Friday, August 06, 2004

The Return of Conspiracy Guy

As is usually the case, once I blog about a long lost "liberry" rogue who hasn't been in to see us in months and/or years, they magically turn up.

Yesterday, Conspiracy Guy popped in for a visit. He didn't use a computer but was in to research something mundane and non-conspiracy related.

Once he'd found the book he wanted and had brought it to the circ desk, it fell to Mrs. B to break the news that he would need a new "liberry" card. Though neither of us spoke about it until after Conspiracy Guy had left, both Mrs. B and I knew that he would be none too keen on getting a new card, particularly after he saw the Drivers License and Middle Name blanks that are now required information. He asked if they really were required .  When Mrs. B said, yes, he decided that he would rather just take the book upstairs and make notes from it. So no card for Conspiracy Guy, but at least there wasn't a screaming fit either.

Can't say the same for another disgruntled patron who, Mrs. C reports, became very angry when he learned he would (*GASP*) have to bring his card in if he wanted to check out a book. Never mind that we TOLD HIM that when he first signed up for the card.  So he didn't have his card on him but didn't want to leave without his book either and was prepared to get quite huffy about it. Mrs. C said that she could verify his patron record if she could see his driver's license number and he reluctantly let her do this. Then, after he had already gotten his way, he kept right on ranting, threatened to call our superiors and demanded to know the names of our board of directors so he could complain to them. Mrs. C told him that it would do no good to complain to the board of directors since they have nothing to do with it. This was a policy created by our particular "liberry" network and not a local one. Mr. Cranky still wanted to know the "liberry" commission's phone number so he could register his ire with them, so Mrs. C handed it over, too.

I'm glad I wasn't there. I don't know how I would have handled that. I'm finding my patience with cranky patrons is pretty thin these days.

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An employee of a small town "liberry" chronicles his quest to remain sane while dealing with patrons who could star in a short-lived David Lynch television series.