Danger! Enter at your own risk!

Ahh . . . libraries. Those bastions of knowledge. Those hallowed halls of books. Those homeless shelters???

Most people erroniously assume that libraries are safe havens. And for the most part they are. However there is some serious crap that happens in a libraries. And I am not talking about shushing someone who giggles too loud. I am talking about psycho, insane, sick stuff.

I have only been working in public libraries for about 3+ years and the number of instances of sheer insanity and criminality are shocking. And that doesn't even include the mildly bizarre or somewhat amusing. Personally I love the randomness, but I could live without the danger.

Cases in point:

• Busting patrons for the selling and buying of porn in the magazine racks.
• Stopping a fire with my feet in a field next to the library set by vagrant children. There went my lunch break.
• Finding a gun/bb gun in the library just left around like it belonged.
• Evacuating due to a massive gas leak that could cause the building to explode.
• Calling the cops on a flasher.
• Entering the elevator only to gag because it smells like warm pee. Twice.
• Putting out of order signs on the mens room because someone intentionally did not make it. Twice.
• Calling the cops on junior high misfits. Weekly.
• Busting patrons for looking at porn. Monthly.
• Schizophrenic woman barks like a dog and jumps like a monkey. Called the police to forcible remove her.
• Finding weed in CD cases.
• Calling EMS because a woman passed out and hit her head on the shelves on her way down.

My fellow public library veterans shared these stories:

• finding the limb of a deer underneath the children's computers.
• Used condoms in the stacks
• A patron who wanted to feel everyone's feet
• Dead patrons in the library

So when you come into the library please do not assume that your books/laptop/children are free to be left anywhere. While you are looking at our marvelous books or using one of our excellent databases please remember we are a PUBLIC library, which means anyone can come in.