Unfiltered Story #246718

My library suffered a devastating fire on a Tuesday. The flames are put out quickly, but there is debris (glass, wood, siding, DVD cases, office supplies, books, etc) all over the front lawn. By Wednesday, all of the windows are boarded up and the staff are allowed supervised entry to retrieve some personal items. While standing in the parking lot, respirator masks and heavy duty black gloves on, a car pulls up.

Patron, getting out of car: Hey, I need to return this! *waves library item*
Coworker: Um, I’m sorry but there was a fire yesterday and we are currently closed for the foreseeable future.
Patron: Oh, I’d heard there was a fire. But you guys are all here, so you’re open right?
Coworker: *flabbergasted* No, I’m sorry. The fire damaged much of the building, we have no power, all the windows are boarded over, and a third of our collection is in the front lawn. We aren’t open.

This conversation went back and forth for a good five minutes before my coworker managed to convince the patron to visit another library ten minutes away. Then I walk up to her.

Me: … what in the *%^%* was that?!
Coworker: I… I don’t know.
Me: How did you not lose your cool with them?!
Coworker: I was too shocked!
Me: What part of the windows being boarded up, our collection being in the front yard, the cleaning company being here with a dumpster, and us in masks and gloves screams ‘WE’RE OPEN FOR BUSINESS’?!

Unfortunately we still have patrons flagging us down if they see us around, trying to give us their items to return… as if we have any place to put them, or computer to process them on…