[Publib] (no subject)

[lhyten at OLATHEKS.ORG]

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From: "Lorie Hyten" <lhyten at olatheks.org>
To: "'publib'" <publib at webjunction.org>
Subject: RE: [Publib] Venting and a situation
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2006 16:27:29 -0500
Message-ID: <002401c6bd8c$f2e876f0$7e01a8c0 at olathe.lib.ks.us>
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Wish I could give you a hug....yes, happens here far too often and seems to
just go with the territory. As a matter of policy at my library, the public
is not allowed to verbally abuse staff and can be asked to leave the library
for doing so. It always helps to have someone superior step in and handle
that. Not long ago a man was being verbally abusive to a clerk, ranting and
raving etc. - when I tried to talk reasonably with him he said such and such
was "bu*****t." I told him he would be asked to leave if he persisted in
using that language. He calmed down just a bit and eventually left. No fun,
not why I went to library school and no classes really prepare you for
dealing with this........well, what that guy said.

Lorie Hyten

Reference
Olathe Public Library
201 E. Park
Olathe, KS
(913) 971-6887
lhyten at olatheks.org 

-----Original Message-----
From: Michele Haytko [mailto:michele.haytko at gmail.com] 
Sent: Friday, August 11, 2006 3:58 PM
To: publib
Subject: [Publib] Venting and a situation

I am on the verge of a breakdown and just wanted to get some other
public library opinions of a situation.

Never before, in 10 years of library service, have I been called the
names I've been called or put up with the verbal abuse that I put up
with now.  (I have snipped my signature because I dont want to draw
attention to my library, but rather to the situation).  Just moments
ago, a woman, who has been screaming at her four kids- who have been
running in and out of our small room of the library-, on her cell
phone, talking loudly, etc., just freaked out on me- because I told
her child, for the FOURTH time, to stop running.  In the forty minutes
that she has been here, I have had to ask her to get off her cell,
stop yelling at her kids, stop yelling in general, ask her kids to
stop running, then the four comments to her kids.  She just walked
back to my desk and yelled at me, said I had "one of those"
personalities, where I liked to disrespect people, etc., etc.

I am at my wits end, ready to walk out and not come back, not because
today has been bad, but because I'm tired of being called a bitch
(pardon the language and being yelled at, when all I am trying to do
is help people.  Given the hugs and the smiles and the "thank yous"
make up for so much, but some days, the mean spirited people just hit
me harder.

Do other people in public libraries share these experiences?  How do
you handle them?  And for library directors, how do you handle when
your staff report instances like this?  How do you handle patrons who
mistreat staff?  If a staff person gave back what a patron dished out,
would they be reprimanded, and if so, do you equally reprimand a
patron who is verbally assaultive to a staff member who doesn't "fight
back"?

Hope everyone else's Friday is ending better than mine is.

Michele

-- 

**************)0(**************
Mrs. C. Michele Haytko
michele.haytko at gmail.com

Just because I am paranoid doesn't mean they are not after me..
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