Misadventures of the Monster Librarian

Nearly a month ago I wrote about my New Library's problems with: Leaking roof (may be caused by roof windows) Leaking windows Bad door seal, leaking Outside in-ground lights full of water and not working Electrical issues with exterior light programmer Inability to use light switches for a week, due to the fact that the electrician screwed something up when trying to fix the light programmer Dead water softener What's been fixed after a month: Decided to not repair or replace in-ground lighting due to cost, so we've gotten solar powered lights  The water softener computer has been replaced and the unit is up and running. Neat thing I learned, no one has EVER added salt to the water softener, EVER. OMG! Wonder why it's broken!! Still waiting on repairs for everything else. *sigh* 

My favorite tree on my street--snow covered and enormous! The snowman I built outside the Library, he's ready for Santa's visit! I decided to hit up Grumpy's house and give him yuletide cheer in the form of a snow penguin (against his wishes) The text message convo after the gift was unveiled--MEN! Can they ever just say, "WONDERFUL!?" ;) Snowed all last night and today, giving us about 5 inches, and though I had to work today I still got to: go for a walk, make a snowman for Sticks Library, make a snow penguin for Grumpy, guzzle hot chocolate, and take a ridiculously hot shower. Life is good. Saturdays are wonderful.

Lately I feel like there's just not enough time in the day. I try really hard to stick to my 40 hour week, but last week I worked closer to 50 hours, which is ok, except I haven't worked out since before I moved and haven't been cooking as much as I should and dammit, my pants are fitting a little snugger! I love my job, I just wish the days were longer, or could go by a little slower so I could everything I needed to done. I guess if that's the worst complaint after my first month and a half, I am good. :) So, what have I been doing lately? A lot. I am really proud of all I've accomplished since I started! And the team I work with is phenomenal and always so willing. Lately I've: Weeded the Reference collections, Adult's and Children's, because do we really need 13 dictionaries? Fortunately I was able to donate a set of encyclopedias to the local high school, since the set I wanted to get rid of is more current than theirs. Also, I learned from St...

Had a wonderful weekend; celebrated my best friend's birthday with friends Friday night, picnicked with friends on Saturday after their softball tournament, then Saturday night my brother A3 and I went and had dinner with Dad (Mom is in California-I will see her there on Wednesday!) Mmm...dinner was so good. I made dinner for Dad and A3; boiled shrimp and crab, red beans and rice, and steamed broccoli. Kind of a hodge podge of food, but so tasty. Saturday night, my roomie M and I went to her parents' "cottage," (I use this term very loosely since the cottage is a house, probably a little smaller than the house we grew up in) on Lake St. Clair , late. M, her sister JillyBean, K (their niece) all fell asleep watching a boot leg copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on the projector. I was wide awake, ecstatic to be watching the movie blown up on the wall in the living room, especially the scenes in the Ministry of Magic! I only felt slightly guilty watching...

Friday after working at the church all day (another job I have...I have seldom met a library student who has 1 job, most my friends have two or three), I headed over to the public library where I work as a substitute librarian in Children's/Youth Services. I was to be aiding two of the librarians in a Whodunnit Mystery program, an evening where students, 2nd-4th grade, come in to the closed library for a mystery. The kids came in and listened to the scenario, in this case, a girl named Kat is getting threats from someone who is going to hurt her cat. Cheesy, but it is for kids, and they were eating it up. Then each of the suspects (6 middle/high school kids) were introduced, and the kids were told what possible motives each suspect might have for committing the crime. Once the kids heard the motives they were split into four groups, each with a guide, and sent through 4 settings to collect clues. Our first stop was a question and answer section with the suspects. The kids in my gro...

It was with an odd mingled feeling of mostly excitement and a little sadness that I said, "IT'S OVER!" (in Strongbad voice) about the Spring/Summer '07 term. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I went home and wept in the corner, rocking back and forth, hugging a bottle of Jack, while I lamented the end of classes. I did that yes, but those were tears of joys, and there was no "class being over" sadness. No, that was a very welcomed end. I was a little sad about the fact that friends that I have had along with me on this crazy adventure called Grad School, in classes with me every semester since I started, or even just the last two semesters, will no longer be in my classes come September. It is kinda weird how you can get so close to people so quickly, or at least maybe that has just been my experience. Maybe it's just true that "misery loves company." Maybe I just let my guard down too easily...you know what McGruff the Crime Dog woul...

Picture on left: Purdy side of the library, picture on right Krege side of the library. This was the original library at Wayne State, now called the Purdy Kresge Graduate Library. The buildings are connected by the first floor only...interestingly, useless design. It seems as though nothing is working today at the library. Days like these I wonder if technology is really an advancement. I still have conspiracy theories about it, but I will save those rants for another day. The printer has been down on my floor since I came in. A service call put in to our contracted printer-fix-it man has gone unanswered. I posted a sign, warning the students of the problem, also offering the suggestion that printing is still available downstairs. I now have a sign hanging on my desk that says, "due to a denial of service attack originating from off campus on the WSU mail servers, incoming and outgoing e-mail is currently experiencing significant slowdowns..." What this basically means (what...

I can't believe that I am at my 100th post...this coming after I fought the idea of starting a blog for nearly 5 years. How does one celebrate such a milestone? I searched google for a while, looking at other's 100th blog postings and...got no inspiration whatsoever, so I guess I will share a story. Since I have no great words of wisdom to impart, I have decided to reflect on becoming a Librarian. Monster Mom and I were having lunch together the other day, talking about my nieces and nephews and their recent misadventures, when I asked Ma what I was like as a kid. Mom told me about how I used to go to the library with her and I would pick out as many books as the librarians said I could (many of those were the height of technology-those classy-"when you hear the bell ring, like this **, that is when you will know to turn the page" books). Once back home, Mom said I would get my Fisher Price tape player (which I still have-by the way) and put the tape in and follow alo...

“I need this reference book,” indicating a call number on a piece of paper. “The book that you are looking for is located on the first floor in XYZ room.” (Directions to this room were given.) *Ten minutes later* “I can’t find this reference book and the man at circulation said that you might have it up here.” “I can almost guarantee that it is not up here but I will check and then if I can’t find it up here I will see about letting you into the Reference room downstairs.” The book is not upstairs so I walk down to the room that I sent her to before and it is unlocked and the lights are on. “Is this the room that you came to?” (Indicating the room that I had directed her to before.) “Yes, but the man told me it was locked.” I guess you would get that impression when the lights are on and the door is wide open

Today has to take the cake for the most interesting thing that I have been given at work, besides countless germs and TMI from people talking on cell phones. A little girl came up to me today and asked if she could borrow a pencil and paper, which of course I gave her. Then she came back, and spotting some ridiculously oversized sharpies, asked for those too, which I gave her. The last time she returned to give everything back: the mechanical pencil sans lead, and the two huge markers. I thanked her for returning them and she gave me a Rosary that she was wearing as a necklace and told me it was for me to wear. Being raised Catholic, I knew better than to wear a Rosary as a necklace, so I thanked her and told her I would take the Rosary home with me, which I will. It is odd. I was just looking at the Rosary in my car (don't judge me...did I mention that I was raised Catholic!) and thinking that they look like some tired beads. Well, everything happens for a reason, or so I like to ...

Easter Sunday and here I am at the library (note to self...wish there were a song, "At the library," as catchy as that song "At the carwash.") It is slow today, but not empty. The usual street walkers or homeless, whatever you want to call, them are here, as well as some scattered students probably preparing for the last month of classes grind. Days like today, I feel espedcially sad for the homeless, who are here with no family and no hot dinner to look forward to. It feels a little selfish when I think of all the planning and preparing that went into our family dinner yesterday. Sometimes, like on days like today, I remind myself that the homeless that come into the library are a gift to us. As librarians I feel that the homeless teach us to be patient and understanding, more so then our tax paying patrons, who we may feel deserve to be wined and dined so that they think of that great trip they had to the library when they are voting on that upcoming mileage. The ...

Today was one of those slightly rainy days, though by the time I got off the expressway it had stopped raining. My friend who grew up in Virginia used to say of days like these that it was "spitting" outside. I never really liked the idea of that expression, as though Cherabim and Seraphim, bored with their idle days spent on playing harps and singing in the Almighty's choir decided to see who could spit the farthest. Well, anyway, it is cloudy and in the fifties and perfectly perfect outside and I am indoors working the early morning shift, with my Reference partner in crime due in in a little over an hour. It is a quiet enough day here. I have responded to 5 reference questions in the last 45 minutes, 4 of those coming from the same man. High maintenance. It is in these quiet times that my mind wanders and I fall into fantasizing about some tall gorgeous man striding through the doors, over to the desk, and saying to me in his sexiest voice, "hi, you don't know...