I’m tellin’!

Yesterday I returned to work after being out for two days with stomach flu (the piglet flu, if you will) to discover a voicemail from a Mr. M. I returned his call and he asked me a number of questions about the libraries.

He asked if it was true that inmates only get to use the library twice a week for half an hour at a time. I gave him my rote speech that there are three libraries, I am one librarian and I am following a temporary schedule that allows all low security and high security inmates to visit the library twice a week for approximately an hour per visit.

He asked if inmates get “backed up” waiting to use the legal computers. I explained that there is a 20-minute time limit on the legal computers unless no one else is waiting to use them.

He asked if there are plans to get any more librarians. (Duh, what do you think?) I calmly replied that we are recruiting right now and didn’t go into the last several month’s worth of hiring fiascoes.

Mr. M. thanked me for the information and was about to hang up when I asked him what organization he was with. He informed me that he isn’t with an organization, but that his son is one of our “guests.” Mr. M. Jr. (who I happen to know) had called his daddy to tattle on the big, mean librarian who’s been doing him wrong.

Are you kidding me? What is this, second grade?