It is a sad day for libraries everywhere. Or at least, for Aurora Public Libraries. And it's certainly a sad day for me. I'll be brief, because the emotions I feel about this (anger, fear, disgust, anxiety, and yeah, maybe even a little relief) are clouding my thoughts. The deal is this: last night, the citizens of Aurora voted on the General Improvement District issue for the library. This involved money and other stuff I don't quite understand. If it had passed, the GID would've expanded library hours, added more staff, and more materials and services for the libraries. It also would've cost Auroraians a paltry extra $5 a month in taxes, but only that much if you own a $200,000 home. But the good people of Aurora didn't want to pay more taxes, apparently, and thought that the extra money was more important than libraries. So the GID did not pass, and because of that, 4 of 7 branches will close, half of the staff will be laid off (including myself), and Aurora will have to settle for less than quality service from the remaining branches.
The libraries will close on December 31, 2009. I will be without a job. This scares me more than a little. I have been looking for another job anyway, practically since I started here, and with no success. I don't see why I should be able to find a decent job in the next 2 months. My plan is to stay here until I'm laid off, unless I get a better job. If, at the end of the year I still don't have a job, then I'll take desperate measures: filing for unemployment, looking for more humble positions, or even looking out-of-state. I'm trying to think positively, but frankly, the future looks bleak, especially with John being out of a job at the end of the year as well. If anyone's ever been in this position before, advice/words of comfort would be greatly appreciated.
Our library branch is closed 3 days a week, and most people have the same reaction: disappointment. Which is understandable, but most people are sympathetic to our library's budget crunch and the subsequent consequences. Today, though, a lady got mad about it. The conversation turned in that direction because she had asked why her books have two different due dates, and I explained that they came from two separate branches, and the branches are closed on different days. Then she started complaining about how we're closed most of the time ("three days," I said, and she said "no, more than three days," and then she recited the days we were closed: "Sunday, Monday, Thursday..." "That's three days," I affirmed). And she couldn't get in one of the days we're open because of bowling night. The more she complained, the more patience I lost, and I finally said sarcastically "I'm sorry, the closures are entirely my fault." To which she replied, "Yes, they are." What?! Perhaps she misheard me and thought I said they weren't my fault. If not, I guess I should be flattered that she thinks I have so much power. If only, lady, if only...
Wow, this is going to sound whiny...but no one showed up to my second teen program :( This time it was "Green Teens." We were going to "learn tips and tricks to becoming environmentally conscious, and eat organic snacks" (that's from the advert). I spent a long time compiling a list of things teens could do to be green, and devising a recycled craft involving used CDs. I waited for about 20 minutes and no one showed up. Only one girl had signed up, our regular, and when she came into the library an hour later I pretended to be mad at her. She had just forgotten; not her fault, but I was disappointed anyway. Maybe the summer is just a bad time to have teen programs; lots of people are away on vacation. Maybe things will pick up once school starts again. I also think our location has something to do with it; we do get quite a few teens normally, but it's hard to drum up enthusiasm for programs at our small branch. I made a bunch of posters advertising my book club today and plastered them all over the library...maybe that'll help. And I've petitioned to have them at another branch in the future.On another note: I'm tired of how volatile some patrons are. The slightest thing can set some of them off. Yesterday I was filling out a library card for a man, and I was trying to emphasize to him that we need proof of his current address. He thought that if his old address was on his drivers' license, it should be good enough for us. I don't think I was mean about it, but apparently he thought I was being unreasonable, because he snatched his card off the desk, stormed off saying "Jesus f---ing Christ," and slammed the door as he left. Why do people completely freak out over such tiny things? I can't help our library's policy of wanting proof of address. In fact, I usually bend that rule, telling patrons that I'll get them a card if they promise to bring in proof next time. I was GOING to tell jerkwad, but he didn't give me the chance. Incidents like that are really discouraging, and afterwards I hid in the back room for the rest of the day.
A woman came up to the desk asking for books on fire for her son. My reference librarian instincts kicked in, and I asked if he had to write a report for school, or if he wanted information on becoming a firefighter. The answer to both was negative, but the mom said "He saw a program with a firefighter, and now he has an obsession with fire, playing with lighters and burning paper," etc. She kept repeating this. I found a few books on fire for them, but do I really want to encourage the little pyromaniac?
My first ever teen program and my first ever teen book club both happened this month. Even though I told practically every teen I saw about my upcoming programs, when the time came, the turnout was...well, less than spectacular. First was my book club. It's called "Getting Graphic: Beyond Manga." The point was to introduce teens to some of the great graphic novels out there that aren't Japanese Manga. Don't get me wrong, Manga can be okay (although I'm not that into it). But it seems to be all that teens read. The books for the first meeting were Halo and Sprocket by Kerry Callen and Grease Monkey by Tim Eldred. At first only one girl showed up...a regular who loves reading, and who I really like. She had read one of the books and half of the other. When the club was about to start, I roped another teen into joining us, even though she hadn't read either novel. She seemed enthusiastic, though. We ate the junk food I had bought and started discussing...or rather, I lectured and they listened, jumping in occasionally at my prodding. Then, about halfway through, a 9-year-old boy wandered in, wearing a huge shirt that was about 10 sizes too big for him. He immediately started his own conversation with me, telling me how he used to "have class" (storytime) in that room and how much shorter he used to be. I tried to explain to him that this was a teen book club and that he was too young to join, but I felt sorry for him and said that if he were quiet, he could hang out and eat some food. And he was quiet, for awhile, until I asked the girls another question regarding the book art. He chimed in, saying that he thought the books should be in color. The comment was actually relevant, but then he segued into how he and his brother saw Spider-man 2 and he wasn't even scared at all. He kept going on this tangent until I had to ask him to take some food and leave.Other than that, which was actually pretty funny, and the fact that no one else showed up, I thought the club was minimally successful. The girls seemed to enjoy it, at least. And after the meeting was officially over, we chatted about Buffy and ate more junk food.The next week was my Teen Trivia Tournament. Again, only one person who signed up showed with his mom and baby brother, but another girl appeared with her mom, and I roped another regular into coming. The big problem was, both moms decided to stay the whole time, and I was too shy to tell them to leave. It was a teen program, after all, and having the moms there made it terribly awkward for me, making me feel like I was performing for the approval of the parents. The teens did pretty well at answering the questions, although next time I'll ask more questions about Miley Cyrus rather than questions about 70s and 80s rock bands. The moms didn't help them, thank goodness, although one kept saying things like "I know this!" or "You should know this!" Then, at one point I decided to have an intermission and go find some music for us to listen to. I have to admit, although I know a lot about teen books, I don't know a lot about teen music. So I picked up Janet Jackson and Norah Jones off the shelf. When I came back with the music, the mom with the baby said "Could you keep the music down really low? If the baby wakes up, he'll cry and we'll have to leave." I was thinking...and the problem would be...? But again I was too shy to say anything, so I put the CD on and turned the sound down low. The program went on about an hour longer than I had planned, but that was okay. I declared the winner, handed out the prizes (a bubble-wrap keychain for first place, inflatable rafts for second, and a notebook for third, with tiny Rubik's Cubes for everyone) and told everyone to take home bags of chips. I count the program as a success, although I learned my lesson for next time: NO PARENTS!
At the end of April I had another interview, this time for a Teen/Youth librarian position in Golden, CO (part of the Jefferson County Library system). It would have been the perfect job, I'm sure. To let you know right off the bat, I didn't get it. So, it's kind of painful to talk about it, but I'll go over the basics of the experience. I went to the library a few weeks ahead of time to scout the place out. It's small, but well-kept and neat. Right in the library's back yard is a river with a nice walking path on either side and lots of statues, and I decided right away that it would be the perfect place to take a lunch break. When we went inside and I observed how quiet the patrons were (a rare thing at my current library), I knew I had to get this job.So then was the interview. John came with me, for moral support. I felt I was very well prepared. I had "studied" for the interview for a week or so, compiling a list of possible interview questions and my answers. I had prepared the storytime and teen booktalks like they had asked. I even went the extra mile and made up a craft for the storytime, although it wasn't required. I was ready.There were three people interviewing me. They gave me an overview of the town of Golden, the library community, and the Jeffco system. Then they gave me a few minutes to look over their list of interview questions. There were a lot! They said they might not read every question, but they pretty much did, in order. For the first time, many of the questions I had prepared for were asked. During the course of the interview I also explained my storytime, and performed my booktalk. And, a long hour and a half later, I came out of the interview shaking (and in need of a restroom...I had nervously guzzled down the glass of water they gave me) but confident. A few of my answers hadn't been perfect, but I thought most had been very good. I hadn't made a complete idiot of myself, and that was the important thing. It was the first interview where I didn't come out groaning over how stupid I sounded.They were supposed to let us know the outcome the first week of May. Needless to say, I was a nervous wreck from that point on. They said they would first notify the people who didn't get the job, then call references, then call the winner. That was why, at the end of the week when I hadn't heard anything, I felt a little reassured. Surely they would have called me by then if I hadn't got the job! But when I didn't hear anything this Monday, I broke down again. Maybe they forgot to contact me! Or they sent out those annoying rejection letters, and I just hadn't received mine yet. So I vowed to call them on Tuesday.I didn't get the chance. Tuesday morning, just before I was to give storytime, I happened to look at my phone and see a message. Hope sprang once again! But when I called them back, it was a rejection. They told me (very nicely) that I hadn't done anything wrong; all the candidates were good. But they chose someone with more experience. They said I'd have no trouble finding a librarian job...I wanted to laugh (while I was starting to cry): they had no idea that I've been looking for a job since before I graduated, almost two years! with no luck. I cried for the next hour or so, sobbing through storytime and calling John to wake him up and cry on his proverbial shoulder. There was just so much buildup for this one. I had waited so long, it was the perfect position, and I was sure I had it in the bag. Although I usually don't get my hopes up, I was already planning for my new life and career. I suppose it wasn't meant to be?! I don't usually believe that, but it seems the only explanation in this case.
Just had an old man come up to the desk and ask for a CD by a female violinist, last name "Bell..." I said, "Do you mean Joshua Bell?"
"Yeah, that's her."
"Um, I'm pretty sure Joshua Bell is a guy."
"No, that's what I thought at first too, with a name like Joshua! But she's a girl."
Repeat above lines a few times.
He felt so adamantly about this that finally I gave up. "Her CDs are over there."
