This post is inspired by the weblog, Ref Grunt. I couldn’t agree more with the librarian from that site when he writes: “Some days I love working the reference desk, some days I hate it and it’s often the same day.”

In the Morning

“My computer froze.” I’ll reboot it for you sir.
Information on the Coral Castle in Florida.
“How do I download to a floppy disk?”
“A window popped up that said I won a prize.” I think that’s an ad. If I were you I would not give them your email address.

The video Dances With Wolves.
A patron’s cell phone rings.
In order to access the Internet you need to have a library card.
You have to make up your own password ma’am, we do not enter a password for you.
The book Casino Gambling: play like a pro in 10 minutes or less by Frank Scoblete.
The word processing computers are against the window.
Just sign-in with your library card and the year you were born sir.
“How do I insert footnotes on every page of my document?”
A cell phone rings.
A few minutes later, it rings again.
Information on motorcycle repair.
“My computer froze.” Reboot.
The book The Worlds of Thomas Jefferson by Susan Stein.
Information on the Wisconsin Administrative Code.
The printer is jammed.
You need to sign-in with your library card and the year you were born.
Books on backyard ponds and water gardens.
“My computer is locked up.” Reboot.

In the Afternoon

More paper for the printer.
The video All Quiet on the Western Front.
The book Firestorm by Iris Johansen.
“The computer is locked up.” Reboot.
The book With Open Arms by Nora Roberts.
The book The Summer I Dared by Barbara Delinsky.
“My computer froze.” Reboot.
The video The Outsiders.
I’m sorry, but after your hour on the Internet is up, you have to wait an hour before you can log back in.
The book Timeshadow Rider by Ann Maxwell.
Picture books about trucks.
To access the Internet you need to log-in with your library card.
I’m sorry, I cannot look up your library card number if you do not have any identification.
All the DVDs our library owns are listed in the library’s catalog.
Just sign-in with your library card and the year you were born.
“The computer locked up.” Reboot.
A cell phone rings.
Richard Cohen’s autobiography, Blindsided: lifting a life above illness.
A road atlas of the United States.
A book of Shakespeare’s quotations.
You are not able to access the Internet if you have more than $5 in fines on your library card.
The CD Nellyville by Nelly.
A field guide to reptiles and amphibians (which makes a 2nd grader very happy and is a good ending to the day).