Roz,

I both want to applaud you (and I did!) and hug you for being a great human being. Wielding all that power for good…sigh.

Although not exactly related I remember a librarian who was a little bit capricious with her powers. This was a long time ago (my daughter is now 34 but was 4 at the time) so I guess I’m harboring a really harsh grudge.

I went into the library to return books. I was in San Antonio, Texas and it was the summer and the air conditioner in my car was broken. The books were covered in clopay (isn’t that what that clear plastic is called) and I had my daughter in tow. I had her by one hand and the books cradled in my arm and wedged against my body so I wouldn’t drop them as I walked the 200 yards or so into the building.

The librarian took the books from me and pushed them back and asked me really loudly,

“What is this wetness?”

I am southern and thus was raised never, ever to perspire. I didn’t realize how damp the books had gotten on my short walk and to be frank I’m not sure it was really all that bad.

I admitted my mistake to the library lady and she insisted that I dry them off. I asked her for a paper towel, trying my best to comply, and she told me NO.

When I turned to go to the ladies room to see if there were towels available there, she asked me in an unnecessarily loud voice where I thought I was going. I explained and she told me to wipe them on my dress.

Since what I was wearing was not a dress with enough extra fabric that this would be easy to accomplish without exposing parts of my skin that I didn’t wish to expose I deferred and continued on my way to the bathroom.

She yelled at me again. With those sweaty books still sitting on the desk I turned and left. I may be southern and polite in an over zealous way but was raised by my Dad who taught me never to let anyone yell at me for no good reason.

Even though I still think, after thirty years, that she was a horrible human being, I do think you are one of the good ones.

P.S. I started taking my daughter to another library and had trouble with a librarian at the downtown library too but I’ll save that story for later.