# Stupid library patrons **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 15, 2005, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104 "2005-08-15T15:43:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104/81 "2005-08-21T20:56:55Z")
No rush…I just wasn’t sure if you had seen the replies or not. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104/82 "2005-08-21T21:09:27Z")
Nope, I saw it. 🙂 Robin ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104/83 "2005-08-21T22:47:10Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > People actually do that? What, do they think it’s their right since their tax dollars are funding the library? 😕 They’re on a mission from God, but without the good music. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104/84 "2005-08-21T23:49:00Z")
> [@TVeblen](#): > > Our worst was some very ripe roadkill–a squashed racoon–dumped in the dookdrop. In summer. Over $2000 worth of books were destroyed, as well as the spring-loaded cart inside, because we couldn’t get the stench cleaned out of it. > > You don’t even want to image what cleaning out the bookdrop was like. Wha? Why the HELL would someone do that? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104/85 "2005-08-22T00:24:28Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Wha? Why the HELL would someone do that? The poorbox at the church was full? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104/86 "2005-08-22T01:59:28Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Wha? Why the HELL would someone do that? A lot of pranksters don’t think beyond the original idea, “This will be really gross and funny,” to consider the potential costs of their alleged joke. As an example, those teens last year (I think) in Massachusetts who put out a large truck tire in the middle of the road just thought that it would be ‘neat’ to see the lights of cars swerving to avoid it. They certainly hadn’t considered that someone driving home from college would not see it in time to react and avoid it, instead crashing and getting killed. Similarly, I can imagine someone going through the dropping of the roadkill into the box without considered the financial costs associated with it. (And worse, there are some assholes out there, who wouldn’t care even if they had considered that.) ---
**Author:** ![Tinkertoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f19dbf/32.png) [@Tinkertoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinkertoy)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104/87 "2005-08-22T06:38:17Z")
> [@infamousmom](#): > > I found a 3-pack of condoms in the book drop once. > > Unused, fortunately. We found a neatly wrapped loaded revolver. Turned out that someone had stolen it, had a change of mind and wanted a “safe” way of retunring it to the police. :eek: We have one lady now who wants us to bid for items on Ebay for her and call her when they get here. Then if they’re what she wants she will pay us. She is the same one who asked us to go through 94 years worth of newspapers and put together a history of the town for a class she was taking. ---
**Author:** ![Tinkertoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f19dbf/32.png) [@Tinkertoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinkertoy)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104/88 "2005-08-22T06:46:14Z")
> [@TVeblen](#): > > Our worst was some very ripe roadkill–a squashed racoon–dumped in the dookdrop. In summer. Over $2000 worth of books were destroyed, as well as the spring-loaded cart inside, because we couldn’t get the stench cleaned out of it. > > You don’t even want to image what cleaning out the bookdrop was like. I never thought I would be grateful for **only** finding a gun. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104/89 "2005-08-22T14:32:19Z")
> [@TVeblen](#): > > Our worst was some very ripe roadkill–a squashed racoon–dumped in the **dookdrop**. \ {Bolding mine} I just wanted to point out this lovely, appropriate typo. 😃 People stealing books on subjects they don’t agree with from libraries? That would never have occurred to me. Mind-boggling. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2005, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104/90 "2005-08-23T04:26:40Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > The poorbox at the church was full? > 😃 Okay that made me giggle like a schoolgirl. ---
**Author:** ![xbuckeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9e8a1a/32.png) [@xbuckeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xbuckeye)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104/91 "2005-08-23T16:58:49Z")
I’ve also been told by a good authority that children’s book dealing with same-sex parents tend to dissappear and they are always replaced. More recently, replaced with books (the same titles) containing anti-theft devices imbedded into the spine. And anything involving roadkill is only funny until something gets ruined…but up until then, it is hilarious. I draw the line somewhere after someone’s (old, crappy) car hood, but before a book drop, that just ain’t right. Maybe in winter, if well-wrapped and dessicated so it could be more like “hmmm…a package in the book drop…wonder what it is” On second thought, that would probably get the bomb squad called in and that wouldn’t be too funny…I’ll stick to car hoods and birthday presents. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104/92 "2005-08-23T19:57:16Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > People stealing books on subjects they don’t agree with from libraries? That would never have occurred to me. Mind-boggling. The only time it did occur to me was when I found a copy of Immanuel Velikovsky’s _Worlds in Collision_ in the Astronomy section of my local library, right next to a book by Carl Sagan. I would never actually follow through, but it did just cross my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Sweetums](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Sweetums](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweetums)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104/93 "2005-08-24T16:18:29Z")
In our library, the book most likely to get stolen is the ASVAB study book. Yes, some people who want to be in the United States Armed Forces start out their carriers by stealing books from the library. ``` Just got off the phone with a patron who wanted to know if I could locate a long lost reletive whom they have never met, was last heard from 30 years ago, and they weren't sure of the spelling of the first name. Madam, belive it or not, I'm a librarian, not a private detective, and belive it or not, locating somone like this would take even a PI longer than one five minute phone call. ``` ---
**Author:** ![Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eada6e/32.png) [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104/94 "2005-08-24T23:49:27Z")
> [@Sweetums](#): > > In our library, the book most likely to get stolen is the ASVAB study book. Yes, some people who want to be in the United States Armed Forces start out their carriers by stealing books from the library. > > ``` > Just got off the phone with a patron who wanted to know if I could locate a long lost reletive whom they have never met, was last heard from 30 years ago, and they weren't sure of the spelling of the first name. > > Madam, belive it or not, I'm a librarian, not a private detective, and belive it or not, locating somone like this would take even a PI longer than one five minute phone call. > > ``` This might just be my old town, but my old library actually functioned partly as a genaelogical service. Maybe that’s what she thought you were? ---
**Author:** ![Sweetums](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Sweetums](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweetums)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104/95 "2005-08-25T18:11:10Z")
> [@Go You Big Red Fire Engine](#): > > This might just be my old town, but my old library actually functioned partly as a genaelogical service. Maybe that’s what she thought you were? ``` Yes we have an extensive genelogy department. However she was not trying to locate an ancestor, or even a living person who might be living in this town, rather she was trying to track down a person, who may or may not be still alive several counties away, and from the story she told me (too long to repeat here), may not want to be located. ``` [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-library-patrons/317104.md?page=4)