The following is part of an on-going series of real conversations between real library staff and real patrons at a real library. Only the names have been changed. Patron: What happened to your card catalog? Librarian: We have three catalog computers...

The following is part of an on-going series of real conversations between real library staff and real patrons at a real library. Only the names have been changed. Bossy Mom: My son needs help with his report. Tell her what you're doing. Uninterested...

It was cold. It was very, very cold. I, Librarian Denisovich, could see my breath puff into a white cloud, form ice crystals and shatter right there at the reference desk. The boiler had failed us. Again. The director, away at a conference, had been...

A little old man puttering around with a walker approached the desk. "What can I do for you?" my colleague asked. "I have a question. I can't remember - what do you call those little Irish midgets?" he asked in a creaky voice. My colleague blinked,...

An actual exchange, passed along from a nursing school librarian: Senior Nursing Student: Um, if I want an article and we don't have the journal here, can you get it for me? Nursing School Librarian: Sure. I can either do an ILL or submit in via our...