yet another day in the library....

We wear many hats.....
At approximately 3:00 Ms. Miller reported to me that there was a Solo Cup sitting on the grate by the entrance with a suspicious liquid in it. I walked over and the red solo cup was filled to the brim with a yellow foamy liquid...either urine or beer.  I put on gloves and took it into the bathroom to dispose of it.  The smell indicated it was beer.  I poured it down the toilet and threw the Solo cup into the trash.
A few minutes later patron Anthony  checked out his items and asked the circ staff what had happened to his cup.  They told him it had been disposed of, as alcoholic beverages were not allowed in the library. Mr Pastor became very upset and I was asked to come out and speak to him.  I reiterated that alcoholic beverages were not allowed in the library and neither were uncovered cups.  He asked for his cup back and I told him that it had been disposed of.  He got very belligerent with me at this point and said that the cup contained "near beer" and that it was my responsibility to go to the liquor store and replace it.  I informed him that I have no way of telling if something is "near" or "real" beer and that it was still an uncovered container in the library.  At this point he started yelling at me directly, said "Fuck You" and I asked him to leave.  He refused to leave and Don dialed 911.  he kept disputing the rules and I asked Leslie to print a copy of the library Rules and Regulations for him.  I told Mr Pastor I would highlight the rules he had broken and he needed to leave.
Mr Pastor said "You can highlight my ass!" and left.  A few minutes later Officer Connor responded.  He had seen Mr Pastor walking down the street and asked if we wanted him brought back to the library.  We said no.  Officer Connor left to speak with him.
This is (at least) our second alcohol related incident with Mr. Pastor.    At his next incident he should be asked to leave for 1 week.  I do believe he was drunk today, but not nearly as badly as the previous incident.

I love BPK library...
Regular patron Mr. Bowen  (known to staff as "The General") came into BPK about 1:00 today.  I had seen him before at the branch but (deliberately) did not engage with him.  He asked Meg who I was and I shook his hand.
He started talking nonsensically about staff members in what I perceived to be a derogatory fashion.  I asked him several times if there was something I could help him find, because I did not want to take the bait.  He found this offensive and rattled off his war credentials and number of medals and asked me what kind of military background I had (once again trying to bait me).  I asked him if there was something I could help him find.
He said something about the staff using the word n*****, which I said I had never used in my life.  He said other staff did and he could read lips and that they used the word often.
At this point he said the word "faggot" loudly (I cannot remember in what context) and I told him that word was inappropriate for use in the library.  He then said it was a British word for cigarette and kept repeating it loudly over and over.  Patrons were staring, and custodian Dave Moore came to stand by me at the desk.  I asked Mr. Bowen to leave.  He did, but very slowly and making loud conversations with cornered patrons along the way.
After he did leave, a female patron reported that he was yelling at an African American man outside as he left the property.  By the time I got to the window, the African American man was gone and Mr. Bowen was nearly off the property.
Mr Bowen is a long time patron and known to be argumentative, and sometimes verbally abusive to staff.  We do believe he is mentally unstable.  He has asked several times where Natalie Edington went and though was told she was promoted seems to think he got her fired.  He also believes he is related to Chief of HR Ms. Bowen and shares this with every staff member he meets.

Please....get a room.
At about 7:30 pm Peter saw Mr. Wrenn, at Public PC #8, viewing pornography.   Peter told him to take the site down and told him that viewing pornography meant immediate expulsion from the library. 

The patron complied but then commented that he didn’t appreciate staff members taking photos of him.   When Peter asked him for details, he said that this has happened at least 10 times.  Peter asked if he could point out any of the staff members who had done this.  Mr. Wrenn could not.  Peter asked what the staff members were using to take the photos.  Mr. Wrenn said that they were using cell phones and cameras.  Mr. Wrenn said that other patrons also take pictures of him, and he described a patron who had been sitting at a nearby table earlier that night.  Mr. Wrenn said that he didn’t mind posing for photos with people, but he didn’t like people taking photos of him without his permission.  He said he had been considering calling the police about it.  Peter asked him if he wanted to call the police and offered to place the call.  Mr. Wrenn declined the offer.   Peter said that if Mr. Wrenn ever saw someone taking his photo, he should report it to a staff member right away. 

Mr. Wrenn left the building shortly after this.   Peter’s warning to Mr. Wrenn was the first verbal warning about viewing pornography.   We’ll instigate the formal banning procedures if there is a second violation.

One of our teenage pages added that Mr. Wrenn had been staring at her while she shelved nearby.   She said she took her cell phone out of her pocket a few times to check the time, which Mr. Wrenn might have observed.   She added that on an earlier occasion Mr. Wrenn had engaged another teenage page in conversation.   She said that she and the other page both find him “creepy.”   Another staff member observed that Mr. Wrenn seems to be “scoping things out” when he is in the building and paying undue attention to females.

In a case search of the District Court, we found that Mr. Wrenn was charged in December 2011 with first degree assault, second degree assault, and reckless endangerment.  His case has not yet gone to trial.