I mean no disrespect here, but I have to say - there's something weird about librarians. Anyone with me on this? I love love love that the library has gone all "space age" and automatic. I think the new checkout system is totally awesome. I love the self-checkout at grocery stores, too (mostly because I worked in a grocery store all through high school, and I get excited when I remember produce codes without looking them up. Yeah, I'm a dork). ANYWAY, I like the library's new system because it means you don't have to talk to the mean old ladies that work there! I get little mini-anxiety attacks whenever I have to pay a fine or ask a question. These women (and all of my experiences have been with librarians of the female persuasion) seriously lack customer service skills.
When we first moved to SLC, we lived in West Jordan, and I had to get a library card at the WJ library. You would have thought I was trying to borrow a nuclear bomb for all the rigamarole they made me go through to get my card. I didn't have a license with our new address, and they needed proof of address to issue the card. Well, all of our utilities were JEREMY'S name! So I think what I ended up having to do, after some kind of flustered argument with the mean old librarian, was show my marriage license as proof that I was Jeremy's wife and that we did, in fact, live in WJ. She treated me like a 3-year-old. I HATE THAT!
Then we moved to Kearns, and one of the Kearns librarians ruined my day. The service counter was divided into two sides, one side to check out, and one side for *cough* "Customer Service". I stood in line on the wrong side (this division was NOT clearly labeled). When I got up to the counter, the librarian said in a loud, mean voice "YOU need to stand in line over THERE."
Today, I had to pay a fine and get my card "re-faced" for their new system. The librarian looks up my account and tells me my total. I hand her my debit card, and she looks at me all weird and says, condescendingly of course, "Okay, well I need to REFACE your library card FIRST, THEN I'll take your credit card", like I'm in elementary school. It sounds like no big deal, and I guess it wasn't, but couldn't she have just set my debit card aside while she refaced my library card rather than talking down to me? Guess you had to be there.
Again, I mean no disrespect. Maybe it really sucks to be a librarian. Maybe you DO deal with stupid people all day long. But just because you don't depend on return customers for business doesn't mean you don't have to have "customer service."
Argh.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Librarians
Scribbled by Kelly at 7:43 PM
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7 Talk to me!:
Read the book "Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians" it's a fantasy fiction about how all librarians are part of an evil cult and a boy has to try and stop them.
Awww Kelly! Sounds like you have had a rough time with Librarians. I don't know why they always talk to customers like we are 3 or what not. If it makes you feel better, I had to check out some books at the BYU Library for the first time ever and had no idea what I was doing. They probably scanned my card, saw that I was a senior, and just laughed because I did not even know how to check out a book.
I do NOT go to the Kearns Library for that very reason. I have never had a good experience there. I drive to the Bingham Creek Library and they are all so nice there. In fact, I once mentioned that I didn't like the Kearns Library to one of the librarians there and she said, "We hear that a lot." You're not the only one. We love to Bingham Creek Library!
I know what librarian you are talking about. Marty tries to avoid her at all costs, but it seems like she's always there!
Ha ha. You are so funny. I have never been a big fan of librarians either. I think it started in elementary school when I checked out a book with water damage. When I turned it in the librarian didn't seem to believe me when I said the damage was there when I checked the book out. But I really like our librarians here, and I guess I better because they are both in my ward and I visit teach one of them:-)
You make me laugh! I guess I never really noticed a pattern with the cranky librarians, but now that I think about it, you're totall right!
I worked at the Snow College Library my 2nd year of College. It was a pretty cushy job. I got to sit at the circulation desk and do homework until someone needed help or the cart filled up. Not a bad job. I don't care for the Kearns Library either, but the Bingham Creek and South Jordan Libraries both have great kids sections.
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