Tisket a Tasket your Grandmother's Casket

A teenage boy and his mom come into the library looking for information on how to build a CASKET...aka...coffin...

You would not believe how many Internet sites there are about DIY funerals. http://www.deathonline.net/what_happens/body/diy_funerals.cfm

It boggles the mind.... Here's some fun facts:

A typical funeral costs $5,000, not including burial plot and tombstone.

Cremation usually costs $700, including the required casket.

Only Eight states in the U.S. require the services of an undertaker.

Ramsey Creek Preserve in Westminster, South Carolina is the home of the Nation's first all-natural DIY cemetary were your loved one must be buried in a biodegradable casket and embalming is not permitted.

There's a man named Out-house Charlie who makes DIY coffin kits that range anywhere from $800 - $3,500.

Hot Dogs

As Summer is in full swing at the SoCal Library, some stupid library patrons feel it's totally acceptable to leave their dogs in their cars. For those careless and ignorant people I say only this - We are on the look out for you and your evil ways. I am always amazed at how incredibly heartless some animal owners can be when it comes to their pets. So far we have had several people leave their dogs in their cars on a hot day. A couple of weeks ago we found a small dog in a dog carrier in a black truck with the windows shut. Our new unwritten policy is simple and swift. We will not look for the individuals whose pet is trapped gasping for air in the 120+ degree heat. Oh no, we're going to call the police and have them out here asap. All but a few of our staff are petless. All of the staff are pissed. Make no mistake Stupid Library Patrons we are out to get you.

Excuses, Excuses

Would you be able to get money out of an ATM with out your ATM card?

Use your credit card at Home Depot with just giving the clerk your full name?

Would you drive with out a license?

Then why would you go to a library and borrow anywhere from $25.00 - $300.00 worth of library materials and not have any identification at all. It boggles the freakn' mind.

Patrons give all kinds of excuses for not bringing their library cards to the library. These excuses usually are:

"I left my card at home"

"I left my card in my other bag"

"I gave my card to my spawn"

Then they stare at the staff blankly like " What are you going to do about it?"

One of my coworkers came upon a new and utterly original excuse last week.

A female patron walks in to use the computer but she doesn't have her library card. She proceeds to explain to my coworker that she was walking down Holt Blvd (Which indicates the good possibilty that she's a prostitute) when she was hit by a car. At which time her purse with all of her identification was lost. This story gets a little weirder when the lady pulls up her leg, takes off her shoe and shows her captive audience her two missing toes as proof of her story.

Elle and her ascent into Library Hell

I've worked a few libraries in my time. I've worked in a school library, a public library and a county library system in several different branches. All have been run differently. In some cases the whole dynamic is just different. Sometimes this is a good thing. Sometimes it's a bad thing - it depends I guess on the situation and how you look at it. My current place of employment so far is my best fit. Sure there are aspects of my library I don't care for but all in all it is wonder-freakin'-ful. Of course I've had all sorts of bosses - the great networker but ineffectual manager, the militant you can do no right boss, the alcohol depentant abusive boss, the let's walk in the front door and out the back door but get paid for the day boss, etc... thankfully none of these shining examples are my current boss. All have taught me something - whether I've wanted the knowledge or not. So far I've never had it so good. However there are those courageous few who leave Socal library in search of timely advancement with better pay. Case in point- Elle. Way overqualified to be a page Elle applied to Focal Library when they had a Library Assistant position available. Of course being extremely smart, personable and qualified in the exreme Elle was snapped up by the Focal Branch Library.. That is when the trouble started.



From what I understand Focal has a new large staff of which many have no library experience. I'm talking NO LIBRARY experience - one employee's last position was at Target. Not that Target is a bad place to work but I don't think they cover Dewey do they? I gather that the current experienced staff don't give a rat's ass about the new staff much less training said new staff. I believe this is due to bad blood betwixt the new branch manager (promoted) and the old branch manager (demoted) . It does not help that the old branch manager works under the new branch manager. Good God even I could see this comming. What was personnel thinking? From long time personal experience I know the new branch manager is a one of those "great networkers but ineffectual managers" that is treated differently by the management due to the fact that he is fair of face and has that extra appendage. As a result the library has no real leadership. As a result the stacks are an unmitigated disater and the library smells of urine.