15 points
Work is So Strange by Odette
January 2nd, 2008 11:41 AM
I work at a public library, and so that definitely means weird stuff will happen. The strangest thing recently? Well, I'm shelving books, and a patron comes up to me. Technically, I'm not supposed to tell patrons where books are, and I'm just supposed to tell them to go to the reference librarian, but (in my opinion), pages (the ones who shelve the books) are actually the ones who know the most about them, so I offer help when I can. At any rate, the woman wants to know where the how to books are. I look at her, mind trying to figure out what she actually means. I can't. So I ask, "How to books about what?" She is, however, unable to expand upon what she means by "how to" books. She just wants general how to books, apparently. (How to Live Life?) I inform her that there isn't just one section for how to books. They're shelved according to what they're actually teaching you. She isn't too happy with this development. So then I direct her to the reference librarian. Who asks her the exact same questions. And gives her the exact same answers. Very efficient, i think.
Sometimes it is hard to help people. Especially when they think they know what they want.