Librarian gets irritated when I ask her to check in our books:(

[BlueTaelon]

We've had issues in the past with stuff not getting scanned back in and I end up with late fees and once I even had to pay for a book grrr. So I make sure to watch them scan back in. Today we went to the little local library, we were the only ones there and had about 20 items to check back in and I needed to you guessed it, find out what library a book we returned came out of because it was still saying checked out. I hadnt even gotten that far though, I just told her we've had issues with books being reshelved and not scanned. She acted like that NEVER happens. She huffed and finally scanned our books in then I asked her out the missing book. Turns out it came from that library (we request a lot plus go to 2 libraries in other cities) so she checked the shelf and bingo! She checked it back in. It wasnt late or anything but this is not the first time its happened. She didnt even applogise.

 

Has anyone else ever had issues with getting them to check your books in while you wait? The other one we go to about half hour from here wont even check out your new ones until they check in what you returned.

[FaithManor]

Our local librarians act like Lords of the Manor and how dare the serfs approach. Sigh, I miss the really fantastic library we moved away from because it was wonderful and had the loveliest staff. No one in our family has checked out a book since 2006 due to the attitude here and the constant attempts to charge us late fees for items that were returned causing dd and I to spend too much time fetching them from the shelves only to be griped and grumbled at...narrry ever an apology!

[Word Nerd]

Oh well! Let her huff. You didn't do anything wrong.

[Angie in VA]

No problems here, but I always check back in dvds and audiobooks (on cd) in person. Then I walk my books around to the return. I also call or go by in person if there is a scratch on a cd or  writing in a book and "make" them note that in the computer system. 

 

Everyone in our library is nice, except one woman. I'm sorry for your bad experiences, but I'd keep insisting that they check them in!

[Catwoman]

I don't blame you for insisting that the books be checked in. If the librarian doesn't like it, that's her problem.

[Laura Corin]

I would not be happy with books being checked in later: at all the UK and Hong Kong libraries I have used, they check them in right there, so that they can ask you for any fines that are due.  

 

I do remember our library in California having a book drop off locker for out of hours returns - that always seemed strange and insecure to me.

 

L

[Farrar]

I want there to be a movement for nicer libraries.

[Lara in Colo]

My library is awesome!!!!   They are great about holds and will take my word about a return not being "checked in" and they have SOTW (book and cd) and they have lots of great courses sets and I am talking them into buy  the Horrible Histories books and DVDS.

 

I love my library

 

 

[mamaraby]

I don't think there's anything wrong with your request. I'm lucky enough that we can check books in and out at any library in the system so after the third time that a book didn't get scanned in, I decided to go to the one the next town over. If I didn't have another option, I would request the same thing you do.

[momto10blessings]

Our librarians get in a panic when I dare request something from ILL. The horror! I'm truly surprised they still allow it.

[Guest]

Our local librarians act like Lords of the Manor and how dare the serfs approach. Sigh, I miss the really fantastic library we moved away from because it was wonderful and had the loveliest staff. No one in our family has checked out a book since 2006 due to the attitude here and the constant attempts to charge us late fees for items that were returned causing dd and I to spend too much time fetching them from the shelves only to be griped and grumbled at...narrry ever an apology!

 

Wow! I didn't know there were places where librarians are like that! 

 

I love our library sooooooooooo much. The staff are the dearest people on the planet. I call them frequently to make sure my MIL's books are not overdue (she is losing her memory). They are always so accommodating. If there is ever an issue, I just tell them it is hard for her to remember and nobody checked up on it. They waive the fees.

 

I think about how much I would love to work there every time I go! 

[Joules]

We have automated book return now. It's like an ATM that you feed books into. It checks them in and then prints you a receipt. Similar to this one:

 

 

I always wanted my books checked in right away. This accomplishes that without annoying anyone.

[Arcadia]

Ours is automated book returns for quite a long time which is great. We only need to return at the counter for ILL/Link+.

[HollyDay]

I don't think we can check our books back in.  We have to drop them off at the drop off outside the library...can't take them in to drop off.  The time I tried it, I was politely informed that the books must be returned at the outside drop.  I have had a problem renewing online.  I can renew in the library, but every once in a while, renewing from home has been a problem.  I'm probably missing a step somewhere.

 

We have not had any problems since moving 3 years ago. But, we did have problems at the library where used to live.  I would have to go to the library, find the "overdue" book on the shelf and take it to the resource librarian and get it scanned back in.  They would not help at all.  At that library, I made sure to go at off peak hours and have my books scanned back in. 

[FriedClams]

This is one of the reasons i don't use our library system. Not the nasty attitude, but the frequent check in errors.

[HSmomof2]

She shouldn't have been huffy. I work for our local library, and we are a very friendly customer-focused library. I can't imagine any of my coworkers acting that way. In our library, it's not generally the librarian's job to check in books, but I regularly accept and do check ins for people. And I never act huffy about it. If someone comes in with a book showing still checked out, but they say it was returned, I don't even question it. I go look on the shelf, and 9 times out of 10 it's there. Check in mistakes happen fairly frequently, but I always apologize when I find a mistake has been made. Sorry you had a bad experience. :(

[Kerileanne99]

We have automated book return now. It's like an ATM that you feed books into. It checks them in and then prints you a receipt. Similar to this one:

 

 

 

I always wanted my books checked in right away. This accomplishes that without annoying anyone.

We have this too, as a drive-thru! I LOVE it. It even prints you out a receipt with the list of items you have just turned in.

That, combined with self-checkout with a printed receipt basically eliminated discrepancies...

Now if they can just manage a system that can measure damage to books and materials before and after. Sigh.

[Farrar]

Our library system is pretty nice overall.  The clerks are forgiving and rarely rude.  I have also had issues with books being checked in, but I haven't had to stand and watch them do it because they always believe me if I say it was their error.  The librarians are helpful.  There is no late fee for children's materials and there's a sort of secret policy to forgive fines up to a certain small amount.  The goal of the library is to bring in more patrons and to do things patrons want - not to guard the materials or to educate people to be a certain way.  This is not to say that I haven't ever encountered rude employees there or that some things don't frustrate me, but I've really learned from our system how a library should be in that sense.

 

It's baffling to me that so many library systems seem to exist to fulfill an ideal rather than to serve the people who pay for it.

[hellen]

We move a lot so I have experience with a lot of different library systems. Our current one is awful. The people at the front desk should get new jobs because they clearly don't like being there. A few weeks ago I took books to the librarian to be checked in. Normally I watch to prevent errors but this time I didn't stay to finish because there was a library program about to start. After the program and browsing for books I went to check out. My previous books hadn't been checked in. It took about an hour to locate them. The guy I had handed them to when I first arrived told me that he stopped since I walked away. He told me to never walk away from a librarian if I want them to do their job.

 

To make things worse it has a two week checkout period, two days to pick up holds with a notification system that doesn't work, and a 50 book limit. Oh and they won't tell you if a book is overdue. One day there was a glitch when I was renewing online which I didn't notice. Several days later I logged back on to request a book and found I owed over $1. I was lucky to catch it that early.

 

Today I was waiting at the checkout counter for several minutes while the librarians finished their conversation with each other right in front of me. They glanced at me once but then went on chatting.

[Elfknitter.#]

Sometimes the person checking books in/out is not a librarian, but a clerk. Just saying this because I don't know if librarians are getting a bad rap here lol.

Thank you. :)

 

That's not to say that clerks, aides, assistants, etc do not act rude in instances like these. I have seen my share, too. But a good 95% of the time, in my area, the person taking your book wouldn't be the librarian.

 

I wish more people had access to nicer library staff members. There are many out there that get get overshadowed by the grumpy ones.

[T'smom]

I've worked in a couple different libraries. There are check-in errors, but for every person who comes in and their book actually is on the shelf, there are 10 people who come in and *insist* that they brought it back when they didn't. I bet every day I worked I had several- and at least one a day that was nasty about it. I've mostly lived in places where I had great libraries. The one where I live now, the people are nice enough, but there is not much of a selection.

[Desert Rat]

Libraries are so different! 

About 7 years ago, our library went to an automated check out and check in service. The check out works by scanning your card, entering your PIN, then setting the books on a scanner. You don't scan bar codes; you just place them on the scanner 5-10 at a time depending on the thickness.

The check in machine is located in the lobby and works by putting one book on a conveyor belt at a time. It scans it in and records it as returned. You have the option of having a printed receipt. I always print it out because one time is shows I returned the book, but for some reason it didn't reflect that on my record. It was an easy fix.

You still have the option of using drop boxes.

OP, in the future I would refrain from saying it was the library's fault and that's the reason you want them checked in while you wait. People can take that personally and be defensive. Can you say that you are concerned that you are close to the limit and would like to check these books in right away so you can check more out that day?

Before the auto services, yes, I had some not-so-nice librarians. I avoided them. ;) 

[dirty ethel rackham]

I feel your pain.  After our library switched to a new computer system, I started having a bunch of problems with books not getting checked in.  I had to pay for two books that they couldn't find, but I KNOW I returned.  Ever since then, I insist that they check in the books in front of me.  A couple of times, I have had librarians give me a dirty look, but I told them I refuse to pay for books that they lose so they will just have to do this.  Once, my husband returned books into the book return, and, wouldn't you know it, they missed a couple of books.  Now, he listens and has them checked in.

[fdrinca]

This (returning books but not checking them in) used to happen to use ALL THE TIME. Our local branch library has a good/bad policy of checking every page of every book when you return. Their books are in great condition. It takes them forever to check books in. 

 

Last summer I issued a 500 picture book reading challenge for our family. We checked out so, so many books. We had some serious issues. I hunted down books three or four times before I flipped out on the the volunteer librarian. It wasn't my finest moment, but I'd just had a baby and I couldn't handle the stress of taking care of myself and the baby and my family (with my DH OOT all summer). 

 

We avoid returning books to this library if we can avoid it.

[kwg]

The book thing has happened all the time to me!  The attitude from the local librarians also!  WHat finally fixed it: I just kept being nice.  No matter how rude, I just thought "He/she must be having a hard day bc why would he be rude to me? He/she doesnt even know me!"

 

sometimes I added an internal:

 

"plus I am totally awesome so! of course it is just a bad day" :smilielol5:  :smilielol5:

[Χά�ων]

There is a branch I refuse to return to because they routinely fail to scan in items. I have heard friends complain about the same branch so it is nice to know it is not me.

[Katy]

I'm sorry.  That's really terrible.  I might or might not complain about her if she's one of several librarians on staff there.

 

We moved away from an amazing library a few years ago and the one in our new area is horrible.  I once waited more than half an hour to find someone to check us out at all.  I've taken to buying a lot more books and going to the library much less.

[Princess Ariel]

I really don't like libraries. This was from the time I was in high school and I would go to a librarian at the large public library downtown, with a question and they always chose to help someone on the phone instead of me who had taken the time to actually come in to the library. :(

I still don't like going where I live now. They do not like to answer questions. It takes huge effort for them to check out our books. My kids don't read on grade level due to ld's but they don't seem to care about anything/one that isn't on grade level.... Maybe that's why I have spent so much money at amazon!!

[ScoutTN]

Yes! This happens to us regularly. The checked out book back on the shelf part, not the grouchy librarians. Our library staff are really, really nice. But every time I return a large stack of books in the book drop box outside, we end up in this scenario. I think it happens when they are trying to scan things in fast. When the library is loud and busy it is hard to hear the beeps from the computer and the staff may not notice the screen.

[Alicia64]

Keep in mind that you're not talking about librarians in general -- you're talking about clerks. Maybe in some cases you have a librarian in front of you, but usually a smaller library has one librarian and a children's librarian. Everyone you see isn't necessarily a librarian.

 

Alley

[Alicia64]

Also, rather than being annoyed and somewhat hurt -- which is completely understandable -- I'd go more into the direction of looking at the clerk in confusion with an attitude of "but. . .  this is your job."

 

It's not okay for libraries to not be friendly -- and I've made complaints in writing when I've seen it. The old days of librarians being the protector of the books and scaring little kids -- which is an outdated idea -- is long over. Your taxes pay for the library. Plus you're the patron. The library does better with more patrons checking out more books.

 

When we moved our librarian groaned in laughter because she knew her checked out book count would go down.

 

Don't let a clerk push your around -- push right back. And, if you need to: write a letter. Other patrons are getting pushed around too.

 

Alley