It's Tuesday. Do you know where your librarian is?

I had to spend only an hour on the reference desk today. On the one hand, there was a library client who didn't believe the sheet of paper I handed him had contact messages for his federal, state, and county representatiaves. On the other, there was another who was grateful for addresses of local Internet cafes (from smartpages.com) and Starbucks, who offer wi-fi access.

Then there was the woman who needed information about some property in Texas. I found a website for the agency in the county she said the property was in, but couldn't bring up information on the property. C'est la vie.

I finished entering bibliographic records for AV media we received recently. The printouts will go to the AV staff in the morning.

A colleague posted a note about some issues that arose on Sunday, including the fact that kids were accessing MySpace.com. I leaped into my intellectual freedom mode, including posting the text of the Library Bill of Rights and pointing out that it's parents - and only parents - who are responsible for what their children - and only their children - read, view, or listen to in the library. She later clarified her message. It seesm the kids hacked into the Internet on the (supposedly) dedicated computers which offer access to our online catalog and databases.

Our cafeteria holds a contest each week, winner to get a free lunch. I was able to answer last week's question. For free, take!

I'm on the reference desk - alone, since the "library assistant" who was supposed to be here called in sick, or something. A woman called in wanting to know if we carried a textbook.

Here beginneth rant:

In a close race between questions such as this and "assignments from hell," it's almost a dead heat. How, I wonder, do people expect the library to purchase the current edition of every textbook for every class taught in public or private schools or other academic institutions, and make them available for every student in those classes? Yes, we sometimes have textbooks - usually donated by former students - but we usually don't keep any that have been heavily marked up or with highlighted text.

We have more worthwhile things to spend the public's money on. If we have sufficient notice, we can make available supplementary materials such as books or periodical articles. But don't expect us to buy your textbook.

Here endeth rant.

Sunday was Photo Day at the Los Angeles Zoo. I arrived around 7:30 a.m., registered (receiving my name tag, t-shirt, agenda, and zoo map), and had a snack for breakfast (danish and coffee). Apparently we were supposed to get a more substantial breakfast - I don't know if anyone complained, but the snack breakfast was fine with me.

Mark Comon of Paul's Photo (primary sponsor of the day) gave us a slide show, talking about previous winners and introducing the sponsors and their wares. His mantra was "Have fun!" I did.

Minolta, who made my film camera, has gone out of the camera business, so I didn't have any lenses to play with. I borrowed an Olympus digital camera with a gazillion bells and whistles (even in "automatic" mode) that I found it difficult to take pictures. I seem to have a lot of shots of fences enclosing various exhibits. My computer at home isn't very good, so I'll bring the CD to work and hope I can see them better.

Animals. Lots of animals. The two snow leopard cubs were on exhibt, as was their mother. They behaved like many house cats do - climbing the mesh that encloses their exhibit and chasing each other around.

Various keepers put out enrichment items for their animals - hamburger and large bones for the tigers, melon wedges and pine cones for the black bears. I got photos of the giraffes, including some shots that display their long prehensile tongues.

After lunch, the zoo docents brought out some insects - a millipede, hissing cockroach (no, I didn't hear it hiss), and a tarantula. We also took a botanical walk, with two knowledgeable docents describing various plants and how they are used by animals.

I didn't get to see the elephant (the zoo's Asian male, Billy, is the only elephant on exhibit) or the koala. But that will wait until next time!

Another day in the library. I was on the reference desk 1-3 this afternoon. It was slow enough that I was able to look at an on-line exhibition of correspondence between Harry Truman and Eleanor Roosevelt. They did not always agree, but they carried on a cordial correspondence. See: http://www.trumanlibrary.org/eleanor/

The past couple of days people have come in looking for tax forms. We have the Package X - reproducible forms from the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board for tax years 2004-2005.

I ordered several CDs of march music. I've uploaded two of them onto my computer, and I'm now playing Great Marches as recorded by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. I have advocating playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever" at closing, but our PA system can't do it.

Just so's you know, here are the questions I dealt with on the adult reference desk, 3-6 p.m., Friday, October 6:

I need 2004 and 2005 tax forms, for the state and IRS. (We keep the past couple of years' reproducible forms at the reference desk.)

Two students seeking biographies of Vincent van Gogh. We actually own several books about him, and the computer says they are on the shelf.

Telephone call. Wanted to get a passport. (Our administrative office handles passport applications.)

Telephone call. Did they get the Morningside Park branch? (That agency is closed on Friday.)

Regular client looking for a particular book, 1185 Park Avenue : a memoir / Anne Roiphe (which we don't own). I tracked down copies at Santa Monica and Pasadena libraries.

She also wanted information on the messianic movement. Got the name of an organization in the LC Authorities file and from there located a website.

Telephone call. Someone looking for an employee.

Telephone call. Person needs a basic book on statistics. Web catalog is down; luckily our clunky catalog on the city's mainframe is working. (I will be so-o-o glad when we get our integrated library system.)

Woman wanted city ordinances regarding parking on vacant lots. She has problems finding out who owns the property next door to her. I suggested she call her council representative.

Someone who hasn't been in the library recently needs to know how to search our catalog. We don't own the book. I checked LAPL and County library catalogs, and tracked one down at Redondo Beach.

Internet signup. (Our Internet workstations are in our Serials and Documents Division on the second floor behind the reference desk; in the Youth Services Division on the first floor [usage limited to people under 14], and the Gates Computer Center on the third floor.

Kids shouting down the light wells. Told them to go downstairs to talk to their friends. The building has, in addition to the light wells, a tiled floor atrium that runs up three stories. When the little darlings are rambunctious you can hear them all over the building.

Client quit his job because he couldn't get along with his supervisor. How can he handle job interviews when they ask him why he left is previous employer. I found some books on interviewing.

Just another day in Paradise.

Not my week :(

This hasn't been as bad as some other weeks in the past year or so, but there have been enough niggling little things that make me glad it's over. (Yes, I know that it ain't over till it's over, but....)

My watch - a gift from Librarians' Internet Index when I tallied a certain number of pages - stopped. I thought it might be the battery, so I looked up a jewelry store in the area. The owner, or whoever it was, took the back off and somehow determined that the damage was more than the battery. He behaved as if he was doing me a big favor by looking at the watch.

I wound up going to the Glendale Galleria. Thee's a store in that mall, Keeping Time, which I try to patronize. I decided the watch was dead, and bought a new one.

On my way to work yesterday, I tripped on a paving stone and fell. Fortunately, the only damage I have is a scraped knee and grass stains on my pants. I couldn't get up until a nice man came along and helped me. (No one at work noticed anything, which figures.)

When I got to work, I realized I had left my wallet at home. I was, however, able to get some money from the credit union, which meant I ate a more nutritious lunch than a bag of popcorn.

Today I left my watch at home, which I didn't notice until I was half-way to the bus stop.

If I had a brain, I'd be dangerous. :)

I think I need to explain a few things - such as why CyberGoddess and why I've named the blog as I have.

Blame it on John N. Berry III, former editor of Library Journal. Several years ago he commented that several librarians (including moi) served as "gadflies" because we posted to library discussion lists a lot. I think it was GraceAnne DeCandido who said that we were CyberGoddesses (with one CyberGod - Jim Casey). I began signing my posts "Your friendly CyberGoddess and ALA Councilor-at-Large."

Since the Greek gods lived on Mount Olympus, I've defined my blog with that in mind.

Time on the Reference Desk

One of the many tasks I'm charged with at the Inglewood Public Library is spending time on the adult reference desk. I was on the desk from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. today.

I should mention that the Main Library (where I work) is the filling in a school sandwich. Crozier Middle School is across the street to the north, and Inglewood High School is across the street to the south. Needless to say, business picks up around 2:30 when school lets out. Many kids are here to do homework, but many use the library as a social hall.

Our usual security officer, James, is out sick. He's had experience in libraries and is able to keep the noise level down to a dull roar. His replacement today may not be as knowledgeable about the problems we face.

The "clueless in Inglewood" award for today goes to a woman who wanted to find a poet. All she knew was that his or her name began with D. She didn't know how to spell the name, nor any exact lines from the poem. I suggested she go back to the place where she saw the poem to get more exact information.

Just another day in paradise....

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