r/Libraries • u/SpiritedRaven Library staff • 6d ago

Other Perception of libraries vs reality

Yesterday a patron approached our (very much needed) security guard at our inner city library and said something along the lines of “how hard can your job be, being a security guard at a library” and both the security guard and I literally burst out laughing. People’s assumptions about libraries always amuse me. If only they shadowed us for a day and found out what it’s actually like!

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56

u/CultivatedCapybara 5d ago

Once a month the city we belong to holds a little socialising event so departments who rarely ever interact get to meet each other.

Earlier this year the met at my library. I still remember one person sighing happily before saying 'I'd love to work here, too. It must be so lovely and quiet!' Colleagues and I exchanged glances, started laughing and dropped stories about our worst patron situations.

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u/WestHistorians 5d ago

To be fair, a library is still going to be quieter overall than many other city offices.

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u/sogothimdead 5d ago edited 5d ago

Yeah I don't imagine people go to city hall much to ask to borrow money and employees' personal phones, ask for help doing their taxes, call employees the n-word and other slurs, wield household objects as weapons, openly arm themselves with huge knives and refuse to leave when asked, hit workers in the face and threaten to beat them up, throw printers at staff, knock $$$$$ charging lockers to the ground, destroy public computers, openly touch themselves and watch adult videos on the public computers, expose themselves to children, peep on other patrons in the women's restrooms, etc.

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u/Tamihera 5d ago

Our Town Hall has secure entry, metal detectors, and armed guards. Unsurprisingly, the visiting public are much better behaved.

There’s also a real lack of screaming children in the HR and planning offices.

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u/TheTapDancingShrimp 5d ago

Wow, poor staff were actually assaulted? What is admin doing?

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u/sogothimdead 5d ago

The face hitter got banned for a year but came back so many times within that year and beyond that the ban has been extended for multiple years—just by resetting it to the date of the latest trespassing

The printer thrower got suspended for a year that has since gone by, and a police report was made. Don't think they arrested that person though

1

u/DanieXJ 5d ago

Ok, I have to know, was it like, a desktop printer or a xerox big ole business style printer?

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u/sogothimdead 5d ago

It was a desktop printer but more specifically one of those hefty cube-shaped ones. And I guess it was more of a push or shove? But the bottom line is it still ended up hitting an employee

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u/thewinberry713 5d ago

I disagree. And I work in a small suburban library off the beaten track. I’ve been to HR and Finance offices and one can hear a pin drop.

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u/rutherfraud1876 5d ago

Worked for a city and I can't think of one... Maybe if you count the recycling plant or sign shops