tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355159372009-10-12T20:23:29.163-07:00On the Oregon coast where the state 'flora' is mold and the state 'creature' is the snail. Might not be home to everyone but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.Coastalnoreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-76093820547129099702009-08-11T08:50:00.000-07:002009-08-11T08:50:00.140-07:00

Now here's an interesting tool - Drug Interactions Checker. Enter all the drugs you are taking and then click on "check interactions." What is nice about this tool is that you can include all the over-the-counter drugs, creams, supplements, etc. that you use. Let's say you just saw your physician and you forgot to mention (or he/she forgot to grill you) that you take a certain OTC drug every

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-178038176354971522009-07-20T09:00:00.000-07:002009-07-20T09:00:04.895-07:00

One of the peculiar things I've noticed is that a portion of our homeless patrons read (or at least look at the pictures in) cookbooks. I'm not talking about how to cook over a campfire type cookbooks either, but cookbooks whose recipes require a fully stocked kitchen. These guys (so far I've only noticed it with our homeless men), will sit in some far corner with their worldly possessions by

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-35734684511837784572009-07-14T09:00:00.000-07:002009-07-14T09:00:01.554-07:00

I'm just not a good enough librarian. Recently I had a patron come in who wanted to use the Internet. We use a pass code system so I asked him if he had one. He said he did and then proceeded to rummage through his wallet. And rummage, and rummage, and then began to explain that he was retarded. Which is fine, I'm not in the habit of making judgments. Finally he digs out his library card. I

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-84642848980003926722009-06-28T15:25:00.000-07:002009-06-28T15:40:12.467-07:00

We were all trouping into work the other day only to discover some patrons trying to force the doors open. They were convinced we should be open. Umm no! We didn't forget to open the doors. When told what time we would be opening one of them tried to argue with us. Apparently they couldn't comprehend we didn't have the same schedule every day. All they had to do was read our hours posted

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-65115408472074848832009-05-22T09:00:00.000-07:002009-05-23T23:24:03.411-07:00

You know its going to be a rough day at the reference desk when a coworker hands you a note that says "a bus load of helpless just arrived." Sigh. Sure enough it was a long afternoon of poor communication, helplessness, ignorance, and having our ears talked off.

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-51868886307734626402009-05-21T09:00:00.000-07:002009-05-23T23:53:31.522-07:00

It's a bad sign when the librarian on the reference desk comes around the corner to my office and vents. Today's vent? "It's a parade of dolts!! Just you wait until you're out there! You'll see!"So if I wasn't dreading my reference shift before... it would be nice to at least start my desk shift with a good attitude. As it happens, my poor coworker seemed to get ALL the worst customers today.

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-73777024963680166892009-05-10T09:00:00.000-07:002009-05-10T09:00:01.000-07:00

Sigh. It has been a long, strange week, with way too many strange people. A coworker and I agree that if you work long enough at a public library reference desk, it will eventually erode your faith in humanity.

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-24439331558343945292009-05-02T13:25:00.000-07:002009-05-02T13:25:00.189-07:00

Along the same lines as my last post. Every once in a while we get a patron who will ask us what their password is, and they honestly believe we will know.We can usually show them how to tell their service/site to send them their password if they have forgotten it. Only to find out they don't have an email account (or a secondary email account if it's an email site they are trying to get back

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-77307093930447740792009-04-30T13:13:00.000-07:002009-04-30T13:13:00.207-07:00

I know some of our patrons are clueless but how clueless is horrifically obvious sometimes.Patron - "What's my i.d. for my online bank account?"It got worse. Turned out she had never signed up for an online account before and needed to do that first! Then it turned out she didn't have an email account, which is a requirement for setting up an online account. "Can't I just make one up?" You

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-19590119531920097372009-04-28T12:41:00.000-07:002009-04-28T12:41:01.873-07:00

We are all thrilled that tax day is long over. About four days prior, during, and a couple days after, we had a massive run on requests for tax publications. Nothing remarkable in that - procrastination is a common problem. Worst request from tax day...Patron - "I'd like to come in today to have you do my taxes."Librarian - "Umm, we don't do taxes, if you mean the AARP volunteers they do not

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-68026456637138983842009-04-26T12:37:00.000-07:002009-04-26T12:37:00.371-07:00

Here's the kind of conversation about patrons you don't want to overhear in the library. "The police said he hasn't been violent to their knowledge."Well, it's better than hearing he has been.Sigh

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-13739830101943101182009-04-24T12:32:00.000-07:002009-04-24T12:32:00.818-07:00

The forsythia has finished blooming, I've seen my first robin, and a new batch of transients have graced our library.We lose some, we gain some. It's amazing how the transient population (especially the homeless) rotate in the spring. I wonder if other libraries notice this kind of seasonal change?

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-85163879916095220162009-04-20T20:53:00.000-07:002009-04-20T20:53:00.446-07:00

Back in library school they said we shouldn't give patrons labels or names. But when you don't know an individual's name and you need to id them to other staff there's really no other effective means to do so. And running out with a camera to take their photo is a little too obvious!Labels can classify patrons by appearance or behavior. But as Scott over at Dispatches from a Public

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-31122210534313934352009-01-10T17:05:00.000-08:002009-01-10T17:25:34.256-08:00

I was going through the library, tidying up when I saw one of our patrons looking through the DVDs on the bottom shelf. Unfortunately this caused his pants to experience a large degree of coverage failure. As most of you know it's the fashion for males to let their pants ride very low on their hips. This usually exposes their underwear, or if they are rotund sometimes a lot more. Because of

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-91523699463300633932008-09-24T19:50:00.000-07:002008-09-24T20:16:42.801-07:00

Our customers seem to come in waves and I assume it is because they are all at lunch, off work, or out of school at the same time. But a few of our customers only come in after they've gotten drunk enough, which for some is about the noon hour.One drunk often comes in reeking of tobacco smoke (I am very allergic to tobacco), which disguises the smell of liquor and possibly b.o., although I don't

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-83205365464798452982008-08-23T09:48:00.000-07:002008-08-23T09:48:00.771-07:00

I was working the reference desk the other day when a couple of nice looking elderly women approached the desk.One of them shoved some papers at me and said, "You need to enter this."Me - What is this?Them - The lady down at XYZ said you could do this. (Looks at me expectantly.)Me - I have no idea what this is? What exactly do you need?Them - We need this typed into our accounts.Me - Do you

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-26653152447906129342008-08-21T21:26:00.000-07:002008-08-21T21:26:00.936-07:00

I found this library blog today and really enjoyed some of the conversations they shared. Go to "(The Customer is) Not Always Right" and laugh out loud! Classic!

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-43309771016890640612008-07-29T09:13:00.000-07:002008-07-29T09:13:00.357-07:00

Per a study in the UK, Librarians suffer the most stress among occupations. Finally! Someone is acknowledging what most librarians, especially public librarians have always known. The UK study says it it the lack of control over one's job that induces the most stress. We certainly have little control over the rising costs of books, journals, electronic information sources, and internet access

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-27613801369437977282008-07-28T21:42:00.000-07:002008-07-28T21:42:00.368-07:00

O.k., first the disclaimer - I'm not a mother. But I still think this is a great book for moms. It's funny, practical, and supportive. If you ever wondered how you got yourself into this mess, or wondered if you are a good mother this book will both reassure you and amuse you. It's a well balanced book about the realities of motherhood, just good sense and good therapy.I Was a Really Good Mom

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-23164547841614515172008-07-27T21:45:00.000-07:002008-07-27T21:45:00.930-07:00

People just don't read. You can put up all the signs you want with any attention getting colors, lights, or fonts but people will not read signs. It's not just the library, plenty of other places have problems too.Is it that they really can't see signs, can't read, or is it because they just don't care?For example, I once counted six "no cell phones" signs between the library doors and our

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-43068780316401520172008-07-26T19:24:00.000-07:002008-07-26T21:29:56.720-07:00

If history and religion have taught us anything, it is that humankind is imperfect. While a few people can rise above or change their nature for a moment or for a purpose, a large group cannot change permanently. So while a group of people (or country) can be inspired to rise above their individual weaknesses for a time, it builds pressure within to return to type. The greater the change from

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-57087988897810502622008-06-22T16:00:00.000-07:002008-06-22T16:14:58.563-07:00

Would you believe that were still using heat here in the Pacific Northwest? The East coast is sweltering already and I'm still running the heaters. Some of the time I'm even using our electric blanket. It doesn't usually get very hot here in the summer but this is getting down right weird! We're past the mid-point in June so it really ought to be a tad bit warmer.I'm obviously not the only

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-77193418129235491742008-06-21T15:37:00.000-07:002008-06-21T15:58:34.000-07:00

Sigh. Is it too much to expect library patrons to know the difference between left and right? I can tell a patron, "see the person in the red plaid shirt over there?" "Yes" "The computer to his left is available."What does the patron do? Goes to the right of the guy in the red plaid shirt and then looks confused because it's not an Internet computer. Often they turn and look at me, I

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-38160810910439682862008-05-24T21:00:00.000-07:002008-05-24T21:00:04.029-07:00

Every library has it's local reality-challenged patrons. But every summer we get a whole fresh batch moving in and out of the area. I always have the urge to yell "the transients are coming, the transients are coming!"The entire Pacific Northwest coastline becomes a corridor for people on the move during the summer months. We get the mega RV'ers with their rigs that cost a mere million,

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35515937.post-33363077777920745802008-05-22T20:22:00.000-07:002008-05-22T20:22:01.399-07:00

Because we don't have very many computers and demand is always high, we limit how much time a person can be online. So I expect that anyone wanting to play online is severely handicapped by this limit. So I'm curious which games give the most satisfaction for players with limited time?Here's s site I've found on gaming in libraries:Game On: Games in Libraries: Runescape Discussion GroupGames

Coastalnoreply@blogger.com0