Now I really have seen it all

Customer wanders up to desk, says he has a problem getting his message to load. I go over to the computer, see that as always Facebook is way too advanced for our poor old computers, and suggest moving to a different one. He agrees, and I ask for his ticket.

He hands me a cigarette packet to which he's taped his library card keytag.

Medalman is back

And just when we thought he'd left the library for good. He's back, and droning as though he'd never been away... and normally I don't mind listening, I just paste a smile on and nod in the right places. But when there's a queue of people and he's just wittering about nothing...

I NEED that disengagement training we've been promised!

tweeting at tweeple in the twitterverse

Or something! Went to a fab seminar today run by the lovely Marieke Guy from UKOLN, about Web 2.0 and social networking in libraries, museums and archives. It was of personal as well as professional interest to me as I did my dissertation about Facebook and motivation to use it or not, and I wanted to see how the same principles could be applied to a library environment.

We were encouraged to use web 2.0 during the seminar as long as it didn't interfere with other people's learning and listening, which was both novel and relevant. However, the content was so interesting I didn't have time to pick up my phone till lunchtime, and even then I couldn't tweet because I was too busy networking with the other people there! Met a fellow crafter from Suffolk Council, which was unexpected and rather nice :)

So we learned a lot, and enjoyed it much more than normal courses, especially the hands on bit where Sarah and I opened delicious.com and the first entry was, ahem, interesting! I shall be following what we do in libraries with Web 2.0 technology with interest, I think there are certain aspects that we won't be able to use due to council policy and other issues, but there are certainly things I can see working very well if we apply them properly.

And now I'm here on my extra late shift (as in, two lates in a week, not working later than usual!) mulling over what was said and wondering how I can get delicious to work for me on the generic login we're now using on all five of our information points - I miss my Favourites lists, you see, I had them all personalised on my own login, but obviously can't do that now we all share a login out here. Suggestions on a postcard!

Walmart shoppers

Hilarious email from Sharon this morning with scary photos of the weird and wonderful people that shop in WalMart - we could so do our own version of some of the library customers!!

No FT, no comment

Man: Hi, I’d like an old copy of the Financial Times.


Me: Sure, which one?

Man: Oh, one day in December… hmm... (thinks for a moment) it’ll be a Monday (looks at me like I’m the one dithering)…oh, let’s go for the first Monday of December.

Is it just me, or is that not the most efficient way to start searching for something?

I got a question right on University Challenge!

I can't even remember the exact question, but it was something to do with an Essex town getting its name from a colouring - Cambridge & St Andrews got it wrong, but I knew it was Saffron Walden! :D

the greyhound man

The loveliest customer came in today, to check he'd understood correctly about the consequences and benefits of a magazine he subscribes to going online, and then we somehow strayed onto the topic of dogs, and ended up chatting about greyhounds for about half an hour! And he was so appreciative of the information I was able to give him about the magazine :) (Although despite it being my job to provide information, he actually gave me much more about adopting retired greyhounds than I gave him about his enquiry, lol!)

Healthy Living training this afternoon, it was very interesting but I had to pop out for a chocolate in the middle!!!

the usual suspects

The usual bunch of loud, irritating no-hopers are lurking around the library this evening - less of them than usual, but annoying me nonetheless!

On the plus side, one of my semi-regular, completely lovely customers has just come and thanked me for my help in finding a book (about the secrets of the millionaire's mind, hehe) which always makes it worth it :)

Have had some very odd enquiries today - the Bermuda Triangle, health leaflets in Urdu and do we do poetry lessons, among other things. The variety is definitely the main reason I love this job!

Passwords

Regular Creepy Customer: Hi, is my library password my date of birth as six numbers?

Me: Yep.

RCC: Thanks. So if I'm trying to buy a new numberplate, would the password be the same?

a kiss!

Haha, from a customer... I helped a lady set up her own email address, and wrote all the details down for her so she can get to it again rather than having to repeatedly set up email addresses each time she wants to send something to someone, as she had been doing... and then I gave her some information about the local courses for computer beginners. Just a standard enquiry really... and she was so pleased she flung her arms round me and kissed myself and a colleague, it was hilarious! But very sweet...