Yesterday's library shift was a bit of a challenge. The branch manager was away on a well-deserved vacation, but that meant Miss A. and I were the only circulation staff for the day, and it was a district courier delivery day with extra sorting and shelving ahead. Further, Miss M. (our youth librarian) was helping two Kindergarten classes tour the library, which meant extra chaos.

For the first class, I went outside to drop books though our book drop slot so kids could see what it looks like from the inside. Several were startled by the noise, and one kiddo was almost in tears as books rattled through the slide and landed in the spring-loaded metal bin which catches these returned items with a little more gentleness, and a lot more noise, than you might otherwise expect. So I decided to try to add some flair to the impersonal metal apparatus. Perhaps it would ease their fears and make it funny rather than scary. What do you think?

I know, they aren't proper googly eyes. I don't have any that big. Still, it did generate some giggles. I didn't have much to do with the second class, though. By that time, I was being pulled in several directions to put out several figurative fires. There was a middle-aged woman struggling with the cybersecurity identification verification rigamarole for filing unemployment online, and nothing was working for this poor tech-illiterate lady. The copier is too damned "smart" for its own good, and won't let me simply TELL it what size or orientation a page is, because it thinks it can decide better. As usual, there were also intermittent people who needed help finding books, placing holds, and checking out items.

We're not officially tech support, and patrons are supposed to handle their own computer issues as best they can, but I hate to see people struggle and suffer through COVID-related bureaucratic nonsense when I know how to fix problems. Thus, I was also frequently stepping aside to check on the Unemployment Filing Lady and help her navigate the byzantine bureaucratic nonsense and tech hurdles. We finally got everything uploaded and submitted, and then they wanted to video-conference. This meant waiting for an hour while the state bureaucrats got around to helping. Then I had to show her how to download Zoom while she talked to a government gatekeeper goon. She had to also hold up the physical documents to her phone for some reason so they could be inspected by the functionary on the other end. Of course noting would focus, and the sensor that shuts off the camera when you hold it to your ear kept triggering on the paperwork

No, I don't think this was a complicated ID theft scheme. It appeared she was following legit sites and links. We try our best to keep an eye on people and head off bad link clicks or obvious scams if we know what's going on despite our simultaneous efforts to respect patron privacy. It's just a mess. After everything got approved at long last, the site reset back to the beginning and demanded another round of uploads and confirmations. She called it a day at that point. At long last, the day was coming to an end. We had finished our cleanup and were finalizing a few closing procedures when a woman walks in to print some files.

#&$%@!!!

Our computers shut down 15 minutes before we close. She walked in at 10 'til. The files are on her phone, but our patron printing e-mail has been borked for months. She doesn't have her phone set up to connect to our copier via USB. She can't figure out how to save files and move hem to our handy USB-C thumb drive. SO I have her forward the file to my work e-mail. Does this work? No, it's a link to a site where she needs to sign in. No password.

DOUBLE #&$%@!!!

We managed to get the job done, though, and finally left well after closing time. Needless to say, my introvert batteries were totally flatlining, and I was ready to bite heads off. But I still had a birthday party to attend for a friend. I'm glad I pulled myself together enough to be present.

Today should be nice and peacefu...

TRIPLE #&$%@!!!

I have our first in-person adult program this afternoon, and I need to wrangle a bunch of adults as they make a craft on our lawn.

I'll survive.

Maybe.