I Work in a Public Library: A Collection of Crazy Stories From The Stacks

Author: Gina Sheridan
Genre: Non-Fiction
Type: Paperback
Pages: 160
Source: Local Public Library
Publisher: Adams Media
First Published: July 2014

Opening Lines: "A Cold War spy in desperate search of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Cuckoo Carol dumpster diving for cans ... again, and the ineveitable fact that one day, somewhere, human excrement will end up on the floor. Maybe you expect these kinds of things to happan on, say, reality TV, but you never expect this to happen in your local library. However, as any pulic librarian will tell you, happen they do!"

Book Description from GoodReads: From a patron's missing wetsuit to the scent of crab cakes wafting through the stacks, I Work at a Public Library showcases the oddities that have come across Gina Sheridan's circulation desk. Throughout these pages, she catalogs her encounters with local eccentrics as well as the questions that plague her, such as, "What is the standard length of eyebrow hairs?" Whether she's helping someone scan his face onto an online dating site or explaining why the library doesn't have any dragon autobiographies, Sheridan's bizarre tales prove that she's truly seen it all.

Stacked high with hundreds of strange-but-true stories, I Work at a Public Library celebrates librarians and the unforgettable patrons that roam the stacks every day.

My Rating: 2 stars

My Review: As a Library Assistant myself, I was drawn to this book for obvious reasons. Non-Library folk often have no idea of the antics and varied elements that make up a Library staffer's day. So, I went into this book expecting a funny read featuring outlandish patrons and outrageous experiences, but the incidents ranged from dull to cute to silly misunderstandings to mildly funny at best (with a few that, unfortunately, felt disrespectful to some library patrons). 

While this self-proclaimed book nerd liked that Sheridan organizes her chapters using the Dewey Decimal system, overall, I wasn't impressed with this book. I just don't think it comes close to the odd and sometimes humorous interactions, questions and requests that I've personally experienced as library staff.