Let me tell you a story about an obnoxious woman:

Awoman came in with her high-school student son. Her son forgot his ID card, and as such, we were not allowed to check out his books. This, apparently, was unacceptable to his mother (the jerk). She demanded that she apply for a library card. Her son warned her that she would have to pay, but she gruffly told him that didn't matter. In a very harried manner, she began to fill out an FOL because she didn't want to have to drive back here (it's an hour drive round trip). Meanwhile, her son filled out a 24 hour hold slip. When the mother discovered that it was a $50 donation for library privelages, she began to flip out.

"He [her son] only had to pay ten dollars!" she said.

Her son, very shame-facedly at his mother's poor manners, said that it was because he was a student. She then said she refused to pay fifty dollars and asked if I could just look him up. I explained to her that it's our policy to need his ID card to check out books to him.

"I'm his mother. Can't you use my ID card?"

Again, I explained to her that we need his ID card. I told her it was a security measure. This only made her angrier. Really, pardon me for looking out for the interest of her son's library privileges. She demanded that I look him up several more times before she demaned to talk to a supervisor. Of course, it's Saturday night, and we are supervisor-less. Again, this made her angrier. Then she looked at my name tag. "You're Sarah, right?"

I said yes ( as it was clearly written on MY nametag), and she scribbled my name down on a Due Date post-it. Then she stormed out of the library with her two sons. For both of whom I have the deepest sympathy.


So, let's take a moment to see where this crazy woman went wrong. First, she was a jerk. A really big jerk. If this weren't BYU and wasn't obligated to uphold the honor code by the picture of Harold B Lee staring me down, I'd use much stronger language. Use your imagination. If she'd been nice to me, I probably would have made an exception and looked her son up, like I did earlier for the very distrught and polite young woman who needed her books for a paper due on Monday.

Second, when you act like a psycho, people are not going to cooperate. I would definitely call her behavior suspicious and had she hung around a bit longer being a jerk, I think I may have called security because she was making me feel personally attacked. Not to mention it would have been immensely gratifying to watch her be escorted from the premises.

Third, what exactly is she going to do with my name? Is she going to call Bonnie or Jo Ann and tell them I'm following library policy too closely? That I'm doing my job too well? I sincerely hope that Bonnie/ Jo Ann tells me the aftermath of this encounter with a mad-woman.

So, if you are around when DJ, the poor high school student with braces and six or seven books to check out, comes back on Monday to check out his books, please be extra nice to him. It's not his fault his mother is crazy. And if his mom is with him, make sure you mention that it is policy to have his ID to check out books. And be really passive-aggressive about it.