Beginnings

So today I slinked back into the Library to start a new year of working and freezing my butt off in those slightly noisy silenced halls.

I have no idea why, but whenever I work at a place I am less likely to return there in my off time. It’s not like I mind working at the Library, compared to some other places I work. Sure, I am forced to interact with people but I’m getting better at it, and the beauty of the Library is that if I can’t find a book for a patron I can forward them on to the reference librarian. It’s not the same as a customer demanding chocolate soft-serve ice cream when we don’t serve it, never have, while the customer insists that we did last week (Contrary to work posters everywhere, the customer is not always right. The customer can be very, very, wrong, but you must tell them this in a diplomatic fashion).

My first task of the new school year is to sit at the circulation desk and batter down any questions coming my way. Some people wander into the Library quite by accident; I’ve had at least one person come in looking for the bookstore. The good people of the Library have switched up some things in my absence over the summer; the DVDs sprawl over most of the shelves directly behind the circulation desk and I just discovered that the Lost & Found drawer has moved. Apparently we no longer have a 4-day stamp, but DVDs now loan for a week rather than four days. I wonder if this will change once the semester begins and we’re actually open 7 days a week.

Today is the day to enjoy the job; once school actually starts there will be more lost souls wandering in, looking for ID validations or classrooms or the bookstore. I have not been permitted by the higher powers to install a pit trap in front of the desk for the really intractable sort of customer (see paragraph 2), which will be bound to crop up. I should keep track of percentages, but I’m too lazy to do so.

Now suddenly there's a line.Of people. Dammit. And the other person on desk is steadfastly ignoring them.

‘Ello, School Year.