Blogging Reference

College students have been moving in all week,  The Fall term at FSU and FAMU starts on Monday.  It's a good day to stay away from the universities and popular restaurants.

It's a clear day, and expected to be hot.  You'd never know a hurricane is churning up the Atlantic coast.  I shouldn't joke, but I feel a little left out.  We haven't had a tropical storm here in a few years.  Maybe I should watch Key Largo.

Another Saturday morning with the A/C down.  They seem to have gotten it going a little.

10:00  I open the doors at the 2nd floor entrance.

PC for Cheryl.

Phone:  She got a notice for a book she returned.  Can I look for it?  Grrr, we're not supposed to get these calls, but I'll handle it.  Not on shelf, find Rick Steves' Prague & The Czech Republic on a cart in the circulation workroom.

Phone:  Is Joyce M.  Wants address & phone for a company named Santana.  Has no idea where it is.  Try Switchboard, Google.  It's not enough to go on, sorry.

Today's paper.

Where to get library card?

10:26  Still have about 8 PC's free.

PC for Michael.

She wants The Territorial Papers of the United States, vols. 22-26, covering the Territory of Florida.  After a couple of tries, I find them in the catalog, and there they are in the reference collection.  She remembered them from years ago, before we moved into this building in '91.  Embarrassing to have never noticed them, over all these years.

Do we do phone reference?  His library in Memphis did it too.  He says he stumped them twice, with "How deep is the sand in Saudi Arabia?", and "Why are salmon and mackerel cans smaller on the bottom than on the top?".

PC for Miller.

PC for Jeff.

Where is PC 56?

The floppy drive in PC 52 can't read his disk.  Give him another PC.  Advise him to move his files to a USB drive.

PC's for Vincent, Jason, Brittany.

Long schmooze w E., who retired as a cataloger from the FSU library, about e-book readers.  He is pretty sold on them.  Has a Nook, but thinks Kindle may be a better choice.  Nook can't zoom maps and diagrams.  He likes that you can change the type size.  No need to buy a large print edition.  Mostly reads ePub versions of free books from Project Gutenberg.  Has issues w e-book pagination, which plays hell w citations, and w current state of "digital rights" for e-books.  I am hearing good things from serious readers about these e-book readers.

How to find McDonald's web site to apply for job.  Bing is confusing.

Any more titles in Molly MacRae's Lewis Wilder mystery series after Wilder Rumors?  No.  Do we have The Terrorists, by Maj Sjöwall?  Is on hold.  Is the hold for her friend?  She will get it from her.

Phone:  The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.  Place hold.

Do we have more recent issues of Value Line reports?  Not yet, show him online access through the library web page.

Check the materials request database, (MRD).  It's up to 54 new, but only 22 book requests, the rest media.  Can get to them later.

11:58  Time for lunch.

12:43  Back.

The NYT.

Today's Democrat.

Print out 1040EZ tax form for a man.

Phone:  It's Florida P.  Who won the 1998 World Series?  Yankees.

Where are books on psychology?  Take to shelf.

Her PC is not on,  Have her press power button to turn it on.

Today's paper.

Refill CD's Southern Gothic Fiction display.

Can she have scratch paper?

1:19  SE is back from lunch.

Where to get library card?

It is very quiet.  Plenty of people.  Quiet people, reading.  It's nice...

She is here for a meeting.  The Greater Tallahassee Section of the National Council of Negro Women is meeting in program room A on the first floor.

Does the library have food vending machines?  No, sorry.

Where to get library card?

Tarot Woman walks by.

Might as well work on requests,

Try to show self-check-out machine, but her card's not in the system.  She must go to circulation.

MRD:  The Forgotten Locket, by Lisa Mangum.  New, juvenile, redirect to Youth Services.

SE is making Grisham/Baldacci readalikes display.  I'm alone for a little while,

Has anyone turned in a flash drive? No.  Is WiFi available on the 3rd floor?  Yes, but public not allowed up there on weekends.  Can she print from the 15-minute PC's?  No.

She's here to pick up On Human Nature, by Edward O. Wilson.  Was on 24-hr. hold at refdesk, but she couldn't get here.  We still have it.

He can't find The 7th Victim and False Accusations by Alan Jacobson.  Go back to the shelf with him and find them.

 Repair information for 1989 Saab 9000 CD.  Mitchell doesn't cover Saabs.  Auto Repair db has only service bulletins.  Have only annual all-in-one Chilton tune-up book for imports.  They'll take that.

Do we have Pharmacy Technician Certification book?  We had a different one from the one he wants, but it's now lost.

She wants books in Spanish by Esmeraldo Santiago.  Place hold on Conquistadora.

Today's paper.

Mom w 2 little kids wants Run, Baby, Run by Nicky Cruz.  Take request for ILL.  Anything on the West Memphis Three.  We used to have Devil's Knot by Mara Leveritt, but all copies are lost.

Phone:  Mrs. Rounds wants Escape by Barbara Delinsky in large print.  Do we have Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner in large type?  Not yet.  She'll take regular print then.

Phone:  Joyce C. wants Smokin' Seventeen and Explosive Eighteen by Evanovich.  Place holds.

Show Democrat on microfilm.  Demo viewer.

DC gives me a break.

GED book?  Copies for in-library use, or can reserve copy for check-out.

PC's for four kids.

Phone:  Rosa B. in Lloyd wants contact info for Ruby Kisses.  Made by Kiss Cosmetics.  E-mail only on web site, not listed in Dun & Bradstreet directory.  There is a store locator.  Give her three local stores.

Phone:  Joan C. wonders why ducks removed from Lake Ella, popular walking location in mid-town.  Muscovy ducks, threat to local species, aggressive, leave "unsightly waste".

3:26  So much for quiet time to process requests!

Mom & teen son.  How can he volunteer at the library?  Show VolunteerLEON web site.

PC for Dave.

Books for Bolivar.  Also wants The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang, Not a Suicide Pact by Richard A. Posner, In the Shadow of Death by Elizabeth Beck, and The Little Book of Restorative Justice by Howard Zehr.  Take to shelf for Rape, don't have the others.  For a course?  Yes. criminal justice, so don't offer ILL.

PC for Matt.

4:00  SE takes discards and books for bindery up to Collection Management.

MRD:  Surrendered :the rise, fall and revelation of Kwame Kilpatrick by Kwame Kilpatrick.  Send to ILL.


MRD:  Eviction Notice: A Hood Rat Novel by K'wan.  New, send to Purchase.


MRD:  3 X 33: Short Fiction by 33 Writers, Mark Winegardner, ed.  2004, $100!, send to ILL.

MRD:  The Hot Zone by Preston.  We own, place hold.

4:27  Phone.  Hurricane Tracking  Man wants particulars from the National Hurricane Center's 2:00 advisory on Irene.


MRD:  The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman.  New, received, in process.  Place hold.


Show her how to reserve PC w her card.


Dave asks if we have an envelope.  No, sorry.


30 min. announcement.  I think that's enough for today.