ME: Can I help you?
LADY PATRON: I had
ordered a book on interlibrary loan a while back, but I haven't heard
anything about it yet. I know you guys said it takes 7 to 10 days, but
it's nearly been ten and I haven't heard. Is it in yet? My name is LADY
PATRON.
ME: (Reaching for the ILL'S WAITING TO RECEIVE [BY AUTHOR] accordion folder) Let me check. What's the title?
PATRON: I don't know.
ME: You don't know?
PATRON: No. Sorry, I don't.
ME: (Fighting to keep from sighing loudly in her face)
Uh, well, that's gonna make finding whether it's in a little
problematic. See, we have our interlibrary loans sorted by author. I can look up the
author in the computer, but I have to have a title first.
PATRON: I'm sorry. I didn't write it down.
ME: (Thinking
that maybe it was a generic subject request, in which case it would
likely be listed under the subject even in our Author's sorted folder) Well, what was it about?
PATRON: Egypt.
ME: (Checks incoming holds shelf for books about Egypt. It is free of them. Starts to check ILL folder under E)
PATRON: It's just that it should have been here by now and no one called me. I mean, it's been ten days.
ME: Well, we do say that it usually takes 7 to 10 days, but it can always be longer.
PATRON: Why?
ME: Well,
if the book is checked out to someone at the library we're borrowing it
from, they have to wait for it to come back before they can send it to
us.
PATRON: (Stares at me blankly as though she doesn't understand what I've just said.)
ME: (Admittedly getting snotty)
See, we're borrowing the book from another library. If the book is
checked out, that library can't rightly send it to us until it's
returned.
PATRON: Yes, I realize that, but... (Gives me an odd look suggesting she's not sure she wants to open the can she's about to) I mean, I've ordered books like this before and no one ever called me. You guys... you guys don't really have time to call everybody, do you? (This last was said as a skeptical statement, not a question.)
ME: No... Yes. Yes, we have time and we do call everyone. (Which reminded me, I still hadn't called any of my holds yet) We do call all
the patrons waiting for books and we don't give up until we're able to
leave a message or talk to the patron themselves. I don't know why you
weren't called before.
(At this point, she gives me
another skeptical look and I realize that to her untrained eye it looks
as though I'm trying to cover my butt in the face of accusation. I am,
but justifiably so. This being the case, I decide to go above and beyond
what should be expected of me to help her out. It's an act of good
faith toward our future ILL-patron/library relationship. I open our
WAITING TO RECEIVE folder and pull out all the A through B ILL slips. I
will now search through the ENTIRE folder with over 100 ILLs just to
find her frickin' ILL slip so I can tell her the title of the book SHE
requested and if we're still waiting for it.)
ME: (Looking down at the VERY FIRST slip in the folder) Wait a sec, you said your name was LADY PATRON right?
PATRON: Yes.
ME: Ah ha! Here it is, then. Ancient Egypt.
PATRON: (Smiling) Yes. That sounds right. Is it in?
ME: No. We're still waiting for it. But we'll call you when it comes in.
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