The following story took place yesterday in my library. Picture it...the three o'clock rush has just begun and the third child (7th grade) has come in to use the computer. Her teacher has given her an assignment to report on the California Wildfires. Of course the child does not have a library card and needs me to log her onto the computer.
Her: I need some stuff about them fires.
Me: In California?
Her: Yeah, does your computers have the internet?
Me: Yes.
Her: Where do I find the fire stuff?
Me: I'd just go to Yahoo! News, news.yahoo.com or cnn.com.
Her: How do you spell CNN?
Me: Um, C-N-N
Her: cmn
Me: No, C-N-N.
Her: cmm
Me: No, C-N as in Nickel.
Her: Oh, cnm.
Me: No. C-Nickel-Nickel
Her: cnn
Me: Yes, now type .com
Her: .om
Me: No.... .com
Her: .moc
Me: .com It has to go in that order.
Her: Oh, my nails get in the way of typing. (she gets to the correct site) There's a picture I need.
Me: That's not in California. That's a beach house fire in one of the Carolinas.
Her: That's okay I can use it.
Okay, so now I'm sitting at my desk telling the kids who are waiting for the computer that they must wait when I see her leaving and ask if she is finished.
Her: No, I've got to go get a drink (not allowed in the library) from the store. I'll just come back and use it.
Me: You have to sign back up and wait your turn.
Her: Okay.
She brings her drink back in the library. I run her out of the library. Every time a computer comes open she wants to get on and I repeat that she must wait her turn. Finally the moment comes and I have to log her back on. She is heartbroken to learn that she only has 12 minutes left on the computer because our computers are shut down from our main library. I'm now logging other children on the computer.
Her: Hey! Hey! I can't get on that page. What was it? (I'm ignoring her because I'm helping someone else.) Hey!
Me: I'll be with you when I'm finished helping this patron. Now, how may I help you?
Her: conn.com ain't working for me.
Me: CNN.COM take out the O!
Her: Oh.
I try to walk away but she calls me back.
Her: I can't get to what I was on before. We go back to where she was and she gets upset because she can't find anything she needs. I point out to her links to a bunch of stories and her reply is, "But what do I print?"
Me: Whatever you need but you have to pay for anything you print.
Showing posts with label Children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Children. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
Baby-Sitter's Club (NOT!)
I'm not a babysitter. Please don't ask me to to watch your children. I love kids. I love to watch them play (and play with them) but I'm not paid enough to be a babysitter. I am not responsible for your children when they are in the library. I don't know you, your auntie, or your "baby daddy" so I don't know who your child is going with. I don't want to be sued because you don't want to be bothered with keeping up with your kids.
Some guidelines for parents:
**Keep your children with you. If you don't want the hassle of having them with you while you work on the computer then you need to hire a babysitter to take care of them while you are away.
**If they are loud take them outside and have a discussion with them. Please do this outside--we don't like hearing you yell inside.
**If you should decide to allow your children to roam the library unattended please do not expect us to keep an eye on them. We have jobs other than watching your sweet angels.
**Clean up after your child. We have toys here so they won't destroy our books and they can learn through playing. However, we don't enjoy finding them in the adult department or under the computers.
Finally, we aren't out to "get" your child or keep them from reading. We love them and very much encourage reading with children. However, if you are getting your child a library card, please don't run up huge late fees on them and then not pay them. You are not doing a service to your child. Own up and pay the fine. Your children can then read and not have to go through the embarrassment of having a huge fine when they didn't even know that they had a card because you got it for them when they were two.
Some guidelines for parents:
**Keep your children with you. If you don't want the hassle of having them with you while you work on the computer then you need to hire a babysitter to take care of them while you are away.
**If they are loud take them outside and have a discussion with them. Please do this outside--we don't like hearing you yell inside.
**If you should decide to allow your children to roam the library unattended please do not expect us to keep an eye on them. We have jobs other than watching your sweet angels.
**Clean up after your child. We have toys here so they won't destroy our books and they can learn through playing. However, we don't enjoy finding them in the adult department or under the computers.
Finally, we aren't out to "get" your child or keep them from reading. We love them and very much encourage reading with children. However, if you are getting your child a library card, please don't run up huge late fees on them and then not pay them. You are not doing a service to your child. Own up and pay the fine. Your children can then read and not have to go through the embarrassment of having a huge fine when they didn't even know that they had a card because you got it for them when they were two.
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