Book you, lady!

I'm a reader. In that I read an average of five books a week, even now that I have a baby. I'll admit when Jack was a newborn it slowed me down a bit, what with the constant no sleeping, nursing, and weeping. I'm back in the saddle though, so after I plowed through my dad's Grisham collection, and my mom's Beverly Lewis books I knew I had to get over the whole not leaving the house thing and go to the library.

Now, Omaha spoiled me a bit. I could request books online, then go pick them up when they were ready. There were like eleventy million branches and I could get pretty much anything in about a day. Well, I am back in God's armpit now and the local library is a joke. It's the teeniest building, and the first day I went in the librarian said something about the "rush". There were five patrons.
I'm sure this woman likes how slow her job is, how she never has to actually do anything and I have a feeling that I disrupt the ease she has become accustomed to. The first time I went in I knew I would need a card, so I brought ID and a piece of mail to verify my address. Perfectly valid piece of mail from the bank, but it wasn't good enough for lazy bitch lady. I had to go to the Post Office and have them type up a piece of paper verifying that I received mail at my address. She also wouldn't use my married name because the Post Office typed up my maiden name. Ok then, whatever. I pick out the two books they would allow me for my first visit and got the hell out of there.

I went back the other day to return them, and pick out the total of four books a person is allowed to check out at once. Now, what the hell is up with that? I can understand the limit the first time you get your card, but only four books? What if you are getting books for your child? Four will never be enough. When I was checking out I put Jack's carseat on the counter, only to have her spaz out and tell me it would scratch the counter and not to do that. Again, I got the hell out of there as fast as I could, seriously wondering how this woman got the job with her people skills. I guess she was the only remotely qualified person.

I went back today to swap out my books. When I came in the door she says to me, somewhat curt, "Can I help you?". I was a little taken aback, so I put my books down and told her I wanted to return them. "And check more out?" She sounded so incredulous I just sort of nodded yes and wandered over to the stacks. As I looked around something occurred to me. I've never seen another person looking for books in this library. Not once. There are usually a couple other patrons, but they are always using the computers. No wonder she acts so weird around me! She's forgotten what a reader looks like!

Joe was with me, and he put Jack's carseat on one of the tables, only to have her say "That's okay as long as it doesn't scratch it". He moved it to the floor and took Jack out. When she was gone I looked at him and mouthed "see what I mean!". He rolled his eyes in agreement and went to look at the math books. He's a geek like that. I found my books, and we left, but I am already dreading when I have to go back. This woman has some problem with me, or maybe it's just with readers in general, but she's a librarian for God's sake! She's supposed to love people who read real books, and don't just think that the library is for free internet access. Then again, I make her have to do actual librarian type work, so that may well be the source of the hostility. Either way I can't wait to get the hell out of this town so I can go back to the non-Twilight Zone library branch. I am going to step up the house hunt.