random musings of a fangirl

 Being the youngest on staff, the rest of the ladies at the library have made the automatic assumption that if there's a computer question I'm the shoe in for having the answer. And, being that the library is on a 'Let's learn our tech' fling these issues are happening far more recently then they used to.

Not that I'm not flattered with the vote of confidence...

So, okay, I know the basics. I know how you're supposed to upload an image from your desktop... and the fact that if you're uploading an image from your desktop you do need to actually SAVE the image to your desktop in the first place. But I'm not big on stuff like MySpace (gag) or FaceBook or the other crap that they've decided that the public might like librarian help with.

But then again some of this stuff is just so obvious it's hard to see where they're having the issue with. Like today. It was 'IM people using Google Chat' and two of our librarian staff could not for the life of them figure out how they were supposed to log in. And thus, I was summoned:

'Have you downloaded the program?' ( You know, clicked that BIG button in the center of the page.)

'Oh, we have to download it?'

And they said it like it was some big revelation...

Le sigh. Generation gap in action, I suppose.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/10great/2008-03-06-10great-libraries_N.htm

Granted it's a flattering thing but still... I have to wonder WTF were they smoking when they decided this?!

Now as someone who is very familiar with the library having both worked and used the Snohomish Library I agree that it's a nice library. New, clean, nice big chairs and a fireplace to sit in front of on cold rainy days. But honestly? Their layout for the stacks suck! The reference, ESL, and media sections are all wonky in how they're set up. (Heck, so is the genre section and it was another page and myself who seperated the sci-fi and fantasy into seperate sections in the first place but it still sucks.) The pages there are constantly losing the battle of organization with the shelves there.

Honestly I rather like the library in Everett, or even the UW library better. I mean... there is no possible way that Snohomish is one of the THE BEST in the country.

So yeah... flattering yes... but nothing to go out of your way to visit.

It's not that I expected the library's MS Office 2007 training session to be the slightest bit entertaining. But it would have been nice to have actually learned something significant rather than...nothing needed beyond basic computer skillz. (Which, granted, many of the older ladies of the library seem to lack.) But still... it also says something about level of skillz on the instructor's part when an MS Office indifferent user like me (cause I use WordPerfect) can come into the class and find easier shortcuts than the shortcuts she was trying to teach.

And, I think it was a sign of how bored I was that every time the instructor said 'click on the double chevron' the tiny bit of me who is amused by the Stargate fandom started up with the giggles...

 So, I'm used to being the bottom rung on the personnel ladder at the library. I'm the one who takes orders and does the general gunt work.

Needless to say, when our volunteer suddenly came up to me in the middle of tracing items missing from router, all eager for me to give her something to do... I was thrown for a bit of a loop. Glancing around, no PSA's were to be seen. Crap. I mean I hardly pay enough attention to when the volunteers are in and out, I'm not sure who's qualified to do what.

But ok, I had a hold ready to go on the shelf. So I gave her that in the hopes that she'd go and comeback and one of the PSA's would be freed up.

No such luck.

Round two. Volunteer comes back, slightly lessened in puppy-like eagerness. Takes another look at me and goes 'How old are you?'

-.- 0 Eh no. I'm not in high school thankyouverymuch. 

Ah... and again 'Have something else for me to do?' @.@

Help PSAs! Help!
 

A small note as a librarian type person and a female person in general...

Saying 'Hey you with the hair.' is not a good way to get a girl's attention. Ever. Try '[insert color here] hair' or even 'beautiful hair' if you must. But just 'hair'? God. I had to fight the instict to pat my hair and go 'What? What's wrong with my hair?' And I'm not even usually the girly girl type.

Teenagers remain the reigning morons of the library...