I was planning on sharing some lovely pictures from the library that I'm volunteering at, but unfortunately I couldn't go in today. I have an eye infection - yuck! You know that recall on Complete Contact Lense solution in Canada, well I've been using it. I booked an appointment at a clinic today before I even heard the news that this solution may be harbouring an evil little amoeba. It may be unrelated...I sure hope it is.
So alas my day was muddled, I slept to rest my weepy eye, and now it's midnight and I'm thinking it's a good time to blog.
I've been doing some reading for a week long summer institute on literacy that I'm attending at the university next week. I've been trying to track down books by the various guest speakers. On Friday I decided to go to the library. Too late. The library closed at four o-clock. Yes, really no wonder everyone leaves work early on Fridays. On Saturday I decided to try again. However, only the first floor of the library was open (housing textbooks only). I decided to at least gain access to electronic resources by visiting. Well, for starters, the front doors were locked. You can only enter through the side. That seems a tad bit unwelcoming to me, though I'm sure there is a good reason. Okay, so next I walked through to the nearest computer terminals. I could not access any of the ebrary books through those terminals. Keep in mind that I can't read any of the signage so it's trial and error. I decided to ask the lone staff person reading a newspaper on a stool at circulation (where all the lights were primarily off, leaving him to squint his way through the sports pages). I tried my standard Do you speak English phrase and received embarassed shaking of the head and shrugging. Okay, so I did what countless non-English speakers have done to me, I pointed at the book citation in my notebook and indicated that I was looking for it. This is where it gets disapointing. He continued to shrug and say I don't know. Now, he was sitting in front of a computer. I know Mr. Newspaper Reader wasn't a librarian, but he was the sole staff member in the building. Feeling close to tears, I smiled and said, it's okay, kitos, hei hei and walked away...wandering aimlessly seeking an available computer work station. I gave up and went home for a little cry.
I don't know why, but my inability to communicate really frustrates and upsets me sometimes. In some aspects of life it's more relaxing. When a drunken crazy person stumbles up to you chattering away, you just say, sorry I don't speak Finnish (Supple Scientist even does this -the lier!!) and the majority of advertising, billboards, flashing electronic signs, just mean nothing. There are fewer books, newspapers, magazines, fewer items of interest in the store, as a consumer your world recedes and simplifies.
I returned to the library on Monday and got some help from a very smartly clad and professional librarian (the only one in the library at the single reference desk!!) - I am not incompetent, the catalogue is simply incorrect. The book I was looking for has no holdings information and the electronic copy was not working for some reason. Hurrah! Unfortunately her phone was ringing off the hook, and having sympathy I left her alone though a myriad of questions were bursting to tumble out across that reference desk. I still can't find a book. Not a single book. It is a completely different system from the public library and not LC like in Canada (and it is baffling). I have to say though that I genuinely prefer the public library in terms of staffing, organization, it's much larger, and there are lots of nice places to sit and work...I'll be spending more time at the university library this week...so we'll see if it grows on me.
Photo credit: Amelie
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