When Library Visits Go Wrong: What to Do in Five Common Disappointing Library Scenarios

Introduction

We love libraries here at Pages Unbound! And we love celebrating them! Sometimes, however, a trip to the library does not go exactly as planned. Below are a few scenarios you might encounter that can make a library trip disappointing–and what you might do to make your trip more of a success.

A book is missing from the series you want to read.

I used to think that a missing book in a series at the library meant I could not read the series. I had some vague notion that the library staff must be aware that the book was missing, and they apparently did not care. One day, however, I saw someone tell staff that a series they wanted to read was missing a book–and the staff put the book on order for them! I realized that the staff were not actually aware of the status of every book in the collection, and that they were probably relying on patrons to notify them when books in series were missing.

Now I regularly inform the library when a book in a series is missing, and I want to read it. Some staff might just offer to request the book from another library, but others will pass on the purchase request. After all, it benefits them to have all the books in a series, so people keep reading the other books that are still on the shelves! My library also now has a purchase request form that I can fill in online, instead of talking to staff. Stating that the book I want ordered is one missing from a series has so far always resulted in the book being purchased for me.

You don’t see the new release you wanted to read.

This scenario is similar to the one above. Talk to a librarian about putting in a purchase request for a book, or see if there is an online form you can fill out to ask that the library purchase a specific title. Often, this process will automatically put you on hold for the book, so you should be the first to get it when it arrives!

A book is dirty or damaged, or a DVD case is broken.

If a book is damaged, you can tell the staff. I highly recommend this because you do not want to be charged for any damage you are not responsible for. If possible, show the damage to staff at checkout so they can make a note of it. You can also call if you notice the damage at home, and are worried you might be charged. (I would personally only do this for something egregious, not something like a half-inch rip on page 352, unless your library is unusually devoted to charging for what is along the lines of normal wear and tear.)

I have also successfully shown broken DVD cases to the checkout staff, and had them put the disc in a new case so I would not get sliced by shards of broken plastic. I know it can feel awkward to talk to the staff sometimes, but if you are polite about it, most staff are going to be polite and helpful in return.

You forgot to bring your library card.

Most libraries allow you to show photo ID instead and they can look up your account. Only one library ever refused to do this for me, but I got the impression that the staff member was just not very friendly and did not want to bother. After all, if I had lost my library card completely, they would presumably look at my ID to get me a new one! But I was in a hurry that day, so I didn’t stick around to pursue the matter.

The staff do not understand what you are asking.

Sometimes I have what I suppose are unusual requests for public libraries–I am looking for something like a very specific edition of a book or a particular translation or a book usually carried by academic libraries. Oftentimes, such requests can result in confusion on the part of library staff, who might try to tell me that they will not put in an ILL request for a book because “they already have it,” even though the book they have is a different edition or translation than the one I want. They do not understand that the books are not the same and not interchangeable. Since I’m used to confusing library staff by now, the best solution I have found is going in prepared. I will have everything written down, especially the ISBN, to make sure that they are requesting the exact edition I want, and not something like an abridged version or a children’s retelling or who knows what!

To be honest, this strategy does not always work for me, and I have still left libraries without being able to obtain what I was looking for. One library even curtly informed me to stop asking for a material, even though I only kept asking because they kept sending me the wrong item–and I even wrote notes in my request to explain as much. Other possibilities to find the correct item might be asking another staff member or even trying to see if a local academic library will give out cards to the public (usually for a fee), since academic libraries are presumably more accustomed to filling specific or niche requests. There are a few possible solutions, if one is willing to put in the effort to try.

What are some common library disappointments you have experienced? How did you solve them?