Why I hate the library....I swear I returned it!!!
By brokentia
@brokentia (10389)
United States
January 25, 2007 4:41pm CST
I finally broke down and went to the library. But I only broke down enough to get some cook books and a book my daughter that she couldn't get in school because they wouldn't check the book out during break....ok, I got a few for the younger children while I was at it too. Well, when I was there, a book caught my eye and it sounded good, so I checked it out also.
It turned out to be a book that I just dragged my butt on reading because I didn't like it. If you are familiar with my discussions...yes, I finally finished that book!
So, I returned the books last night but kept a couple books that I needed to renew that were for the younger children. I decided that I would renew the kids books online. But when I went in to renew, I saw that one book that I dragged butt on was still showing checked out! No problem, they probably didn't get to check everything back in, right? After all, it was only earlier in the evening that I returned the books. So, just to make sure, I checked again today and it still showed as being checked out!
I had to call and talk with them because I did return it! When I spoke with the lady, Tina, she said that she would check the shelf. But when she came back to the phone, she said it wasn't there! What? I then calmly explained that I had returned it the night before with other books that all show returned. But she said it wasn't there. Grrrr I asked how I could fix this if I know I turned it in.
She then told me that she would mark my account as the book being missing and told me that if I found it, I could turn it in.
IF I FOUND IT????? Your kidding me right? But I was still nice and told her it would be impossible for me to find it because I turned it into their library the night before and I didn't want a negative mark on my library account. She then said that she believed me. Catch that, she said she believed me! And she continued to tell me that she would mark it as missing and I would not be charged for it. But if I found the book, I could return it without having a late fee.
Wait...didn't she just tell me that she believed me?
Why does she keep telling me that if I find it, that I can return it without penalty?
I am at a loss along with that book. How can I return something that I already returned. And how can she say that she believes me but then tell me that if I find it, I can return it?
Have you had problems with the library like this?
Care to share your stories? Feel free to share you thoughts too.
I am so tempted to go to the library and look for the book myself!
But then, they would probably think that I just found it and turned it in. :|
Why would I want the book that I hated and took me 3 times as long to actually read when compared to my other books?
14 people like this
31 responses
@imadriscoll (2228)
• United States
26 Jan 07
Just as MyLot has good fairies, Libraries have bad, bad (dare I say, naughty?) fairies! They love to play mind and, of course, money games with innocent people.
Now these fairies stay up late at night and get online when the rest of the "Tinas" of this world are sleeping their believing unbelieving little heads off. These bad, bad fairies also have MyLot accounts ... (sometimes they even respond to discussions by saying things like "flakdfieou" or "I have no opinion about this" or by copying and pasting others replies ...
Stick with me here because these bad, bad fairies don't want you to know this, but they read your post about "dragging your butt" through that book and then and there they started plotting. So when you showed up with that book in hand they watched you returned at and snickered to each other.
They took that book and put it in the back corner next to books about what happens to time while you're in the shower, what to do if you break your butt and the original color of carrots. :)
Now these let's just say it, naughty fairies also tell Tina to say things that just aren't true ...
Don't worry I know these fairy's moms ... they're in for it!
@brokentia (10389)
• United States
26 Jan 07
Now that was just awesome!!!!
hahahahahaha I loved your response so much!
You found a way to link everything together!
Thanks for having such creative writing!
1 person likes this
@brokentia (10389)
• United States
26 Jan 07
I have done that sometimes when I am writing. :)
It feels good to know that my writing skills can humor me...but even better when it humors others. :)
1 person likes this
@imadriscoll (2228)
• United States
26 Jan 07
Thank you! I had so much fun writing it and I even sat at the computer and laughed out loud to myself! :)
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
26 Jan 07
I love you people on mylot, you guys are awesome. I am an English/Liberal Arts Major and I hate libraries. Now, I love to read, and I love books, do not get me wrong on that, but I hate the atmosphere of the library. I hate having to borrow and return books, I hate the quietness (life is never quiet and the library should not be either), I hate the snotty librarians (they think they know so damn much, but when it comes to their relationships, you know they do not have any), and I always feel werid going into one (by that, I mean that I walk in there, see what it is like and then I just want to walk out). Yeah, libraries suck.
@brokentia (10389)
• United States
26 Jan 07
I absolutely love reading also!
I just don't like to borrow books. I prefer to buy them and then I can keep them...creating my own library. :)
But every now and then, I bring down and go to the library.
And here I finally did and I get this lady that believes but doesn't believe me.
And I agree...libraries are too quiet! LOL
2 people like this
@Justme2007 (1848)
• United States
26 Jan 07
I have the same problem only I take the book inside and they say its missing,so I believe they take a book that they want to read and hide it in their backpacks and take it home. I refuse to pay for a book that they take home.
you should check and see if they sent it to another library by mistake.
@brokentia (10389)
• United States
26 Jan 07
There could be no taking it to the wrong library...I hand delivered it to the library myself....actually, my daughter volunteered to jump out and drop it off inside.
But we didn't drop it off in a lock box or a general drop off location.
We took it to the library ourselves. And the books we returned with it were checked in.
I may go to the library and see if I can find it myself tomorrow.
Would that be considered harassing if I am nice about it?
1 person likes this
@Willowlady (10658)
• United States
26 Jan 07
Yeah, you sure have to watch the library, this recently happened to me. They know me though and made a good search of the library and found the book in question. They have too many kids working there and they didn't do procedure. I told them and I suggest to you to go to Amazon.com or Ebay and buy the book for less that what they are buying their books for!! Go ahead and search for the book, better yet someome may have checked it out, not sure how they would miss that though. Also suggest that you watch them check the books and stuff in while standing there next time, I sure will!!
2 people like this
@villageanne (8553)
• United States
25 Jan 07
We used to have this problem. They had so many people volunteering their services and they were not doing good work. I guess they thought if they were not getting paid, it was ok. We finally got so that when we went to the library, we carried our books in and had them scan them back into the files while we were there. Yes, we stood there while they did it. Never had a book returned that was not found after that.
We never put our books in the "overnight return" slot.
Sorry you are having such a hard time but the library is such a great resource that I would not let them keep me away just because someone did not do their job.
@fiveisallofus (273)
• United States
26 Jan 07
That happened to me at the video store. I dropped of my movies and then got a call, like a week later asking me if Iwas going to return the movie I had told them that I did and that they need to check for it another few days went by and they called and asked if I was going to return the movie I told them That I already did and they said well we looked for it and that it was not there. I replied to them well it iss not here. And they said that I would have to pay for the movie and the late fees.....I ended up having to pay over $100! I now go in and turn all the movies in and I take my buisness else where!
Good Luck!!
2 people like this
@kgwat70 (13388)
• United States
26 Jan 07
I had this happen to me a long time ago and never went to the library again to borrow a book or anything else for that matter. I stay away from them other than visiting the new libraries that were built here. Some of the people that work at libraries are totally clueless and need to be trained better. She could have asked another employee about any books that you or others returned that particular night. Did you speak to the manager or person in charge there? She sounded like a tape recorder saying the same things over and over again.
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45939)
• United States
26 Jan 07
I no longer borrow books from our local library. They are very disorganized. I have heard to many stories regarding people returning a book and being zapped for outrageous late fees.
@sweetrosemary (484)
•
26 Jan 07
ive not had problems with my library mine are very good been with them for a few yes now, maybe coz i havnt borrowed book in a year or so hehe
@Withoutwings (6992)
• United States
26 Jan 07
I went to the Library last semester to get books for my philosophy paper. They told me that I hadn't returned a book from the semester before. I said that I most certainly did and they kept arguing with me. And she said I should have never been allowed to register for classes when I had a book out that I hadn't returned. Finally I got the lady to get up off her rump and go look. And sure enough, she found the book. They had not checked it in right. (Our libraries here are mostly attached to the colleges - it benefits the college and the cities to have this arrangement.)
1 person likes this
@moonflowerpixy (536)
• United States
28 Jan 07
I had a similar experience with a dvd that I checked out from them. Let me know if you find it.:)lol
1 person likes this
@kareng (54724)
• United States
26 Jan 07
I have had similar problems here. I found that at one particular branch I had to stand there and wait for them to check the books I was returning back in. Sometimes they would say, we can't do it right now...please just leave them on the desk. I would not do that because of the same problem you are encountering. I would either wait for them to do it or return them later.
I started going to another library branch because of this. The people are friendlier there and I haven't had that problem again.
My advice is to stand and wait for them to be checked back in personally or find another library.
1 person likes this
@xParanoiax (6987)
• United States
29 Jan 07
Man, I hate it when libraries do that.
I go to quite a few libraries, so I kinda have to be fairly organized to return things..
Last year I had checked out a pretty lovely graphic novel with a boatload of ther books -- like I usually do..all librarians usually think its funny I check out twenty or thirty books at a time. I do really read them all..anyway, I returned it with the rest of them, and a few months later I got a notice in the mail saying that I needed to return it. I ignored it figuring they'd found out they'd made a mistake fairly soon and that I didn't have to worry about it. A few weeks later, another notice..I was too busy to answer it if I wanted to though, so again I ignored it. THIRD timeI called them up and said, rather concerned that I'd returned it with all the rest. I'd checked and double checked my room, since I do have a bad memory, and not finding it I knew for sure I had returned it. So they said they'd mark it missing.
I had to resolve not to borrow that many books from them any more since I didn't think they could keep track of them once I returned them.
More recently I had a book that was pretty late. Returned it, said I'd pay the late fee later, since I was broke..and when I went back to borrow something else -- they told me they couldn't let me borrow anything because I still had the late book! I didn't of course, and they found it a few days later, on the shelves, damaged. I payed the late fee then and now have a nice little stack of books I've already started on. I think they just had problems because they've a load of new staff they're training..so meh..the only library of the many I go to I don't haven't had any problems with is my local one..they're a small town library, and pretty efficient..so I don't know. Libraries can be kinda funky sometimes.
1 person likes this
@jennybeans (912)
• United States
1 Feb 07
My husband and I have always been avid library supporters! We've donated books, time, money and we've always encouraged our daughter to respect the library. One day about three years ago we went to the library on a Saturday, picked the books we wanted and went to get in line. My husband was checking out and the librarian told him he owed a serious fine (we're talking like thirty dollars,) because he never returned a two week educational video from the last time we checked out books. He went nuts. He did return it. He stuck it right in the slot with the rest of the videos we returned, but right away they got defensive and didn't believe him. He got angry and said they better start doing their jobs, and she sent someone upstairs to check on it. There it was... on the shelf! It'd been there the whole time. Did they apologize? No, she said, "everyone makes mistakes sir, you need to calm down."
He was so angry he refused to go to the library for about two months. So we go back finally, and he gets a book out. When we got home he noticed that book was water damaged, but he assumed it was due to some leaking they had in the fourth floor roof a few months back. It was water damage that would have taken months to set in. He reads the book, we take it back. Two days later we get a call from the librarian saying he's going to have to pay for the purchase of a new book since he damaged that one. He told her he took it out that way and she claimed that not a librarian in that place would have allowed that book to go out so extensively damaged. He fought with her about it for half an hour over the phone, then finally she told him that they would let him off this time, but if anything like it ever happened again, he would be held accountable!!!!!!!!(?????)
My husband is a HUGE lover of books. He can't stand to see someone bend the cover of a paperback around while they're reading it. LIke he'd lie about six month old water damage. Again, no apology. For an agency that is funded by the taxpayer's money, they really need to put their attitudes in check and respect the people who give to them again and again.
@beckyomg1 (6756)
• United States
28 Jan 07
wow that is crazy, but something like that always happens to me. I know that i have done something or turned something in and they say oh we will check on that and let you know.
@Lydia1901 (16351)
• United States
1 Feb 07
Yeah, that is just something. I remember one time the library said that I lost one of their books which I do not know how exactly I lost it. Somewhat I think it was my fault because I have checked out alot of books and lost track of them all. But, I thought that I did return them somehow. I guess I did not and I had to pay for it. So, from then on, I just checked out less books and try to get through one book before I have to get another one.
@lucy02 (5016)
• United States
26 Jan 07
There use to be some real snotty ladies that worked at our library. I lost my library card and was given a temporary slip until the card was mailed to me. Well I never got the card and I lost the slip of paper after carrying it around for months. Well they kept telling me that I couldn't get the card without the temporary slip. I knew this was crazy so I would ask again occasionally. Finally after about a year I found a librarian in a good mood and yes it was no problem for me to get another card.
@shywolf (4514)
• United States
26 Jan 07
Oh gosh, I am so sorry that this happened to you! :( I have had a few books that I was late returning the library, one of which I probably had in a drawer for months and didn't realize that I still had it, but I have never returned a book and then had the library claim that I didn't! :/ Wow. The worst that ever happened to me in regards to a library, and it wasn't their fault, was when I had a fire in my bedroom and lost a lot of stuff because of it, some library books and I think some records that I had borrowed (like vinyl records, I mean) were damaged. IN fact, come to thikn of it, it was possibly just records. i forgot how many records I used to check out till just now, lol! Anyway, I had to pay for those damaged records, which was sad on top of losing stuff on my own due to the fire. But I can't blame the library for that.
@styjt_sifar (49)
• India
26 Jan 07
hey these things are quite obvious bt u shd hv 2 proove d things in correlation wid other events it will help 2 make ur side strong ..also mk sure 2 note d returning book record in their register ...stayin calm is good solution
@slavena (87)
• Canada
26 Jan 07
I would hate if that happened to me!! It has never happened to me, but I guess that's because I don't really go to the library to take out books. My daughter is only two years old and she has hundreds of books, and she doesn't really need any specific ones. I myself don't really enjoy reading because I don't really have the time for it.
