Today it was unusually busy at the desk. Lots of families in and out and lots of questions, plus 3 different middle school classes. The school groups were each in and out in 15 minutes, but it was a flurry of activity while they were here! Hustling to select a book, then rushing to check out, and of course several of them didn't have their cards so I had to look them up. Invariable, at least half of those also had accounts that had expired so I then had to renew them before they could check out. But, I still managed to get them all checked-out in the few minutes they had. Fortunately, the school groups all came through and were gone before things got really busy with other patrons.
After the school kids left, families started coming in and I ended up having a few reference questions. One young girl was interested in learning American Sign Language, so I helped find some beginner books on ASL, and told that we also had DVD's, and that you can find videos online that show you how. Then her sister decided she wanted to learn some Spanish, so I helped her find some Spanish vocabulary and conversation books.
Later a kindergarten teacher came in looking for books about photosynthesis, and surprisingly, we didn't have any. I really thought we would have at least one, but no. So I looked through all the general plant books and found a couple that had some information about photosynthesis that would work for what she needed. Then I had a daycare worker who wanted to find some traditional folk tales and nursery rhymes, and I helped him locate them and select the versions that were most appropriate for preschool-aged children.
I also had some patrons who needed reader's advisory, one looking for something similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and another looking for a new series for a child who enjoyed Junie B. Jones. I suggested Big Nate for the first, and Clementine or Judy Moody for the latter. One of the students also needed some help selecting a fantasy for her required school reading, and I showed her a few different ones, and she ended up choosing one of Tamora Pierce's books.
Along with all of this, I had several patrons with simple directional or informational questions, a card renewal, several checkouts, pulled all the materials for holds or transfer, straightened up the shelves after the school groups blew through, and still managed to find time in between to cut out some things for storytime!
I much prefer busy days like this! For one, the time passes faster, but I really do enjoy interacting with patrons and helping people find the information and books they need. I find it not only gratifying to be able to help so many people, but energizing as well.
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