Unfiltered Story #67042

(I’m a teenager working in the children’s section of the public library. I notice a woman with 3 children looking for a book for one of them.)

Woman: Well this story didn’t actually happen, which means it is non-fiction.

Me: Excuse me, ma’am. What book are you looking for?

Woman: [book]

Me: Okay, that’s a story, which means it is actually fiction. Non-fiction is factual. The fiction section is on this side of the aisle.

Woman: Oh, okay.

I walk away but then hear that she is looking for the book by its title. Our library, like every other library in the world, sorts books by author.

Me: The books are actually sorted by author.

Woman: Oh. [starts looking for author by author’s first name]

Me: [resists facepalming]

Me: They’re organized by the author’s last– Um, let me find that for you.