I got everything set up and my clerk and I were happily scanning books, then our Super Mega Awesome Volunteer showed up. I let her take over my station and went to get the laptop out of the broadcast room. For some reason it was having technical difficulties. After many trips to the tech guy's office and over and hour of time, I finally got it going. Problem was, my computer (the one the volunteer was using) wasn't making the satisfying "ba-dink" noise after each scan so she was having to eyeball each one to make sure it took. So we traded computers so she could have the satisfying "ba-dink" and I could go twiddle with mine. I never could get that sound working so just eyeballed it.
But then the wireless kept kicking hers off about every ten minutes or so and I'd have to wander over and log her back in. Extremely annoying but in the interest of time I decided that was better than bringing the tech guy back into this.
The reason we chose this week to do inventory was that it's the big state test for our 3rd-5th graders and the schedule is all wonky so it was easy to shut down circulation for a few days. I could handle the technical difficulties, but then a whole second grade class came in to use the computers. I told them that was fine but we couldn't help them because we were doing inventory. The teacher said that was okay, she was just waiting on the computer lab guy to come show them what they're supposed to do.
Well, the computer lab guy had all the second grades around the building in different labs and was setting each one up on something. Apparently we were last because my clerk had to spend 40 minutes logging these kids into computers and playing "Simon Says" with them before the guy came in to set them up on whatever program they were using.
And THEN they brought a 3rd grader down who couldn't test that day because she had to do it one-one-one and they wouldn't have that set up until tomorrow. They sent her down with a book and that's it. I told her we were busy and behind so she could goof on on computers or read but to leave us alone. I soon figured out why she needed to be tested one-on-one. She has the attention of a Tsetse Fly. She followed me around yammering and pulling books of shelves and generally driving me nuts. Finally I put on my headphones and gave her blank paper and markers to play with and that quieted her down some. When the clerk and volunteer saw me with the headphones they just about lost it.
But they did not blame me. No, not one bit.
Now for Day Two!
Hope we finish with the scanning because I have to take tomorrow off. I'm one of the chaperone's on my daughters class overnight field trip to the Atlanta Zoo. So yeah, I'm taking a day tomorrow. The sub can help the clerk run around and look for missing books. I'll be back in on Thursday to see what's what.
