Big Monster, Small Act Of Kindness

(It’s common procedure for us to pull books off the shelf that are damaged, outdated, or haven’t been checked out in a long time, delete them from the system, and get rid of them via book sale or donating to charity. My boss has just pulled a few dozen books for deletion, but they haven’t been removed from the system yet. A boy comes to the front desk.)

Boy: “I’m looking for a Godzilla book, but it’s not on the shelf.”

Me: “It could be that it’s checked out. Would you like me to put it on hold for you?”

Boy: “But the computer says it’s in.”

(I check the computer, and the boy’s right — the book is listed as available, but is not on the shelf. After some searching we discover the book is in the back waiting to be deleted, as it’s older and hasn’t been checked out in years.)

Me: *to the boss* “Should we put it back on the shelf for him?”

Boss: “Here, let me handle it.”

(And my boss takes the Godzilla book, deletes it from our system, removes the barcode, and goes out front and gives it to the boy.)

Boss: “This book is yours to keep. You don’t ever have to bring it back!”

(The expression on the boy’s face was priceless — he not only found the book he wanted, but he got to keep it as his own! I have a very sweet boss, and this is just one of the many small but memorable good deeds she does on a regular basis.)