I Don't want the World to See Me

Nutty. Well, that is one word to describe it. Coworker--the one who is one position up from me--her stepmother passed away, so I had covered her hours on Tuesday and Wednesday. Also Wednesday, there was this 'Groundbreaking' ceremony not too far away to celebrate the work on the new library. I was asked if I wanted to go. I said 'Naw' and ended up working for 3 hours that night because they couldn't find anyone else to fill in. And there were only 2 of us working. It was so dead that I read and wrote for a bit, until we got a patron that came in.

And today, Thursday....oi. I had training up at the Service Center in Tumwater (40 minutes away). Had to get up at 7 (and I woke up 10 minutes before my alarm...which always seems to happen when I set it). I don't drive freeway, so Dad took me. I wanted to get there a half hour early because a friend Carron, works there sometimes and today happened to be one of those days, and she was due to work about the time my class started, so I was hoping she was early, and she was :D I was chatting with the lady at the front desk when Carron walked in. I followed her down to the mail room and we just jabbered about things. She has been fostering kittens for the animal shelter and was telling me about the 5 that she currently has---awww!

Okay. about the class. It is Referrence Effectiveness, where it tells you how to be a better referrence person and how to talk to patrons. I want to cry. It is the stupidest load of crap I have had to sit through. All that I have 'learned' could have been summed up in a half an hour. There were about 18 other people in the class and I could tell most of them felt the same way.
See, when a person comes up to the desk, they have this 'form' response that they want you to say.
Example:
Patron: "I am looking for the book, Where the Red Fern Grows"
Librarian: "Let me see if I understand you correctly. You are looking for the book Where the red fern grows. Is that correct?"
Patron: DUH Yes, that is what I am looking for.

There were even videos where they showed us the librarian being (sickingly) nice, and even one with a little boy who was so obviously saying rehearsed lines. Hell, NO one is that polite! And yes, I am ranting.

So, most of the day was spent going over that (as well as a few pointless activities like coloring a name plate with symbols that represented you and discussing it in groups--WTF?)

We were in the middle of examples after lunch--I was dazed, almost asleep, and still in a happy place from the book I had been reading--when one of the guys in the class raised his hand and complained at how unnatural the conversations sound and what the odds would be that we would really be talking like that. He talked for almost 10 minutes and I could tell the instructor was getting a little pissed. But hell, I was now awake and trying not to grin like an idiot. After they got 'back on track,' I looked around and there were a lot of people smirking.

Then we get together in groups of three for 'practice.' One person had to be Librarian, one Patron, and one....someone who noted the performance (there are actually forms in case a librarian wants an evaluation on how s/he answers a question.
So, my group, guy named Patrick, a girl whose name started with a T, and me. They hated this as much as I did, so we had a little fun with it. We were supposed to ask the 'evaluater' how we did, and Patrick liked to say we were crappy. I got in a gigglefit so bad I was crying over something I can't remember now.

And something to point out...the weather. We were due up for a big storm and the wind was already whipping around. We could hear it and see it through the blinds. I heard some popping (prob unrelated to storm) and whispered to my table that it sounded like machine gun fire. Another lady whispered back to 'duck and cover.'

So, while we were in our group trios, the lights flickered and I could hear people hopeing for a power outtage. When we were nearly done in our groups, the lights did go off, and there was a collective yay! Then the lights went back on and everyone awwww'ed, then it went off again and there was yay. (yayyyyawwwwwyayy!!)And they stayed off. It was about 2:50 or so. Our instructers weren't even in the room, lol. Eventually, they returned and said that they heard the outtage was from a tree falling and that power not back until much later, so they were closing the service center. And we get paid for the missed hour (class was until 4).

I had to call home and was lucky enough to catch Dad and asked him to come early and fetch me. I hung out by the doors and pretty much watched the building empty. After a half hour (I appointed myself door person and yanked open the sliding doors for people), they were closing up the doors so I had to go outside. Wind was freaky. Dad was there a few minutes later and was saying how the wind was pushing the car about on the freeway, eep.

Stopped by the Winlock library because I accidently ordered something and had it sent there. I was chatty so talked to everyone for 10 minutes.

Tomorrow is more of the same. Then I have one more day of this training next month. Talking to someone at Winlock and the training is mostly about how to talk to people *sob* I want to know how to find the freaking answers to what they are asking!
Maybe it is just that I have been here 4 years and don't give a rat's ass about formality and proper way to say things as long as it gets the question answered and the patron leaves happy.

I hear next year that the class will be revamped. Whatever they change, it HAS to be better.

Best thing was the people. You tend to bond with people when you have a common hate. Sadly, I will probably never see these guys again after training. They are from libraries that are all over, and none close to where I am at.

Sorry for the rant. Dad got an earful (2 actually) on the way home about the crappy class, too.