Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Shhhhh'd at my own library

The Swearing Librarian is pissed off - I just got shhh'd at my own library, and not even by another librarian, but by a security guard! Now I admit that there may have been times in the past where my teen friends and I have been having such a good time that we cause quite a ruckus (like the time one boy wrapped another with my duct tape and told him to try and hop around the library) but this was not one of those times. A girl was excitedly talking about how her family used to live in New Zealand and how she would love for them to go back there, said "I love it!" a bit louder than normal and the security guard shhh'd her. At the time I said "Oh, c'mon, she wasn't that loud", and then about 20 moinutes later he came and told me "If I tell someone to be quiet, they have to be quiet. If I let one person make that much noise, then everyone will think it's ok ... it's my job, not yours, to tell them to be quiet". Actually Mr Security Guard, you are wrong, it's my job to maintain the general peace in the teen area, and if they get particularly rowdy, THEN it's your job. And she wasn't even rowdy! Even though I stood up for myself, he still made me feel like I'd done something wrong, when really I hadn't.

I think this is wrong in so many ways, and I am very conflicted. I can understand that if the teens are having a custody battle or yelling about how fucked they were (literally and figuratively) at the party last night, they should lower their voices and/ or be kicked out. But yelling "I loved it!" - give me a fucking break, there is nothing wrong with that. I swear more than half the kids in the teen area do, and you don't see me being kicked out ... not yet, anyways. Just give me time. And being shhh'd by a security guard - I feel insulted. Not all of the security guys (and gals) at the library are as annoying as him, and for the one who may be reading this blog right now, you're one of the good guys. Could you kindly please kick his ass for me? You're bigger than him - you could take him on. The problem with me telling him to piss off is that I do need to have him "watch my back" at many times in the teen area, and it's hard to say, but I suspect he could take my telling him to fuck off the wrong way. And lastly, doesn't he know that he's not qualified to tell people to shhh? I went to university for a total of 7 years to be able to gain that priviledge, and if he thinks he can bypass all that valuable education he is sadly mistaken.

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ah, hell...I wish I had been working yesterday. It would have been fun to put that asshole in his place. Maybe he was having a bad reaction to the "medication" he took before work. But, then again, seeing as he is always an asshole perhaps this incident cannot be blamed on the "meds."

Well, just think of it this way, as of today he is gone from the evening shift in the Teen centre. From know on you will probably only have to put up with him on Friday afternoons...well, at least until I finally quit.

He really should be put in his place though. As you say, you have an MA in Shushology and it his responsibility to back you up, not override your prerogative towards the everyday activities in the Centre. I was there for the custody battle, I have been there for the usual “I got so fucked up, etc.” It is obvious what needs to be stopped and that does not include a young woman extolling the virtues of New Zealand.

They have to remove him and the other guard, you know who I speak of, from the Library.

11:53 a.m.

 
Blogger Vancouver Blonde said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

4:10 a.m.

 
Blogger Vancouver Blonde said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

4:13 a.m.

 
Blogger Vancouver Blonde said...

Um...since when do libraries have security guards? Did I miss something? Back in my day the last thing we'd want to steal were any of the dog-eared books they had at our childhood library.

In any case, it's not really his job. As far as I am aware the job of a security guard is to escort someone out if they are causing problems or chase after them if they steal something. (and hopefully get back what they have stolen)

ps. according to the 2006 city census, the population of *insert your town's name here* is 80,000. I live in Vancouver, which has a much greater population than that. I was at my local branch of the library last week - there was not a security guard in sight...

(**UPDATED**)

5:38 p.m.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home