Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Everyone in their place








It is 2:45 at the library and no one is where they are supposed to be.

A complicated public institution, like the large library I work at, runs on reasonably detailed schedules. But even more so it runs on a lot of workers generally being wherever they absolutely have to be and then doing whatever the hell they want the rest of the time.

I was talking to a volunteer, though I was supposed to be shelving. Another person who was supposed to be shelving was looking at things in the donation room. A third person who was to shelve in non fiction was walking around looking important. The person handling the giant automated self check in machine was... missing. The person on the phones was in the break room, looking for something decent to eat, even though there wasn't anything. Our front desk staff was in the Circulation office.

And out of the corner of my eye I saw a manager. He looked kind of upset that no one was where they were supposed to be. 

It gave me an uneasy feeling.

And then I realized that he was supposed to be home. 

It was his day off.












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