booger tornadoes

Here is an example of a 4 hour summer desk shift at my library taken from one day this past week: 

Booger Patrol

I tidied, cleaned, and straightened everything about ten different times.  When I transitioned to youth services I knew I'd be scrubbing boogers from books and toys and pushing all the books to the front of the shelf a bazillion times.  But what I didn't realize is that was just in one day.  Thankfully I find a lot of interesting reads while cleaning so it's one of those satisfying tasks that checks off two big boxes.  When I clean up (we call it a sweep), the library looks less like a booger tornado went through it and I also polish my readers' advisory skills.  

Library Programs 

I facilitated a program, Read to a Dog, which is an amazing program where children get 5-10 minutes to read to a sheltie or a yellow lab (yes, we have two dogs!).  Because Read to a Dog is so amazing and popular, kids start showing up half an hour before it begins and the slots fill up fast.  It takes a bit of work to encourage kids to have their book ready and keep the line going.  Sadly, we also usually break a few hearts in the process because there are only so many spots.  It's such a wonderful program though.

Teen Volunteers

I helped two teen volunteers stay on task. During the summer we have twenty teen volunteers who come in for 1-2 hour shifts.  Today I had one teen who kept disappearing in the building.  Whenever I lost track of him, and could get away from the desk to look for him, I always found him in another part of the building flipping through books.  It's tough to fault him because my teen self would have struggled to volunteer in a library with so much book temptation.   Our teen volunteers help us shelve, clean toys, and work on storytime and display projects.  It's amazing how much they get done.  But we do have a couple teens who tend to get a bit distracted and it can be tricky.

Helping Patrons Use Library Resources Like a Boss

I demonstrated how to use our lovely copier.  The patron was very worried that the copier would jam.  I told her, that while it was a possibility, I personally hadn't seen it jam in the six months I'd been at this branch.  The copier heard this cocky reply and promptly jammed.  While I rushed to grab a key to bypass her next copy so she wouldn't have to pay twice, the copier had the last laugh and not only expelled the crumpled copy but also gave the patron a fresh copy.  I can definitely say I've never seen a copier do that. 

I printed out a handful of guest passes, which allow patrons to use the computer without a library card.  At some point, after printing five or so passes, a kid approached the desk and said his pass didn't work. I tried it too, and sure enough it didn't work.  I printed a couple more with no success.  The patron's computers refused to take any of the numbers.  So I restarted my computer, printed another guest pass and it worked.  Sounds like the copier had a conversation with my computer.

Lovable Library Eccentrics

While looking for the teen volunteer I noticed one of our library eccentrics had found someone too polite to end the conversation.  This particular eccentric is one of our harmless eccentrics who is quite religious and doesn't understand social cues.  The lady he was talking to looked a little exasperated.  It may have had something to do with the fact that she had three children under the age of five who were struggling to stand still in one spot for so long.  So I carefully squeezed my way into the middle of his come-to-Jesus talk and gave her an out.

Library Rules Enforcer AKA Swamp Patrol

I told a group of kids to 'walk please' about ten times before mom drug them all into the family bathroom, closed the door, and gave them the what for. 

I also crashed a book club that tried to take an extra chair into our 6 person study room.

I always feel a little bit like Viola Swamp from the Miss Nelson books when I use my stern voice at the library.

Philosophical Discussions 

I had a very philosophical discussion with a 4-year-old girl about her favorite Disney princesses while she chose a sticker from the tub of assorted stickers.  After she picked one out (Belle), she asked if she could pick out a sticker for her brother.  After digging through the tub a second time, she raised a sticker triumphantly.  I asked her if her brother would like the sticker she chose, and she giggled a bit before running off with her two Belle stickers.  

I feel like I'm missing something here.

Making Sure People Leave With Books

Oh yes, I also helped people apply for library cards, sign up for the summer reading program, and find books. 

Sometimes when I leave for the day I think, yep that's about all the fun I can have for one day.