The best thing about working in the public library is the patrons. It can also be the worst thing. A couple of weeks ago, a patron was so rude and impatient it was almost unbelievable. The printers wouldn't work, so I offered to print it for her at the desk. It turned out it was part of a larger problem with the network, but I helped her find another way to get it printed by opening the file on my own computer and printing it. Meanwhile, she wanted to know why I wasn't going faster, why we hadn't fixed it yet (it couldn't have been a problem for more than 20 minutes, because I'd helped someone else print just before), why I wasn't handing her the printed pages before giving her the thumb drive she'd asked for before as I was halfway to the printer. After she left, one of the librarians confided that this patron has done this before, and that sometimes she goes off her medications and it's not good. Once, she even threw something across the desk at a librarian who was trying to help her.
Last week, a patron was sitting at the computer while her baby cried. After a few minutes, one of the librarians went to ask her to move, because people were trying to work. She said she couldn't because they were waiting for something and had too much stuff to move on their own, but she also didn't offer to pick up the baby and didn't seem to understand that other people needed quiet to work. The librarian, D, kept her cool completely, and I was impressed while watching her. Some people are unreasonable, but you can always stay professional - and there's always the option of calling security if they continue to be a problem.
