This person has put her own name and address - printed! - on the DVD in two places!! It took me a while to get these labels off. Why would someone do that?

It's Like Retail
The last incident I'll mention reminded me greatly of my retail days during undergrad. If you ever worked at the mall, and worked the closing shift, you may remember those people who come in to the store and start shopping at 8:55pm when the store closes at 9pm. My experience was always that those people took FOREVER and were always particularly high-maintenance: even though you said you were closing, they would take several trips to the dressing room, ask you to get additional sizes, chit chat, etc. You were really just there to serve them.

I had a student (whose paper was obviously due the next morning), come to the library five minutes before closing. He even asked what time we were closing and I told him. We discussed what he needed, I let him browse the section and pull books and then he needed to make photocopies. I told him we were closing and he said he had one photocopy left. I waited. He kept copying. I shut the blinds and started turning off the lights and computers. He kept copying. I said "I really have to go" (and I really did have to be somewhere!) and he kept copying. Finally, I said "this is your last one" and stood right by the copier. He stopped, got his copies, told me thank you (at least he was nice), and ran to the elevators. Once again, my demure Southern upbringing got in the way. Next time, I'll shut the copier off.

Again, thanks for listening!