Friday, February 05, 2010

back to the Info Desk at the Claremont Library

I see someone spinning the browsing paperback racks. Looks like she's going for a PD James - plus 2 others I can't make out.

I did a batch of nonfiction paperbacks yesterday. Nobody's checked out any of those yet. It always encourages me when something I've processed gets checked out, especially if somebody pounces on it as soon as it's available.

A woman just asked if we had any books by a writer, "Last name - Robert." She double-checks her note to herself. "Roberts," she corrects.

Roberts? Uh. "Nora Roberts?" I guess.

"No." She thinks. "David Roberts."

I put that into the search box and come up with five different "David Roberts" author entries. The woman is holding a book of mystery short stories. I ask if David Roberts writes mysteries. There is a David Roberts in the catalog with mysteries to his name. I read off a few of the titles. None are in this branch; all are held at Central. The woman says she will go by Central this weekend.

We have four computer terminals for accessing the internet. Used to be one was set aside for drop-ins. We had a waiting list people would sign. As of this week you have to make a reservation via one of the catalog terminals in the lobby. No more waiting list. One of the usual questions we get is: "I just need to get on the internet for 2 minutes to check my email." Sadly, we do not have a 2 minute internet terminal.

An older man tells me, after having trouble with the newly installed catalog interface, "When you get to be 80, all change is bad."

1 comment:

David Lee Ingersoll said...

I'm hoping that by the time I get to 80 I'm going to be so used to change that it won't be too much of problem. Hoping but not expecting.