Cure for blindness

The FGL has a confession to make. Yes, I’m sorry to have been gone so long, etc., but the downside of telling stories that are true in this blog is that when nothing happens, there is nothing to write about.

So I got to thinking; why is there nothing to write about? This month hasn’t been any different than any other month….at least at the library. But I am different. The FGL is having family problems, and I have been pretty self-focused. Which means I am not focusing on the patrons.

I just now realized this. Slow Guy came to the desk on Saaturday. He’s young and kind of scruffy-looking, and…..slow. “Somebody told me the library had job listings, but I can’t find them,” he said.

“Do you mean on the internet?” I asked.

“No, on a wall somewhere.”

I walked him over to the bulletin board and showed him community postings. “But where are the jobs at the library?” He sounded bewildered.

Oh. Sure enough, ours weren’t posted there. Probably being updated. “Here, I can print them off for you – come back to the desk.” He pulled a listing off of the board and brought it with him.

I printed the two openings we currently have on the internet and handed them to him. He handed me the listing he had pulled and said, “Could you print this one for me, too?”

I pointed him to the copy machine and he nodded and went. Some time later he came back, sort of frantic, in a slow kind of way.

“Those papers you gave me – have you seen them?”

I looked on the desk and at the shelves around me. “No, I haven’t. What happened?”

“I had them in my hand and now I can’t find them.”

I suggested the copy machine, the book shelf where he had requested a book from Powerful Presence. She told him to look in the bathroom.

He looked confused. “But I haven’t been in the bathroom,” he said, and obediently went off to check there, anyway.

When he came back, he said, “That job at the zoo! That was my job! Do you have another copy?”

“I’m sorry – you had the only posting letter we get.”

Here’s the confession part: At this point, instead of thinking, “This is really important to him – I should just go look around the library with him and see if I can find it,” I was really thinking: “This is not my job, to keep track of things that people lose. The zoo job might be his job, but it might NOT be, too. I’m sorry the posting is lost, but people can look in the paper or online and find it.”

He went away from the desk with a puzzled look on his face, not sure what to do next. And it didn’t make me sad then – I was just relieved.

I’m sad now, thinking back on it. Who knows how important it was? Maybe it was his job. Maybe he can’t afford the paper or is unaware of job postings online. I didn’t show him how to get to them, like I could have.

I confess – I dropped the ball. I didn’t see it from his point of view, I didn’t give him the extra five seconds that I am everlastingly preaching about. I missed my chance.

But it helped me to see why I don’t have anything to write about. The opportunities are probably there, happening to me every day. I think I have not been seeing them.

Thanks to Slow Guy, at least now my eyes are open.

Comments

[Jessica]

While it is always good to reflect on a mistake, don't be too hard on yourself. I pride myself on my customer service skills, but there are days when I want to tell Loves Gory Movies Guy that if he shows me one more picture of a headless corpse, I am going to cut HIS head off. Patrons - especially the "special" patrons, can drive you nuts sometimes.
Hope things get better for you at home.

[jblend]

Like Jessica said, don't be too hard on yourself. Yes, self-reflection is a valuable and important skill for any professional, especially in the helping professions. But don't let it become a negative.

Yes, it is our job to help our patrons, but they must also learn to help themselves. Maybe he will learn from this experience and it will be a valuable lesson.

You made my day with this post! I've missed your library musings. Keep up the great work. I enjoy it.

[sarah]

indeed, especially when the world is so wild around you, the details of our own lives and keeping all the bits flying is enough of a full time job that having a couple of other real fulltime jobs like working and being on call 24/7/365 for your family is more than we should have to do... more than any one should have to do or live through, only you do, and with grace far beyond what they deserve.... so there.

[Daniel Cornwall]

I hope your family problems get better. Even when you disappoint yourself, you give the rest of us inspiration. Take care!

[feelgood librarian]

Thank you, all of you. I really appreciate your support!

FGL

[lynne]

You sound human, and a good human at that because of your self-reflection.
Hope your family problems improve.

[Norma]

You've analyzed this very well. I wish everyone in public service (of all types) thought like you do.

[Stephanie]

Thanks for sharing the difficulties of the job & not just the successes. Self-awareness helps to make us better (hopefully), so the next time this guy comes in, or another job applicant, or another tough patron, you'll be different.

Hope you can keep your eyes open & see how you *do* help people like Slow Guy every day.

[Katya]

I read your postings all the time. They inspire me to make sure my customer service isn't lacking. So don't be too hard on yourself. I hope your family problems are better now.

[Jan Bradley]

Please don't be too hard on yourself. We all have days when we feel we could have done better. I work in a hospital branch of a medical library and our patrons are not just doctors and health professionals but patients and families of patients. So we deal with quite a diverse range of requests so I know what it feels like to suspect you could have done more. I hope your family problems have eased and it's good to have you back posting. I truly enjoy reading your stuff.