(no subject)

[darchildre]

Conversations at the library:

Elderly patron: So, are you manning the fort all on your own today?

Me: Nope - we're not allowed to open if there's only one of us. Kelly's around in the stacks.

Elderly patron: Well, the answer to that is to get all of you pistol permits.

Me: ...while security is certainly something we think about, a large part of the issue is the ability to properly serve the number of patrons who come in and get all our work done, rather than shooting people.

Elderly patron: I'll talk to the NRA for you.





I am in a tiny small-town library in a tiny semi-rural small town. Although gun violence is a possibility (as it is everywhere in the US), it strikes me as pretty unlikely. It's not like we're running a library in a lawless frontier town in the Old West or something.

...why yes, I am now imagining Sparks Nevada running a library, why do you ask?

Comments

[silveradept]

Not to mention that we don't really want to have people with pistols in the library, regardless of what state law says.

[zhelana]

rofl oh man. When I think about robbing someone, it's totally the library I think of. I mean, all that money the libraries have just lying around just screams "rob me!" no? :p

[darchildre]

We actually have been robbed, but not at gunpoint. Some teenaged kid broke in at night and stole $50. And was caught almost immediately.

He was not particularly scary.

[zhelana]

That is strange. I would not have guessed that, but I guess teenagers might be doing it more just to do it than out of desperation, so they might be willing to go for a lower amount. Who knows?

[willidan]

I work in a college library. We have lock down drills for the campus. It's a bit ridiculous because we have giant floor to ceiling windows, that are probably not bullet proof, all over the library. I run scenarios through my mind about where the best place to take cover would be. It won't happen, but I still like to plan for the crazy days.

[darchildre]

Oh, sure - we do lockdown drills too. Preparedness is important. I just don't think that the staff being armed would be a great help.

[willidan]

Oh, no, arming staff would be all kinds of bad. Very bad. Especially with moral so low right now. ;)