Miss Information is annoyed by the disgruntled
The patron announces that she prays for the library every night. That's just so touching...but wait, it turns out the woman is merely praying that bad things happen to the library staff. Miss Information is no expert, but that doesn't seem very spiritual to her. And besides, they already have to work here, so some supernatural being is obviously taking revenge for something already and the woman needn't bother.It turns out that the library had provoked the wrath of this woman and the gods themselves by unreasonably requesting that she return her books in a timely fashion. It had all started several months ago when the patron insisted that she had brought those books back, but they had somehow not been discharged from her record and were not to be found anywhere in the library. Then a miracle occurred. Several of the books were dropped off in the library book drop, by an "angel" the customer insisted.
Miss Information is going right home to dust off her copy of Wings of Desire. She just loves the part where the angel flies around Berlin returning overdue library books.
Alas, this woman's angel had neglected to pay the outstanding fines owing on the books. No pockets, Miss Information assumes and a backpack would get in the way of the wings. A clutch bag seems a good alternative, but what if you were suddenly called upon to dance on the head of a pin or play the harp?
At any rate the library wanted its money and the woman opted for divine intervention.
Well, at least all she did was pray for the library's misfortune, another overachieving patron took matters into his (or her) own hands, so to speak by trashing one of the library offices and using it as a toilet. Nice. Miss Information agrees that the public washrooms are indeed terrifying, but she would suggest a strongly worded letter of complaint.
If that doesn't work out, there's always the power of prayer.
5 Comments:
Oh wow. This story just made my day. It makes me feel better about my library.
I do believe that Miss Information has neglected to mention the Library God's ultra-secret weapon--the avenging Angel of Death who visits all that would cast aspersions upon the caretakers of accumulated wisdom...or deign to defile public places of contemplation save for a triffling mephitis that may reside. A pox! A pox upon the disgruntled! May they feel the bookend of the Angel of Death.
I do believe that Miss Information has neglected to mention the Library God's ultra-secret weapon--the avenging Angel of Death who visits all that would cast aspersions upon the caretakers of accumulated wisdom...or deign to defile public places of contemplation save for a trifling mephitis that may reside. A pox! A pox upon the disgruntled! May they feel the bookend of the Angel of Death.
Miss Information,
Upon reading your horrible encounter with this obviously Catholic woman, this Anonymous poster realizes that she is MOST glad that she does not work in her library anymore.
Being a teenager, and needing community service (though what has my community done for me, by forcing me to work with those who constantly stink of urine?), I was forced to volunteer at the children's section. Also being a teenager, my temper is godawful.
I do believe if I worked for the amount of time you have, and with the people you have, I would have turned into a 16 year-old girl version of the Unabomber.
This 16 Year-Old Library Veteran wishes you the very best, and will tell her peers to stop hounding the well dressed woman for copies of the Kama Sutra.
Sincerely,
Karissa
Miss Information,
I do hope that you have not succumbed to the prayers of the evil patron you encountered. Please update us soon so that we will know you are ok.
Your Faithful Reader & Fellow Librarian,
Jaime
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