Read Between The Signs
Life at the library is, like most things, a bit altered and somewhat surreal thanks to the pandemic. Since May 11th we have been doing Curbside Self Service which is just a grandiose way of saying, No, you can't come in, but we'll set your things outside for you.
It's rather strange getting called by our patrons while they sit in their cars in the parking lot, only for one of us to jot down their last name and phone number, while yet another one of us locates, checks out, and bags their items. Then the lucky employee who gets to be the face of the library during these uncertain times takes the bagged library items and walks out, gloved and masked, and sets said items on a cart for the patron to pick up. It is a very crisp, efficient, and isolated system.
I mean, we are providing our members with the materials they desire, but it all feels a bit strange. Our library is a small rural library, and as such we have a ton of members who are not, well, very adept in computer usage. Heck, some of them hate all things computerized. I have been on the receiving end many a time of some poor venting soul who was forced by circumstance to participate in the digital age. Getting yelled at by a frustrated, hubris-filled, humiliated older adult is always fun.
That said, an event happened Monday morning that was a stark reminder that even in the midst of all this change some things are still the same.
This week was one of those weeks where my poor co-workers just had things happen. That of course meant that I had to work extra hours. Our little group of library staff is like a family, so I never mind taking my turn to help out. Well, the exception being for 
It was then that I saw it.
First off, let me start by saying that at our library we do appreciate donations. Our problem is that we have very little space, and the value that people attribute to their possessions is separate from if an item is needed in a particular setting or not. There are some books that our library and I imagine most libraries do not need, those items are, in no particular order:
Sets of encyclopedias
Readers Digest Condensed books
Textbooks of any kind
Paperbacks that have dwelt in your aunt's musty, mouse infested basement for twenty-five years
Old magazines, even if they are National Geographic
I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea.
Well, this was the scene that greeted me as I walked up to open the library:
A couple of things simultaneously amused and enraged me.
First of all, I always joke with my coworkers that NO ONE READS THE SIGNS. EVER! You know how I know this? That sign right above the stack of discarded books says in big bold letters that We are not accepting donations at this time. You know, because of this little thing called Covid. Of course, that hasn't stopped people from putting a donation or two into the book return. Because people don't read signs.
The second thing that got my feathers all ruffled is that I now had to deal with other people's garbage, because that is what the entire pile was, a pile of musty, outdated garbage. I think my rage mainly erupted because I had to throw all those books in the garbage bin, as I had no other option to deal with them. They were not in usuable condition, and let me tell you, people don't line up to take twenty-five year old education major textbooks or encyclopedias from 1965. It doesn't matter how much they cost, they all end up in the same place. This is sad and I don't like it either, but I think it is the height of entitlement mentality and inconsideration to dump your non needed or desired things on another human to deal with, especially without their consent.
Now, I am sure that some probably think I am being a touch female doggish here, but honestly, after dealing with this sort of thing for almost a decade there are just moments I get fed up. I suppose it is because I am a touch fed up with a lot of human behavior right now. There seems to be no respect for the individual and group think is reigning supreme in many aspects of our lives right now.
If people would just take a smidgen of time and consider how their actions in any given moment would affect others rather than focusing on their desires of the moment, things might be a little less in turmoil. But then again, I am probably deluded, as most folks have already proven they don't stop to read the signs.
And as most of the time, unless otherwise cited, the image in this post was taken on the author's non condensed version and currently suffering from a mold and dust aversion iPhone.