Author Topic: Strange Things I Have Seen In Libraries  (Read 5183 times)

LibrarIan

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Strange Things I Have Seen In Libraries
« on: March 13, 2015, 11:44:56 AM »
Bring it on LibrarIan.  I've got some doozies too that I would totally share in that thread.

Oh, it's on.

Inspired by the Bad Employees thread, I thought I'd start this one to share some strange stuff I've seen library patrons do from my six years in public libraries (and beyond as a patron). I invite you to share your experiences as well.

Here are some good ones.

- One time a guy who was using a computer asked to borrow the reference desk trash can. He then sat back down at his computer, swept some paper and other garbage into the can and the proceeded to vomit into the trash can despite the restroom being close by. He then brought the can back.

- A child of about eight or nine whipped it out and peed on the children's department's carpet.

- At a teen lock in, two teens were caught doing it in the stacks.

- One guy used to pace back and forth passed the circulation desk and silently stare at the employees, causing many to be uncomfortable. He then started bringing books to the desk and simply placing them face up on the counter. They were books on things like street violence or historical despots.

- One teen was caught taking photos of dudes going number two in the restroom.

- We found out one guy was living in our woods on the property when the fire department showed up after getting reports of a forest fire. The guy was just cooking.

- Prior to one summer teen movie night program where we were showing Spaceballs (PG by the way), a parent called and asked us to censor the scene where President Skroob is in bed with the twins because it would cause the males in attendance to masturbate.

- One guy was banned after he checked out a stack of DVDs and then immediately attempted to sell them to a nearby Half Price Books.

- At an internship I did in Cincinnati, this meth addict died in a bathroom. The media was supposed to show up to cover some event and the manager was freaking out about how to get the body out without the news crews seeing, not over the fact that someone died.

Your move, MMMers.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2015, 12:33:30 PM by LibrarIan »

cautiouspessimist

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Re: Strange Things I Have Seen In Libraries
« Reply #1 on: March 13, 2015, 12:28:26 PM »
I give up. You win.

GuitarStv

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Re: Strange Things I Have Seen In Libraries
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2015, 01:00:07 PM »
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/alexandria-morra-accused-of-streaming-sex-shows-from-libraries-1.2984596

^There were live sex shows going on in Windsor area libraries.


"The arrest came just days after a CBC News investigation discovered more than 50 videos were streamed live and recorded from the Riverside and Fontainebleau branches over a three-month span."
« Last Edit: March 13, 2015, 01:02:02 PM by GuitarStv »

LibrarIan

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Re: Strange Things I Have Seen In Libraries
« Reply #3 on: March 13, 2015, 01:06:37 PM »
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/alexandria-morra-accused-of-streaming-sex-shows-from-libraries-1.2984596

^There were live sex shows going on in Windsor area libraries.


"The arrest came just days after a CBC News investigation discovered more than 50 videos were streamed live and recorded from the Riverside and Fontainebleau branches over a three-month span."

Oh, to be the person who reported that to the library, be they patron or staff. "Hey, uh, I was, uh, on the Internet last night. And, well, uh, I accidentally found some videos of our library on a porn cam site..."

Eric

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Re: Strange Things I Have Seen In Libraries
« Reply #4 on: March 13, 2015, 04:12:10 PM »
- Prior to one summer teen movie night program where we were showing Spaceballs (PG by the way), a parent called and asked us to censor the scene where President Skroob is in bed with the twins because it would cause the males in attendance to masturbate.

What's a matter Colonel Sanders?  Chicken!?

I hope you gave her the Spaceballs salute.

lifejoy

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Re: Strange Things I Have Seen In Libraries
« Reply #5 on: March 13, 2015, 04:26:45 PM »
I think I need someone to link me to this "bad employees" thread. :D

Eric

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Re: Strange Things I Have Seen In Libraries
« Reply #6 on: March 13, 2015, 04:43:24 PM »

amyable

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Re: Strange Things I Have Seen In Libraries
« Reply #7 on: March 13, 2015, 06:13:22 PM »
I worked in a community college library while attending a university nearby.  My specific job was to check people into the computer lab and help monitor their use. 

I've got a few good ones: 

1.  I caught a guy blatantly looking at anime pornography.  When I confronted him, he literally got up and ran out of the computer lab.  He was still logged in under his name.

2.   I was also in charge of the library office supplies (hole punches, staplers, etc.)  A professor came in, and he asked to use the hole punch.  I handed it to him, and he immediately began to struggle with it, cursing under his breath.  He was acting a little odd, so I kept my distance and ignored him.  About 10 minutes later, he asked to see my manager.  I let him know I was in charge for my shift, but I would give him my manager's contact info.  He then angrily yelled, "He can expect an email!" and stormed off.  The next day, my manager shows me a 2 page email, in which the dude ranted about my refusal to assist him with the hole punch, most of it in all caps!

3.  A friend of mine caught a lady running a prostitution service on MySpace. 

vogon poetry

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Re: Strange Things I Have Seen In Libraries
« Reply #8 on: March 14, 2015, 06:15:08 AM »
A friend who is a public ( children's ) librarian helped an older guy set up his first email account and since has gotten several emails from him with 'suggestions' ...the first was ' you would look great in this' with a link to a sexy lederhosen Halloween costume.

Working in academic libraries  there are fewer zany hi jinks, I did have a regular community member ( she came in every day and photocopied the crossword puzzle and stayed an hour or so to do it most days) once come up to me at the reference desk and ask me to cut her hair, which was weird.
At Crunchy Granola College, where I used to work I had to remind work study students regularly that they needed to wear shoes when they were working. Now I am at Super Prep U though, so they all wear shoes ( and most dress better than I ever will) and last year we had a student worker who did 'fancy Fridays' and worked his shifts and went to classes  in a full three piece suit.
Oh! The guy I replaced at Crunchy Granola College predated the  director and apparently maintained ( for a period of three years or more) that his contract stated that if classes were not  in session it was a personal choice whether he came to work or not ( it definitely didn't, according to the rest of the staff)....so he would skip out on work for weeks at a time in the summer and still expect to get paid...so when I first started I got reminded a lot that I had to come to work to get paid, which was odd , but that dude had it made, for a while anyway.

5pak

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Re: Strange Things I Have Seen In Libraries
« Reply #9 on: March 15, 2015, 12:49:42 PM »
While I was sitting in the lounge after eating, one of my employees came in and removed some Jell-O cartons from the fridge. He proceeded to make sensual noises and groans while eating them.

A woman began to weep when she found out our computers had been shut down for the night.

Two patrons, an older man and a younger person, had a confrontation. While both were sitting at two facing computers, the older man said, "What are you looking at me for?" The young patron said, "I'm not." Rising, the older man said, "Do you know who I am?" He proceeded to throw a business card advertising his law firm at the young patron before suggesting that they step outside to handle this. When the young patron refused, he left. The older man returned several days later to hit on one of the circulation librarians.

A man stole one of our iPads. He returned the next day to do so again while the police were taking down his description. He had not changed clothes.

One woman checked out the same vampire books on a near-weekly rotation, coming in almost everyday to return one set, check out another, then returning the next day to again check out the first set. These books always came back full of sand.

JLR

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Re: Strange Things I Have Seen In Libraries
« Reply #10 on: March 16, 2015, 10:53:43 PM »
Oh man! Sounds like I am going to have a lot of fun when I finish my degree and start working (hopefully in a library). :)

The Man from Neptune

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Re: Strange Things I Have Seen In Libraries
« Reply #11 on: March 23, 2015, 07:09:15 PM »
Something very interesting and somewhat scary happened to me in the downtown Charleston, SC public library back in the late 90s.  I was sitting at a "community" table reading something and minding my own business, when a scruffy, vagabond-looking guy took a seat next to me.  Everything was cool at first, but after about 10 minutes, this guy taps me on the shoulder, looks at me, and softly says, "I'm gonna kill you."

I surprised myself with my reaction to this.  I felt no fear at all, just complete shock and anger.  I glared at the guy and bellowed out "WHAT THE F*CK DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME??!!"

Although I'm athletic looking, I am not too big or intimidating-looking.  Nevertheless, the guy just kind of slunk back down in his chair and said nothing. 

One of the things you learn in sports is that the referee usually penalizes the player who retaliates, not the player who commits the initial infraction.  This axiom applies to real life too.  Yelling back at the guy like I did in a perfectly quiet library caused some of the library staff to come my way and confront me as if I caused the disturbance.  But when I pointed out the guy and explained that I was reacting to this guy threatening my life, one of the staff members recognized the guy and apologized to me because this guy had caused issues before.  Another staff member called the police and five minutes later a couple of cops showed up and dragged this guy out of the library.

All in all, a fun-filled day at the Charleston Library.