Customer Service

I love my job at the library. I really do. But sometimes there are things that just bother me. Plus, they're really annoying. (Mom, get Bryan to read those last two sentences. They were especially for him.)

Peeve #1
Patrons who never pick up the books they put on hold
Seriously, people. Why did you put the book on hold if you don't want it? Just click on the link in the email we send you to cancel it! So simple!

Peeve #2
Patrons who get furious about a recalled book
It's called sharing. You should have learned that lesson in preschool. We let you have it for 3 weeks, then it's someone else's turn.

Peeve #3
Patrons who expect me to cater to their every need
I'm happy to help. Really I am. But you expect me to call your professor to ask them why they can't find the book on course reserve? I don't think so.

Peeve #4
Patrons who mutilate dozens of books, then lie about it
Didn't you sign BYU's Honor Code? Disappointing. Maybe if you 'fessed up to it, we'd be more understanding.

Peeve #5
Patrons who don't read the whole email we send, then accuse us of being trained in our communications skills by the Gestapo
Ok, this really happened. And actually, his reply to our email was hilarious. The Gestapo part made me bust up laughing. But he claimed we didn't say "please" in the recall email. It's right there, buster. Look again. And turn in the book. Please.

Peeve #6
Patrons who leave the state for extended periods of time and take their library books with them
It's not a good idea to do this. Your books will inevitably be recalled by some poor soul and then you will send the poor Holds/Recalls secretaries angry emails demanding to know why we didn't realize you were out of town.

Now, to bring happy feelings back, there are some things that make me very happy about my job, too.

I love it when patrons have positive attitudes. It makes them so much easier to work with. Not to mention, it makes me want to show them mercy.

I love recalling books from people I know. Mostly because I get to heavily modify our standard recall email into something much funnier and way more amusing to read.

I love it when I check all the recalled books from the week before and discover that everyone turned their books in!

I love it when I track down a book that we haven't been able to find.

I love it when a patron leaves the desk happy and satisfied. Because I feel happy and satisfied, too, when I can get them all the customer service they need.