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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think the woman in the library is really lazy?

46 replies

LittleBellatrixLeBoot · 11/07/2007 19:12

I was there to pick up a bookclub book. It was 2 minutes before closing time.

"They're upstairs now".

"What, the book club books?"

"Yes."

"So?"

"It's six o'clock now".

Then I looked at her and realised she meant "I'm too lazy to go upstairs and get them at this time".

So I said "oh dear, if I don't get it today I won't be able to read it before next week, because I can't get here before Monday".

"Oh well, maybe you wouldn't have had time to read it anyway".

The local library has 2 floors. It is not the empire state building, it is one flight of stairs. It would have taken about 1 minute. She may technically have been entitled to be that jobsworthy. But would you be that lazy, and proud of the way you did your job if you were?

OP posts:
doughnuts · 11/07/2007 19:13

lazy cow !

bundle · 11/07/2007 19:13

maybe she had a bad day

newlifenewname · 11/07/2007 19:14

If the door is open....

JoanCrawford · 11/07/2007 19:17

I work in libraries and I'm sure you're lovely and all that but people like you make me want to scream at the end of a long day.

Our closing on a late night is 8pm, I'm there from 8.45am.

At one minute to closing, if you'd have asked me to go up two flights of stairs etc to get your book, I doubt I would of said no but I'd of cursed you all the way there and back!

Yes she was lazy and totally unprofessional -but absolutely understandable imo.

doughnuts · 11/07/2007 19:19

actually it's just reminded me of working in a Waterstones - we used to flick the lights well before closing time to encourage people to leave...some buggers used to live in the shop and were a total pain at closing time

Marina · 11/07/2007 19:19

Hear hear Joan.
Not my way of doing things either, I have to say, but the equivalent of the poorly paid jobsworth public sector worker is the person who comes in right before closing time at the end of a ten hour day.

newlifenewname · 11/07/2007 19:20

I worked in a bar. Last orders was at usual time, time on the hour. Doors shut at 20 past. I cleaned up until half past or later.

I worked in schools on my Teaching degree, I planned lessons, taught lessons. Kids went home around 3pm. I tidied up and prepared for next day, went home around 5pm.

So what's the special deal with librarians?

HedTwigg · 11/07/2007 19:21

2 mins to go after a long day and you want her to climb up and down a flight of stairs and check out your book .. checking out a book takes about 2 minutes

you should have got there earlier

TheArmadillo · 11/07/2007 19:23

oh for goodness sake.

The woman is paid till at least 6pm she should be working until then.

If OP had got there 2 minutes after closing then the librarian would have been fair enough. BUt she got there when the library was open.

And yes it is annoying when people come in at the last minute, but so what. It's part of your job to serve them.

HedTwigg · 11/07/2007 19:25

I'd tell you to fark orf

might be why I'm not a librarian to be fair

SSSandy2 · 11/07/2007 19:27

my local library switches the lights off 10 minutes before closing time. You have to be out of there 5 minutes before closing time. There is ZERO chance they would go looking upstairs for something for you 2 minutes before closing time. They would tear your head off and then refuse.

Your librarian sounds NICE to me actually!

Marina · 11/07/2007 19:27

Deal is that in many authorities the library staff are only paid until the doors close. Late night opening in smaller branches usually does require a ten hour day (for which you are given TOIL, but all the same, tiring at the time). All the tidying, securing the premises is often expected to be done in their own time. So they can hardly be blamed for wanting to get the process started while still being paid for it.
We don't get tips in libraries either although we sometimes get propositioned by drunks (and threatened, and have to clear up piss and vomit too)
All part of the fun-packed world of librarianship

TheArmadillo · 11/07/2007 19:30

If you work in a customer facing job (whether public sector or retail or anything) you are there to serve the public. That is your job. They come first. They can be annoying but tough shit it's what you're paid for.

And yes working on your feet all day is tiring but it's not exactly the hardest job in the world. And yes I have worked 14 hour shifts in shops and still served people coming in at 2 minutes to (while heavily pregnant on some occassions). If the place is still open then you should still be serving.

If you don't have the temperament for it then don't do it.

JoanCrawford · 11/07/2007 19:32

We work long hours and are poorly paid imo.

If your shift ends at 8pm, you are paid until 8pm.

If someone leaves the library at 8.10pm because their book was on the second floor at 7.58pm then chances are, I wont get to lock up the library (untold alarm procedures etc) until 8.25pm, finally leaving at 8.30pm.

Do that day in and day out and it makes you bloody mad. You can surely understand that?

TheArmadillo · 11/07/2007 19:32

In a shop majority of staff are on minimum wage and only get paid until shop is shut.

YOu still have to tidy, cash up, prepare stuff for next day, phone through takings etc. BEfore locking up.

In all of the places I have worked staff who refuse to serve customers because it is nearly closing time would be sacked. It would be seen as completely unacceptable.

pigleto · 11/07/2007 19:32

ds got tutted at by the childrens librarian today because he was getting books off the shelves. I was choosing with dd at the other side of the room and ds, who is 5, was choosing from the reference section as he likes space books. I will admit that she was probably going to have to put five or six books back but surely that is part of her job?

She was too busy writing emails to check my books in, and I missed one which means that I will get a fine now. Snotty cow .

I have to say that usually the librarians in the childrens library are lovely blokes and talk to ds for hours about thunderbirds.

TheArmadillo · 11/07/2007 19:34

Its annoying.

I have done it.

Still should have served them. Not the OPs problem.

And sorry but librarian really isn't the shittest most poorly paid job out there.

HedTwigg · 11/07/2007 19:35

actually I think its your job to ensure the books are put back on the shelves if your DS took them off either by making him do it or by doing it with him

pigleto · 11/07/2007 19:36

If the library was open then she was on duty. She should have gone to get the book. It is not the op's fault that the books had been put away. She should have kept a couple of the books downstairs, shouldn't she? I get depressed when people don't take pride in their work, it is not about the money.

pigleto · 11/07/2007 19:38

I would have put them back normally but as I don't know where he got them from I would have just been putting them back randomly - destroying the shelving system. And besides, she had tutted by then which made me just want to leave.

nickytwotimes · 11/07/2007 19:38

i worked in retail for years and customers used to come in at the last minute to browse. we were never discourteous but when they finally left...! we were paid by the hour but we were still expected to stay in the store until it was tidy and the cashing up had been done as armadillo just said. had i been the librarian, i would have got you the book especially if you were nice to me. however, i am not surprised she appeared to be disinterested!

ChasingSquirrels · 11/07/2007 19:39

I would be peed as the librarian aswell, but i would have done it.
if my 5yo was taking books of the shelf i would expect him to put them back before we left, not leave them for someone else to put back.

JoanCrawford · 11/07/2007 19:40

No it's not the shittiest job out there, that's true.

But we are human, librarians, shop workers whoever. Yes, technically we should and do serve until the clock strikes the hour. But to expect us to do it with bells on is maybe asking a little too much.

nickytwotimes · 11/07/2007 19:41

pigleto: "..it's not about the money..."
ever lived on minimum wage?!
must say, i always like to do whatever job i have to the best of my ability, but not everyone is similarly motivated so don't be surprised if they get pissed off.

TheArmadillo · 11/07/2007 19:43

"But to expect us to do it with bells on is maybe asking a little too much. "

But all she was asked to do was get a book.

What is so hard in that?

I'm not surprised she was annoyed (though that she let it show was unprofessional) but to refuse to get the book is ridiculous.