Bad User or Bad Librarian?

I would like to share an experience that I had at a library the other day.  I live in a large metropolitan area where there are many library branches,  over 60 to be exact.  One day when I needed a book for class I went into my local branch and requested a single book.  At the time the library was pretty busy but I was helped in an efficient manner by the librarian.  She easily looked up the book I needed, found the branch that it was at and requested it for me.  She then told me that it would usually take four days to receive the book and I left.  This transaction took all of 2 minutes.  FYI I received my book three days later.

Flash foreword to the next library visit…I went to the same library with a list of books that I needed for class, however I had done my research.  I printed every title with the authors name and the branch that had the books available.  This information all came from the library’s own catalogue.  List in hand I happily went down to my local branch foolishly assuming that I would receive assistance.

In I went, prepared to discuss my information needs with the librarian, printed list in hand.  The librarian was just finishing up with a patron, the same librarian that had helped me before.  I smiled at her an explained what I needed.  I didn’t really think that I was requesting anything out of the ordinary or something that couldn’t be accomplished.  I had a list of 10 books that I needed in one week.  I showed her the list and explained that I knew where the books where located but I wanted to get them from their branch.  I knew that the bookmobile went to every single branch each day and I had been able to receive another book in this manner, so I thought nothing of it.

It was during this time that something went wrong.  The librarian took the list from me and started thumbing though it, glancing up at me every so often.  I could tell that this did not please her.  Finally she looks at me and says, “It usually takes about four days for books to come in.”  I tell her that it is not a problem as I need them in one week. (Last time I checked, that was seven days).  She shuffles through the list again and scowls, “Maybe I can get to one of these, but I can’t do them all.”  I stood there in shock, clearly this was not the answer I was expecting.  She continues on and says, ” I have to do 200 entries for the summer reading program and it has to be done in 3 days.”  At this time my head is spinning, she is making EXCUSES!!!!  She’s TOO BUSY!!  The best thing that runs through my mind is that it takes her 3 days to do 200 entries??  

Then she has the nerve to tell me that most of the books I need are at the main branch of the library.  I take this comment to mean “go there and get them yourself”.  I bite my tongue so that I don’t point out the obvious, and besides that if she really looked at the list I printed then she would see that most of the books I needed at that branch are already checked out. At this time I am ready to get out of there and far far away from this librarian.  I smile and tell her that I will go to the main branch tomorrow and thank her for her help.  In my mind I am thinking that there is no way I am going to the main branch if I can possibly help it, it could take me 2 hours to get there depending on traffic and I would have to pay for parking.  

I hold out my hand for my list but she doesn’t give it to me.  She’s now talking about how my list is unhelpful because some of the book titles run on to the next page.  I tell her again that I will get the books myself, in case she didn’t hear me the first time and I put my hand on the corner of my pages to indicate that I am ready to leave.  She still doesn’t let go.  Finally I have to tug the papers out of her hand, I am not leaving them with her, I need them too badly.  At last the papers are free and I flee the horrible cramped little library vowing never to return to that branch.  

If you are wondering if I got the books I needed or not rest assure that I did.  I went to three other libraries outside of the city library system but I got them.  After the horrible experience I had with the city branch I was definitely not going to use that library at all.