What a wonderful idea for caregivers of young children at this public library:

[demmiblue]

Link to tweet

[Thtwudbeme]

1. It's darling. Who is going to clean them after those darling babies are

gone?

Oh gosh! Sure hope they don't have leaky diapers/ are hungry and scream and bother others---

Think I am being mean? I AM a librarian, and there is no way in HELL I would deal with this.

I realize it's cute to folks that don't work in libraries.

[demmiblue]

2. Cute? No, I think of it as big helping hand to caregivers who don't have access...

to the internet who may need to find community services, job search/fill out applications, stay in touch with the outside world, print important documents, do schoolwork, etc.

I am sorry that you think all of that is "cute".

[Thtwudbeme]

6. And so may I assume that you are volunteering

at your local public library to assist with cleaning?

Librarians are already helping patrons with computer skills, printing important documents, and schoolwork.

We are not interested in cleaning up after toddlers.

Even YA and Children's librarians are not interested in this mess.

Sorry. I didn't get a masters to clean up toddler spit. IF I did, I would be a pre-K teacher.

[Doremus]

9. The librarians at our branch are happy to lend a hand in this changing world.

The modern library has undergone a metamorphosis in the last decade. At first it looked like librarians might be an antiquated concept, made less and less relevant with each new technological upgrade. Librarians were afraid their jobs were no longer needed and some systems collapsed or downsized.

Our county library system has survived and even thrived. The staff today is as large as it ever was, but they're not finding books for patrons anymore or reshelving them when they come back. They're taking orders for and handing out free Covid 19 test kits. They're distributing free lunches to school kids during lockdowns. If our branch had any of these work stations I feel confident that our county librarians would realize the important community service they provide and chip in to do their part, no chips on their shoulders.

It's about community. Just like the taxes that pay their salaries and the levies that members of the community keep volunteering to pay.

[Thtwudbeme]

10. Let me make myself clear here:

The other librarian and myself responding hold terminal graduate degrees. Both of us have been around for a very long time in libraries.
We are very well of the challenges facing public perceptions of our jobs.

We do NOT, nor have we ever----- read that again--- "check out and shelve books."

We are all about patron services- ALL of us go above and beyond every single minute of every single day.

Are we happy about Covid tests and passing out lunches? FUCK NO- we are busy. I haven't had a lunch at work since August of last year. I come home so damned tired that I can't even get my resume updated.

There are MANY "public servants paid by tax money." What others do you want to be cheerful about doing their jobs, helping patrons find materials, assisting with computers (oh, and let me tell you- the ones that are watching porn and jerking off are the MOST fun), looking at books that people have destroyed by spilling crap on them, or having their cats hock hairballs on them--- making sure people that are looking for "a good mystery" feel safe in all of the above....

AND now? People like you want us to be perky about having to clean cribs?

Take a good look at what you wrote....your attitude is the reason people are quitting jobs in droves. I am not a babysitter- regardless of anyone else's position in life.

[XanaDUer2]

12. To me, the issues

Are, hidden impacts of ideas, etc, on library staff.

Let's take toddler toys. My library had many toddler toys, which would end up with toddlers' saliva on them daily. There was one YA staff member. Severe understaffing, which is common in libraries. Everyday, the one YA worker, non-librarian, had to wipe down and sanitize all the toddler toys. On top of all her other work duties. I mean, yay! Toddler toys are offered. But there are behind-the-scenes impacts not seen by the public. Washing dirty puppets is another example.

Having helped god-knows-how-many patrons deal with myriad life issues, I feel safe to say they got their tax money back in my selfless service. And my dedicated coworkers'.

[obamanut2012]

25. Three of us here -- I 100% agree with you two

In what other fucking PROFESSION are professionals expected to do this shit? Is it because we are mainly women, or what??? Go into an attorney's office with this, or a CPA's office, or a police station.

It drives me nuts, and see? WE are the ones not wanting to do even more fucking scut work while our salary is stagnant, we have budget cuts cutting staff and colelctions to the bone, but hey! here's something else you can do!!!!!!! And, yOu HaTe ThE pUbLiCC and bAbIeS if you don't smile, stfu and do it.

Fuck this.

LIke you, I am so fucking tired of the checkout and shelve books, you get to read all day.

wtaf

[XanaDUer2]

34. Yes, exactly

Nt

[FSogol]

21. Doesn't the library have a separate janitorial staff? I've been in my local branch

at closing time and the librarian staff and volunteers aren't doing cleaning. A janitorial crew shows up to vacuum, dust, empty trash cans, and clean the restrooms.

[XanaDUer2]

36. Ours was just there before opening

Once they left, staff were on their own. You could call for a really bad mess-numerous times tons of shit were spread on walls , etc- but janitorial staff were short staffed. Then you shut the bathroom down.

[obamanut2012]

24. So, you think understaffed, underpaid library staff should clean these things?

Yeah, no, but that's who will. And, people will put their fucking trash in there, too.

[XanaDUer2]

4. My former library was converted from a store

The PC area was tight; patrons on top of each other. One rule was no large bags (good rule). I could see some large-bag bearers arguing that that takes up more room than a large bag.

There were a lot of arguments like that

[Demovictory9]

31. I posted this a few days ago. Dog owner is passed out. Dog attacks library guards

who are determining if patron needs Narcan

[XanaDUer2]

33. Yeah, that's what goes on

My former library ( I quit in disgust- 35 yrs in the field), was a badly-run cluster fuck. I was lucky to work in well-run, organized libraries with appropriate boundaries previously.

"Emotional Comfort Animals" were a real problem. One group was handing a Chihuahua around and coming in with it, different owners. It was growling and snapping at circ staff. ECA aren't really a thing. But, our library was constantly worried about being sued by everyone but the staff. No union.

[XanaDUer2]

5. You know the library staff will be cleaning it

They had to put a washer and dryer into the new library.

[Thtwudbeme]

7. oh gross. No, just effing no.

I am so damned tired of the public's perception of everything we do.

That's disgusting.

[XanaDUer2]

8. More than once I donned the latex gloves

To scrub shit off a computer chair.

[obamanut2012]

26. Trash will be thrwon in it

Dogs will be put in it. And, "I need to put my bebe in here, and there is dried puke, clean it!!!!!!!" "My bebe's diaper leaned liquid bebe poo all over. hahhahahah am going now, have fun cleaning biohazards!!!!!"

[XanaDUer2]

30. We had a mad-diarrhea woman last year

She'd walk around spreading shit all over the building. Worse in the ladies' room. The branchead had to have that "difficult" conversation with her. She was so sorry, she had diarrhea, yadda ya.

This was during a pandemic when cleanliness was paramount. She finally got banned. We all took turns scrubbing her shit off chairs. She was awful, too. As a female-dominated career, there's a lot of sex ism in the field. Like, women get to clean up shit.

[obamanut2012]

23. My exact first thought

Who will clean these? Who will sanitize these? The underpaid, understaffed library staff, of course.

I agree with you 100%.

[XanaDUer2]

3. As a long-time librarian

Any add-on like this means more work for overstretched, understaffed library staff.

[Thtwudbeme]

11. People here really don't "get it."

They don't.

As goddess as my witness- read the above about "their jobs are no longer about helping people find books, and then reshelving them."

I wish I could just quit.

And everyone here wonders why Americans are so dumbed down. Maybe because the librarians are busy doing stupid shit--- like cleaning cribs.

[Doremus]

13. By all means, educate me.

I'm not privy to the "back room" routines at our branch but I'm present upfront and see what our people are involved in.

Please tell me about the typical day in your work life that has you at your wit's end. Genuine question.

[Thtwudbeme]

14. Are you a librarian or a patron?

I have no idea where you are coming from...particularly since you felt comfortable explaining the challenges of the job to me.

[Doremus]

15. I'm a frequent user.

Sorry you interpreted my post as derogatory towards you, though it was meant to hopefully present an alternate perspective. I'm genuinely curious what in your daily work routine has you so exasperated. Please share.

[Thtwudbeme]

16. I am a member of several professional organizations and the majority

of my friends are librarians- public, special, university and school libraries. Pardon me, but I have plenty of "perspective."

Many of them have quit- and mostly due to the perception that there WERE days when librarians "helped patrons find books, and then reshelved them." It is due to that widely held attitude that librarians have to constantly tell people what we do, and worse- the idiots that are also "supported by your tax dollars" also think that's what we do- Read, find and shelve books.

Do you think one would require a master's to do that?

Read the thread about "what did we do before "google." Then read the numerous, daily threads about Qanon followers, FAUX news viewers, etc. What's the one big thing these people have in common?

In addition to selecting books for the collection (which takes hours- you should see the 5 page collection development plan I am working on right now that is required by the county)-- reading book reviews, staying relevant in all genres of fiction, and knowing what materials are relevant to all fields of study- we also constantly assess which electronic publications and databases are used on a daily basis. ALL of those cost money- and we have budgets that we must attend to.

All of those new books AND electronic publications must be cataloged according to strict rules. An e-book, or new journal entry isn't going to be good if it cannot be found. There is much more to cataloging than assigning a Dewey number. Even copy cataloging takes time.

During all of this, we all have "desk duty" to answer questions ranging from "Is there a sequel to Jurassic Park," "Where are the tax forms for people who are living together but not married that jointly own a house" to "my friend read a great book last year that was about a lady who adopted a dog."

Then- fun times- someone decided it would be oh so cool! if the kiddos that accompany adults to the library have toys.

Those toys have to be cleaned.

Covid tests: Do you think we were trained in how to handle Covid tests, or people coughing on us? We are not nurses.

Free lunches: Since when did a place of work and study become a cafeteria?

And now- cribs? You want us to monitor the cleanliness of cribs?

We already were relevant- you as a user should have known that. Your books didn't come with a call number assigned, nor a spine label attached. Those "free databases" you use are not free by any stretch of the imagination. Those computers do not fix themselves- nor do we expect patrons to know how to use them.

So- no- librarians have to draw a line somewhere. I can't be your crib-cleaner and get your great new books to you while serving lunch and writing reports for the county bean counters. Sorry.

And yes- your response was so condescending that I handed my tablet to my husband and said, "there is no way I am going to make it 7 more years." Your friendly local librarians are drowning in the public perception of "you are a servant and must be cheerful at all times." And we are quitting in droves.

[Doremus]

20. Thank you for the lengthy reply

To summarize:

1. Select books for the collection after reading book reviews
2. Same with electronic publications
3. Catalog the acquisitions.
4. Answer questions during desk duty
5. Other duties as required

Looks like a reasonable job description to me. Do you realize how many Americans have had to adapt to changing demands in their jobs? Your bitterness is apparent. It makes you appear smug and entitled, quite frankly. While reading I caught myself thinking “okay, boomer,” and I say that as a 67yo boomer. For your own mental health and well-being, you may want to explore early retirement or other job opportunities.

[drmeow]

22. As the daughter of a librarian

I find this response to be remarkably tone deaf.

[obamanut2012]

29. YOu ahve no idea what we do

This is so tone deaf and insulting it makes me literally feel sick.

[niyad]

39. I am just going to jump in here, not as a Librarian (I kiss the very ground they

trod), but as a regular patron of a truly wonderful branch of our local system. You want to know what they do all day (besides reading, of course)? My local staff are busy all day. dealing with the unhoused who hang out at the library, trying to bring in their backpacks, bedrolls, joints and cigarettes. Making sure no drug deals go down (I have spotted a few myself). Stopping fights. An occasional medical emergency. Dealing with the mentally unstable. Answering endless phone calls, helping computer-illiterate people, giving directions, explaining why there is no public phone, straightening up after the slobs, reminding the rude that their loud phone calls and music and personal conversations need to go outside. Reminding patrons that this is not a restaurant. Dealing with the flipped out who needed a piece of material yesterday, which they had not bothered to reserve.

Then, just maybe, they can help one find a book, or cd, or dvd,DVD, check it out for one. Maybe locate material through ILL.

And through all of this, they manage to be professional, courteous, and pleasant. I ADORE my librarians, they are truly amazing.

[obamanut2012]

28. I am so sick of it

I cannot retire for ten years, either.

They just cut our collections budget by 17%. And, no raise for over five years now. Vacant positions will not be filled until July 1.

[XanaDUer2]

32. Like nursing

It's a female,,-dominated profession that has to be experienced to get.

I posted the toddler-toy example. Here's one my former library's examples: patron lockers for the homeless. Sounds good, right? Library staff do a hell of a lot for homeless patrons. But, what about storing contraband in them. We had a lot of addicts. Who was going to handle assigning the lockers? We could barely staff the service desks, so short-staffed. What about the fights that were going to break out over lockers? More shit for staff to handle. Abandoned property. The list went on. Decided lockers were a non starter for our library.

The courtesy phone causes all sorts of problems, never mind lockers

[niyad]

42. Hugggggs.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

17. lol this fuckin thread

[Thtwudbeme]

18. Glad you are finding it funny

I actually already have a stomachache dreading work tomorrow. But, yeah- I just read books and shelve them.

Have a good evening.

[niyad]

40. Huggggggs.

[XanaDUer2]

19. Workers' struggles aren't funny nt

[niyad]

41. Hugggggggs.

[Demovictory9]

27. wow...that's great

[Piasladic]

35. Thank goodness for librarians

They are by far some of the hardest working people at my college. I especially appreciate the curating and how they stay updated on new offerings. Thank you.

[XanaDUer2]

37. Thank you

[underpants]

38. Kicking 'cause I duped it.