Re: [LM_NET] Ive been smioked too, but...

[Liz Frame <fourefs@SBCGLOBAL.NET>]

The one thing I try to remember during those occasional tirades is that it is 
almost always not about me, or the book, or the school, or even the child. It is 
probably about a lousy job, terrible traffic, cheating spouse, financial 
difficulty, or aging parents. Unless the parent is a rageaholic (met them, don't 
want to be them), they've just made a poor choice based on incomplete information.
 
I tell them it could very well be on the shelves, I describe the book, I show where 
it would be, and about 2 times a year, it's there, just like they say. Out of 
26,000 checkouts, I made 2 mistakes, and I apologize for it. It doesn't matter how 
it happened. And by handling things this way, I just saved myself from making the 
3rd mistake --- alienating a parent and/or child. When they see that it isn't where 
it's supposed to be, I then hand them the ALA sheet of possible places a lost book 
could be. It's a fun sheet with many suggestions that are hilariously possible, and 
most times they report back to me about which funny place it was found.
 
Sometimes, it really isn't about us!
 
Liz Frame
Librarian
San Antonio Christian Elementary School

--- On Sun, 5/17/09, Carol Van Brocklin <carolannvan@MOTIMAIL.COM> wrote:

From: Carol Van Brocklin <carolannvan@MOTIMAIL.COM>
Subject: [LM_NET] Ive been smioked too, but...
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Date: Sunday, May 17, 2009, 10:26 PM

Hey:
      I just had to add one more story to this thread.
      I know all of us have had the problem with kids who "never checked
that out" and I have had more than my share of parents who thought that I
was irresponsible and thus it was all my fault. I have also had a few times when
an aide (or myself) did accidently just not get something checked in and sure
enough, there it was on the shelf so I have had to apologize myself a few times.
       However, I always remember the one mother who actually came to my house
to yell at me about the fact that her "daughter pays to go to this school
and just because she has an overdue book that doesn't mean she can't
check out other books". My roommate was smart enough to get our principal
on the phone immediately and she could hear the mother screaming from the yard
so we basically had several witnesses to what indeed was happening.
        The principal was totally backing me up in this issue, mainly because
the mother had come to my home and the family was brought in to the office. When
they arrived, they had the book plus flowers and chocolates for the librarian
whom they had "misjudged".
         Sometimes people make mistakes, but sometimes they also realize this
fact and THAT is why I am still working in a school library after almost 20
years. Oh yeah--that and the fact that I love it when kids come back with a book
and say "Can I have another one?"

currently reading "Chromosone 6" by Robin Cook and counting the 8 1/2
more days of school.

Carol Van Brocklin
Librarian
Faith Academy-Mindanao
Davao City, Philippines
carolannvan@motimail.com


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