OMG. Ew.

[quidditchgrrl]

Had my first truly barf-worthy moment tonight...reaching into the book drop, I pulled out a book that was slimy with snot. It was all over my hand and sticky and .... ew. I had to take small breaths and force myself not to throw up as I wiped it off and went to wash my hands.

It's not the worst thing I've ever touched at the library - once a guy brought in videos in a grocery sack (hmmm, wonder). The sack had been used before - as a vomit receptacle for one of his brats kids. That time I barely made it to the back room before losing my dinner.

For anyone who thinks working at the library is a nice, calm, relaxing, clean job, no. Just. no.

It is a great birth control device though. A few days of spacey stay-at-home moms, storytimes, and snot-covered books is enough to induce a demand for tubal ligation.

Comments

[water-witch.livejournal.com]

Hmm I told you about my Bro in Law who works in libraries. His staff had threats of violence following a gang fight at one of the places he looks after. Chucking out down and outs and winos is another big thing on their agenda. So I know working in libraries isn't necessarily a bed of roses. Story Time, Eww! Other people's kids.

[themuddyhare.livejournal.com]

does your bil live in phoenix? i hate going to the main library there. crazy homeless people panhandling outside. one time i took water and food to give them and one of them said he didn't want it (it was prepackaged and unopened). i wonder what they do inside the library though, and feel sorry for the people who have to deal with it every day.

[water-witch.livejournal.com]

No I'm from England but it sounds like it might be pretty much the same in some parts as Phoenix. Homeless people are actually quite a big issue in the cities over here and I suppose they just go into the libraries during the day because the buidings are heated.

[quidditchgrrl.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and there's free internet access here, so they can surf the net, read the newspapers and magazines, and stay warm/cool/dry during the day. I don't begrudge them that, so long as they stay out of trouble, don't panhandle, etc.

Strangely, it's the older, wealthier contingent that creates the most problems with us.

[themuddyhare.livejournal.com]

ya know, it never occurred to me that people do anything worse to library books than mark in them or the occasional spill. though i got a book once that had a pube in it. and it was a sex book. now, i'm afraid to ever check out another book.

that's just awful! i couldn't imagine.

[quidditchgrrl.livejournal.com]

Dude, ew, pubes. The scariest thing is to find them sticking out of children's picture books. *shudders*

[jennlee2.livejournal.com]

I have a friend that works in a library in Las Vegas and she's got some similarly gross stories to tell. I remember in particular the one about the guy demanding that it was his right to use the library's computer for porn.

[quidditchgrrl.livejournal.com]

Yeah - we have a guy currently appealing his right to go barefoot - those kinds of things seem to be pretty common in the public library sector. It must be the ink fumes or something. :-)

[themuddyhare.livejournal.com]

hee! i once got bitched out by a librarian for walking around in socks. i'm sure there are rules. just i didn't see them posted anywhere and she was kind of not very tactful. i couldn't imagine making it a big legal battle, though.