Odd questions

[ChromeScholar]

Working at a library, you get some odd questions, especially over the phone.

For example:

"I'm trying to find out when Fred and Betty Smith are coming back from California. I want to invite them to dinner."

Let's see...

There are 1,500 people living in Mayer, more if you add the outlying areas. I have never met Fred and Betty, as they do not have library cards, and I don't actually live in Mayer anymore, due to a lack of affordable housing.

Another example:

"Do you know when the Chamber of Commerce meets?"

I give them the phone number of the Chamber of Commerce."

"Gee, I was hoping you would know so I wouldn't have to call them."

???

This morning took the cake, though.

"Do you have the number for the fire department?"

I reach for the list of local numbers. The caller continues...

"I live in Spring Valley and I'm having a stroke."

"Hang up and dial 911, sir!"

"I just moved to the area, and I don't know the number of the fire department."

HANG UP AND DIAL 911!

"Oh, ok."

About 5 minutes later I heard the sirens start up at the fire department (which is on the other side of the park from here).

[macwilkin]

Working at a library, you get some odd questions, especially over the phone.

For example:

"I'm trying to find out when Fred and Betty Smith are coming back from California. I want to invite them to dinner."

Let's see...

There are 1,500 people living in Mayer, more if you add the outlying areas. I have never met Fred and Betty, as they do not have library cards, and I don't actually live in Mayer anymore, due to a lack of affordable housing.

Another example:

"Do you know when the Chamber of Commerce meets?"

I give them the phone number of the Chamber of Commerce."

"Gee, I was hoping you would know so I wouldn't have to call them."

???

This morning took the cake, though.

"Do you have the number for the fire department?"

I reach for the list of local numbers. The caller continues...

"I live in Spring Valley and I'm having a stroke."

"Hang up and dial 911, sir!"

"I just moved to the area, and I don't know the number of the fire department."

HANG UP AND DIAL 911!

"Oh, ok."

About 5 minutes later I heard the sirens start up at the fire department (which is on the other side of the park from here).

That sounds so familiar!

Patron: "I'm looking for a particular book."
Librarian: "Do you know the title and/or author?"
Patron: "No -- but I think the cover was a green colour..."



Here's an oldie, but a goodie from NPS days -- this one has almost become an urban legend:

A visitor asks a ranger: "Why were Civil War Battles fought in National Parks?"
The reply (never given, but always thought about): "So the soldiers could hide behind the monuments!"

T.

[Archangel]

My wife's great mystery call was from a mother looking for a book her son had to have for school. He was shouting out details from somewhere in the background but it became obvious/audible that he was taking no part in the search.

I need a book by Hoolio Barney?

A bit of back and forth....

He thinks it's red.

Some more back and forth....What school would have a standard book by an author so unknown?

Wait...


Aha...

Jules Verne, 2000 Leagues under the sea.


And we won't discuss that librarians are not a substitute for day care....

[James MacMillan]

I have a neighbor who works from her home as an information operator for one of the cellular companies (ani't technology grand) anyway, she said that several months ago someone called in to ask for the number for 911............

[ChromeScholar]

And we won't discuss that librarians are not a substitute for day care....

Tell me about it! The other day I had a mother come in to use the computer. She brought a long her three small children (call it age 2, 3, and 4). She turned them loose in the children's room and went to work on the computer. The kids raised hell. She screamed at them a couple of times. When they left, I went into the kid's room. A full 1/3 of the books (we have about 1,000 children's books) were scattered on the floor. On one side of the room was a stack of thirty or forty children's video cases. On the other side were the tapes that belonged in those cases. We have a monopoly game and a clue game for the kids. They had gotten both down (from the top of a six-foot shelf) and threw the contents across the room.

[Panache]

I worked for a staffing agency and once received a call from a very harried aministrative assistant for an executive. This actually happened

Admin: We have a problem with an employee of yours working at our company and would like to terminate their assignment immediately.

Me: I'm terribly sorry. Can you let me know what the nature of the problem was?

Admin: "I haven't been told, I was instructed to call the agency and have this person removed immediately."

Me: Of course I understand. May I please have the name of the temporary employee?

Admin: "Well it's the temporary employee you have working here."

Me: Let me check my records.

Panache checks his computer to see how many temporary employees are current assigned to this particular client.

Me: Sir, currently we have sixteen employees working at your company. If you could just give me the name I would be happy to call them and let them know that thier assignment has been ended and to leave.

Admin: Well I wasn't given the name!

Me: OK, then Sir, there are several different departments at your company utilizing our services. Perhaps if you knew which department this person was working in we could go from there...

Admin: "I don't know! I was told there was a problem and that the temporary employee had to go. I need that person out of here."

Me: Can you describe the individual? Was it a man or a woman?

Admin: I don't know!

Me: "I do understand Sir, but I'm not sure how I can do this unless I know which person. Is there anyway you could find out?

Admin: My boss is in a very important meeting!"

Me: I'm terribly sorry Sir. Perhaps I could call the contacts I have for each department currently using our people and ask them if there are any problems...

Admin: NO! NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! I will find out and call you back. (The Admin hangs up)

Two hours later the Administartive Assistant calls back

Admin: (very upset) I've been informed by my boss that your employee is still here! I asked that this person's assignment be ended!

Me: Yes Sir, I remember. You were going to check and find out which employee you wanted removed. I've just been waiting for your call. Do you have a name?

Admin: (makes strange angry/frustrated noise) No!

Me: Sir I'm very sorry, but failing to start calling up my people and terminating their assignments one by one until I get the right person, I just don't know what I can do on my end without knowing who it is that you want out.

Admin: I know, I know... Look I'll call you back!

About 20 minutes before the end of my shift I called the Administrative Assistant.

Me: Good Afternoon this Jamie from the Staffing Service. I hate to bother you but I will be leaving for the day very shortly and wanted to see if you had the employee's name for me to contact to end their assignment?

Admin: (very quietly) We have decided to keep them on. Good day. (He then hung up)




Cheers

Jamie
Jamie

[Mr. MacDougall]

Once upon a time, I was a telephone technical support agent for a little company you may have heard of -- International Business Machines. Leaving aside, for the moment, the people who'd call IBM tech support when they actually had a Compaq, Dell, or HP computer, I'd like to describe an incident which occurred while I was part of the Operating Systems group.

Now, keep in mind that the OS group was a level two group -- you weren't supposed to be able to talk to me unless you'd already stumped someone at level one support. All too frequently, however, what really happened was that, if someone didn't want to take the time to talk to a client, or the client was at all agitated, they got dumped on me.

One particular night, I got a call from a lady who had purchased a computer. It wouldn't start up. She didn't have any clear idea of what it was she wanted it to do, she just knew that it wasn't doing it.

After an hour and a half of trouble-shooting, I determined what the problem was. Someone had sold this poor lady a computer without an installed operating system, and told her, "just go down to the software store, and pick up a copy of DOS." (It wasn't that long ago -- I was surprised anyone had told her she could buy DOS at the software store). So she toodled down to the software store, and picked up the only thing she could find that had the word "DOS" on it.

Which turned out to be an anti-virus program. It took me another half hour to explain to the customer what the problem was, what the program she'd purchased actually was, and what she really needed.

Fortunately, call stats for level two groups weren't monitored to the extent that a two hour tech support call was problematical.

[gilmore]

...
This morning took the cake, though.

"Do you have the number for the fire department?"

I reach for the list of local numbers. The caller continues...

"I live in Spring Valley and I'm having a stroke."

"Hang up and dial 911, sir!"

"I just moved to the area, and I don't know the number of the fire department."

HANG UP AND DIAL 911!

"Oh, ok."

About 5 minutes later I heard the sirens start up at the fire department (which is on the other side of the park from here).

It's not at all unusual for people in the midst of having a stroke to become disoriented and not think clearly.

I hope you are never in the situation of the person you describe and get connected to a cavalier person answering the phone.

[ChromeScholar]

Cavalier? I told him to call 911.

What would you have done?

[Mr. MacDougall]

Cavalier? I told him to call 911.

What would you have done?

As a nurse, working in a health care setting, I would have done exactly the same thing. In fact, in our office's voice recording it says, first thing, "If this is an emergency, hang up and dial 911."

911 and emergency services are set up to deal with emergent situations. The library, and the family practice where I work, are not.