Library Science

I think that's what their degree is called. I had a run-in with one such graduate today. You see it all started about 7:30 this morning. I had a nagging feeling that a book or something needed to be renewed. So I go to our fabulous on-line library site and look at the list. Yep... a few needed renewing. Oh wait! What is this? "White-tailed Deer" is still out there? And it's overdue by 3 weeks? I took that one back... or did I? I march up to T's room as he was getting ready and demand some answers. Where's the book? I look around his room. Mention things about keeping track of what we check out. He says the only place he read that one was in the living room. I ask the girls. They cough up 4 books - none of them being "White-tailed Deer". I go downstairs. Quickly make breakfast and send them out the door. Ok. Things like this make me crazy. I hate fines for no good reason. I don't even like the perception that we don't know where stuff is. And so I go on a vigilant hunt. I comb through T's room a 2nd time. I go through the girls stuff in their room. No book. It looks messy in their closet. Their drawers are a disaster. And so I bring up two big bags and purge, sort, and clean. I look through the living room. I even lift up the sofa with one arm! After that I head to the van. Clean out some dirty wrappers. An empty cup. No book.

After school, off to the library we go. (But first a stop at the bank and let me tell you watching three kids go in with their saved up money is quite charming. One even was holding her pink piggy bank for the banker to count out.) I drop 24 of the 25 checked out items in the slot. Then I stand in line. "Rose" was finishing up with another patron and then she says, 'yes?'. I have a problem and go on and explain to her that I was certain the book had been returned two days before the due date. She looks up my account. Yes, it is still under your name. Are you SURE you didn't leave it in your van or something? I had two ladies come in this week just sure they didn't have the book and guess what? It slid under the seat! I'm sure that's what happened. Well, no actually I don't think so. You see when I return books, I know exactly how many I had on my account and actually count them as I push them through the slot (a bit obsessive-compulsive I know). She blinks at me. Then isn't wavering. Well I'll just copy down the number for you and you can go see if the book is on the shelf (fully not believing that it was in the building). I head back to the proper area. I know it well as my enthusiastic hunter-wanna-be heads there often. I look for about 30 seconds and voila!!! There's the book! I march back all business to the counter. "Rose" looks up at me while checking out another man. She's kinda chewing him out for a fine. Library Science majors must have wanted to be something else. But then it didn't work out. They've got a tendency to be stern. I was hoping for a big smile. An acknowledgement of shame. Nope. I just get a 'oh you found it'. And then she proceeds to remove it from my account and in a moment of weakness she even took the fine off too! It must have been my smile. Or not. But anyway, that's my story... (pun intended). And I had to make an apology to our son in the parking lot for accusing him of not keeping track of his books!