fishbowl

today, our circ head had a mini meeting with us all at the desk as we were switching shifts. first, she asked us not to use the internet (unless it is to help a patron) while we are on the desk. this came about because the other day, the children's librarian mentioned the Hitler's cats website and most of the staff rushed to get online. i already knew about it so i stepped away. i totally understand why she has asked us to refrain for surfing. it is not professional. besides, we can go into any back room and check out the sites on a computer away from the public or pick any computer on the floor during our breaks.

in the last library where i worked, the director always told us that we work in a fishbowl. even when we think no one is watching us, they are. it is amazing what the patrons pick up on and just how much they DO watch us. we can have fun on the desk, and we do a lot of laughing (when one or another of us isn't pissed at someone) but we are always professional...or try to be.

i hate to sound like a PATRON, but the public does pay our salary. we are paid with tax dollars. this does not mean we have to take abuse and bullshit, but it does mean that we have to act, dress and deal with the public in a professional manner...or what i call casual/ professional.

one of our patrons was the govenor of our state. if he caught me giggling over a website (ie JibJab), i would have died of embarrassment.

the other thing she mentioned was something she made up off the top of her head...the 20 second rule. this was made up for one particular circworker, the-know-it-all. basically, we should try to wait on a patron within 20 seconds (which is an AWFULLY long time, really). that one circworker would walk away from waiting patrons if she were doing a project and let someone else deal with the patron without a second thought. it has pissed a few of us off, especially since we drop our own projects or whatever we are carting off, to help that patron. let's see if she 'gets the message'.

although we have a dress code, we all dress casually and comfortably. jeans only on saturdays but we can wear jean skirts any day. the one rule i objected to was the 'no thong sandals' rule. i had some really cool and costly thong sandals. the director explained that it would appear to be too much like beachwear and winked. oh. i got it. a certain employee wore 99 cent flip-flops to work and yes, i cringed every time i saw them. still, we can wear non-thong sandals but someone has to tell the know-it-all that those plastic Adidas velcro pieces of shit on her feet are NOT appropriate. and they are GOD UGLY!

i am the sort of person who likes order and some rules to work around. so i can't wear jeans on a monday. is that really so important? nope. i don't feel restricted at all in what i say or do. i don't feel limited in what i can wear and i sure as hell do not need to check stuff-on-my-cat every 20 seconds. i have a computer at HOME for that.

the only thing i would like to be able to do on the desk is crochet, but the boss won't go for it.