Library time

A slow day today. After a couple of hours at the Reference desk, I headed to the biography section to continue weeding - I'm currently in the Ds: Davis: Bette, Brad, Patti, and Varina.

After a while I heard a man speaking; I knew it was a cellphone (librarian's instinct). I headed over and said, "Sir, please take the conversation out to the lobby." He ignored me. I repeated my request; he still ignored me. I bent down to catch his eye and repeated my request. He said "I'm not talking, I'm just listening to this guy." I repeated my request. He said, "what about those three guys over there? Why don't you speak to them?" Three seniors, part of the gaggle who come in every day, read newspapers, and talk, often loudly, and often move, or are asked to move, to the back (where they were then).

I'd heard the old guys. They're always loud. But they were in the back, and they're regulars. We aren't going to tell them to shut up. They're taxpayers, and they're regulars.

This guy was being a pain. I told him cellphones aren't allowed in the library. He repeated his line, and kept talking. I told him "don't tell me how to do my job." We repeated that sequence, and I left.

He finished his conversation and went back to his table, just a few feet where I was weeding (now up to Debussy). I had an urge to say something to him, but didn't (an adult, and a librarian are two reasons to show restraint). I might've let a few books fall a little hard on the metal shelves and the cart as I did my weeding, but it certainly wasn't intentional.

A salad for lunch. A catnap, and back to work at Reference for two more slow hours. Did get one question about Thomas Hardy (at first I'd heard Thomas Harding, and couldn't find a thing about him). Many people, as did this young lady (probably a sophomore or frosh in college, I'd say) speak so very softly that I can't hear them well.

Finally I found literary criticism in a reference book, gave it to her, and as she read I found a haf dozen books of criticism and a couple of biographies of Thomas Hardy. Good recovery.