Some of you will have seen this on the TLA listserv, but after the
negative comments discussion, I thought maybe some humor might be
appreciated. Remember -- laughter is a great way of venting also, so if
any of these are sore spots, choose to chuckle not complain and know
that there are folks who understand.
Starting with a shelving humor story from me:
We had a couple of volunteers come in earlier this week to help in the
library. We asked them to help shelve books. They stayed about 15
minutes before leaving. Oh well......
My original post on this was:
Just for fun.....
As I was working on shelving books and looking for missing titles
today, I was thinking along the following lines:
If I had a nickel for every....., I'd be rich:
>book shoved in around another book
>book that had to be retrieved from behind or under a shelf
>book I had to turn around so the spine showed instead of the pages
>book I had to turn over so the spine label was right side up
>book I pulled out of the wrong location despite use of shelf markers
>kid that was nicely holding shelf marker in hand but not actually
using it while they looked for a book
>book that was turned in by child after they assured me they had
already turned it in
What would you add?
Here are the additions:
time I told a young child the book they were holding wasn't Spanish!
Comment: Last year a student worked off payment for a book. I had him
face the
shelf each day. At the end of the time he told me he would NEVER push
books back again, nor put the spines inside.
Shelf marker that was used as a sword
Child that tried to "help" me by pushing the books to the back of the
shelf.
Oh, but I AM rich every time.....
a students' face lights up over the book I found for them
a teacher is amazed that I can find that information for them so
quickly
all 25 students in the class want the book I just booktalked
I can't keep the Bluebonnets [award books} on the shelf.........
Comment:...my fave is the kid dutifully holding the shelf marker while
looking for books!
I never checked the book out. Paid for it and them returned it next
year
for a refund.
>student who asked, "Which printer do I print to?" in spite of the fact
that it is plastered in signs on every surface and is in fact called
"Stone Library Printer" (!)
* every child that turns in a book they swear they never checked
out
For every teacher that runs in looking for a book to use in 5 minutes
and then they are mad when it is checked out
If I had a nickel for every time I have to pull books to the front of
the shelf, because some "helpful" student pushes them toward the
back.....I could retire early!
Another "money maker" in my library would be.....I inherited a
"Career"
section that is on a separate shelf. Each one of the books has a cute
genre sticker saying "Career." But when I straighten shelves, I find
them mixed in with the regular non-fiction, although I have explained
the concept to my student helpers over and over and over and over
and.....
Same thing with books that belong in our Professional Collection....
Kid that asked where "that book I had last week" is
Kid that asked "Has somebody turned in a book? (meaning the book that
they've lost)
Parent that asked "How could my child have lost a book? S/he's never
set
foot in a library."
>books the kindergartners put back on the shelves after checking them
out because they'd changed theyir minds.
Every time I heard "I didn't check that book out."
Every time I heard "where are the ghost books?".............I'd be a
millionaire!
For every book I opened and out fell crumbs, bookmarks, etc. and the
child said, "I didn't do that."
Or that book that was placed horizontally, above the books shelved.
I'd add things teachers ask, too. Like what's the number for Texas
videos (from a 30+ yr Texas history teacher)
How about :
book that shows as missing or overdue but student claims he/she "never
checked out that book"
> shelf markers used as mock swords and every time I have said, "They
are tools, not toys."
> clean away candy wrappers from behind the books
> pulling the books to the edge of the shelf
> scattering the boys away from the "health" books
If I had a nickel for every time a student asked to "rent" a book
instead of check it out...
for every teacher who said, "Gee i wish i could be librarian and read
(or use the computer) all day"
for every administrator who said, "Just lock the library because we
really need a sub"
for every student who makes me glad to be a librarian and an educator!
:-)
for every student whose mom was going to send the money for the
book/fine tomorrow
Every time I had to tell a student where the dinosaur, monster truck,
I
Spy books... are located.
>student who asked, "Where are the scary books?"
>students in grades 2 and 3 who still give the sound of the letter
instead of its name
time I said it's too noisy in here
· Time a student asked for the "red" book
· Time a librarian could actually find the "red" book in
question
Here are some more to add to your list:
If I had a nickel:
>every time a student asks for the pink book they checked out last
year.
>every time a student says they returned a library book only to go
back
to their classroom and return with it 10 minutes later.
>every time a student left a book in the library that they had
checked
out and returned the next day asking where it is.
>every time a teacher can not find a book they checked out.
* Can I have one of those books out of your office? (my secret
stash!)
* Why won't my computer print?
* I need a new ID
* I forgot my password
"Where are the scary stories?" (Come on, Alvin, do some more books
with Gammell illustrations!)
..every chair I pushed in
...every outside (not library door) I closed
...sticky bookcover I cleaned
..every book support I had to adjust
..every oversize art book I had to straighten
..every piece of paper I find AND RECYCLE
..happy face I see when a new book catches an eye!!!!
I wish I had a nickel for:
Every time adults rearrange the furniture in my library and then don't
put it back.
Every time a teacher prints something to the network printers in the
library, then never comes to pick it up.
On the positive side:
Every time a kindergartener does the silent index or pinkie wave to
say
hello without talking in line in the hallway.
However, kinder kids are exactly the WRONG height to give you a
running
frontal hug if you're male. You have to catch it on your thigh. I'll
collect my nickels...as soon as I can get up off the floor. :P
Haven't we all heard/experienced every one of these! I even made a
couple of posters last Spring -- one with the top ten best
excuses for lost library books and another that suggests places to look
for lost books after there was a similar discussion on the listserv.
These were great
and we can all relate. : ) From Betsy: I will have to look in the
archives for those two discussions, sounds good.
Every time I was called the Library Lady or Mrs. Librarian!
Betsy Ruffin
librarian-technologist
Cleburne ISD
Cleburne, TX
I will check spam filters for replies.
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