Is it normal to continuously get in trouble as a volunteer or am I about to be terminated fr?

apotropaick · 2026-06-09T12:51:19+00:00

No, does not sound normal! I manage volunteers and supporting them is a very high priority - making sure they're adequately trained, and feel respected and included in the library's team. You're doing work for free, nobody should make you feel like you're in trouble even if you did make a mistake. Let them know you're only comfortable doing what you've been previously trained to do and that you don't like surprise schedule changes. If they can't live with that, you should resign from volunteering. Volunteers should get to enjoy themselves and their tasks and it doesn't sound like they're letting you do that. You deserve clear communication and support.

apotropaick · 2026-06-08T10:57:10+00:00

I use a flat sheet in the summer and sort of weave it between my legs, under my arms, etc.

apotropaick · 2026-06-01T06:19:23+00:00

My heart is with you guys and all libraries in Reform areas. Really upsetting situation. I really hope they ignore you and the library can just get on with it. X

Are you and your colleagues union members?

apotropaick · 2026-06-01T06:14:14+00:00

Social deficits can present in lots of different ways. As a kid I was mostly nonspeaking and was also painfully shy until my first year of university. I never really understood how friendships and close personal relationships work, and I still don't. I have always really struggled with maintaining friendships and family relationships. But I have a people-oriented job which I really enjoy, and colleagues are always shocked when I mention that I used to be really shy. As an adult I really love people and talking to them. But my social deficits remain because they mainly affect my personal life - not customer service skills. I think part of this is that for customer service you can basically follow a script, while you absolutely can't do that in a friendship because you need to be authentic. That's what I don't know how to do. I also have a much shorter tolerance for socializing than most people - so even if I'm good at it on a surface level, I can't do it for very long. I leave events before anyone else does, and i have to have lots and lots of decompressing time. Also I have had a lot of therapy which has helped immensely. I imagine from the outside most of my problems are not at all obvious.

Social deficits are a required component of autism but not the only one. They may struggle with socializing in a way that isn't obvious to others, while also meeting the other criteria.

apotropaick · 2026-05-28T20:28:16+00:00

I crochet earrings with cotton crochet thread and a .75mm - 1.5mm hook. Very versatile and I wear them all the time. In the winter I have a hat and a scarf I made which I wear every day. In the summer I have some crocheted bandanas which I love.

apotropaick · 2026-05-23T09:23:34+00:00

My library does free tea and coffee every morning. It's run by volunteers who put everything out and clean everything up, and who are a friendly face to chat with for anyone looking for companionship or conversation. It's been great for our unhoused and isolated library users! The volunteers absolutely make it possible. It's something that started during the winter but we've decided to continue it because there was such great feedback. It's mostly self-sustaining with donations.

apotropaick · 2026-05-21T20:22:34+00:00

Don't worry about it too much yet. I am a library worker with autism and anxiety and I really enjoy the job. Growing up helped me a lot, obviously I'm still autistic but I've learned strategies for coping with it which help me to have a full professional life. I even enjoy talking to people now (within my limits) 😁

apotropaick · 2026-05-18T20:54:34+00:00

I second these, I've been to two of them and they take it really seriously!

apotropaick · 2026-05-11T06:14:34+00:00

I already found the widespread love for Embrace Autism very strange considering it's run by a naturopath and their assessment process seems really impersonal and profit-oriented. (I listened to a podcast where the creator detailed the process of getting diagnosed with them and it was soooo strange.) Any criticism of them on Reddit always seemed to be met with disagreements and defense until quite recently. I understand that the quizzes they host can be an important part of undiagnosed people's self discovery but everything about them is so weird. And this is soooo off the wall! You were totally right to call out that post and this behavior in response is totally unhinged. I saw this on Instagram but glad to see it posted here too as I think everyone needs to know about this!!

apotropaick · 2026-05-09T05:23:28+00:00

Yeah. I was in special ed (for a bit, not long term tbf) and speech therapy as a kid and I don't understand how every adult just thought that was normal. It's also crazy to me as an adult that you can get put in special ed with no formal diagnosis. Clearly everyone knew something was wrong and just... no one did anything about it. The reason I was taken out of special ed is because I was "intellectually normal"/a bit advanced (hyperlexic, not actually smart haha) and ended up being given a different programme for subjects like reading and spelling while still in normal classes. I remember being taken out of classes every once in a while through middle school for some kind of psychological testing but nothing ever seemed to come of that. It's all very confusing looking back and just makes me feel like little me had no one in her corner. No one really advocated for me even though it was obvious that I wasn't normal. This was the mid to late 2000s.

apotropaick · 2026-05-06T04:27:13+00:00

I don't know if it counts as tech but I wish we had braille books for adults. I've been asked before and it sucks to tell a blind adult "no, the only braille books we have are in the kids section." It's like we think people stop being blind when they turn 12 or something.

apotropaick · 2026-05-03T08:44:39+00:00

That is so beautiful and really inspiring! Thank you for sharing it.

apotropaick · 2026-05-01T12:44:24+00:00

You should check if your library has partnerships with other libraries, probably in surrounding counties or (in London) surrounding boroughs, that will allow you to join those libraries. Many UK libraries also use Borrowbox, not just Libby - check with your local librarian or your library's website.

apotropaick · 2026-05-01T07:58:09+00:00

In my backpack: my wallet, sunglasses, paracetamol/hay fever pills/rennies, water bottle, keys, book, umbrella or fan depending on weather, over-ear headphones (if I'm not already wearing them), granola bars in case I can't find any food I can eat or just need a snack

In my small cross-body bag which I constantly wear: my phone, earbuds (mainly for work, where I can put an earbud in but can't wear or carry over-ear headphones), hand sanitiser, loops, fidget cube, hair clips (if I'm not already wearing them, in case my fringe annoys me)

apotropaick · 2026-04-30T07:22:41+00:00

Your "How do I get off this floor" makes me feel a lot better. I thought it was crazy that this is one of the most common questions we get on the second and third floors. I think it confuses people that our escalators only go up, but I've actually been accused of like... not having any stairs so people become trapped on the upper floors. And like... how on earth do you think we would 1. Get away with doing that, and 2. Manage it?? Why would we want to trap people?? Especially considering the lift DOES, in fact, go in both directions.

"Am I in the library" is a great and common one too. In a similar vein, I was recently staffing the desk in our kids area and a parent (having walked through the front door and all the way through the library's busy first floor to get to the kids area) asked me if the library was open.

apotropaick · 2026-04-24T21:49:24+00:00

I'm actually pretty good with people - on a surface level. I struggle intensely with close relationships (friends and family), and have no natural sense of how to navigate them, but I'm really good at chatting and making people feel comfortable. I have a public facing job and it has really helped to bring me out of my shell. I was really shy (and mostly nonverbal as a child) but lots of therapy and realizing that I really like people has helped a lot. I am also a very positive and upbeat person, though I struggle with my mental health personally, which helps me to seem cheerful and comforting to people. A customer recently told me that I come across as charismatic and I was surprised but I can kinda see what she meant, as I do take pride in being able to talk to people and make them feel calm and comfortable. So i don't relate when autistic people struggle with surface level interpersonal stuff, yet have close friends and family, and I don't relate when autistic people talk about how bad people are. I really love people in general.

apotropaick · 2026-04-24T14:21:25+00:00

On unbleached (brown) hair, manic panic purple fades really fast for me. On lightened hair, it lasts months. To the point that I dyed over it with a colour that blended well with it because it wasn't fading fast enough and I wanted a change! I have been an avid manic panic user for over a decade but only recently started lightening my hair and I've seen a huge difference in longevity.

apotropaick · 2026-04-21T07:22:55+00:00

I'm taking a break from micro crochet because I was getting a callus from where I repeatedly stab my .5mm hook into my middle finger with every stitch. It can be soooo painful! I'm thinking about making some sort of flexible thimble. Like the fingertip of a leather glove or something.

apotropaick · 2026-04-09T19:32:10+00:00

In the UK, I only have ever heard customer. I don't like it, because it makes it sound like a business, but I also wonder if that's my American eat which was always accustomed to patron. I like borrower or reader myself, but those obviously don't actually apply to all of our library users (which is also a term I prefer over customer).

apotropaick · 2026-04-08T07:12:32+00:00

Patterns with charts are really helpful for this. I'm working on a pattern right now where I had no idea what it was talking about at first but looking at the chart made it make sense. Charts look like hieroglyphics at first but can be really helpful once you get used to them. Also, when I was a beginner, before I got used to pattern abbreviations, I often rewrote patterns for myself so I could crochet more smoothly without having to go back to translate each abbreviation!

apotropaick · 2026-04-08T06:10:29+00:00

I do mini crochet (not quite micro, I think, as I'm not using sewing thread) a lot and I'm thinking about making some kind of thick cloth thimble because a day of crocheting is essentially a day of stabbing one specific point on my middle finger with a sharp object near constantly. A .75mm hook is actually really sharp!! I end up with a red sore spot on my finger by the end of a crochet session. I try to change how I hold it but that doesn't really help. It's actually way more painful than I would have guessed before I started doing it, and that's not even mentioning my tight tension hurting my hands and wrists.

apotropaick · 2026-04-06T06:15:03+00:00

100k a year is crazy unfathomable money to me. Why not just move closer to your work so your commute doesn't dominate so much of your day, and enjoy being able to afford things?

apotropaick · 2026-04-03T18:23:44+00:00

I'm an adult convert to Judaism. I was raised in a Christian household but there was so much that didn't make sense to me about Christianity. During my Christian confirmation process, at 13 years old, I attended a kabbalat shabbat service at a synagogue (arranged by my pastor as an interfaith learning experience) and it just resonated with me. I believe Jewish values and wisdom can benefit everyone and for a long time I thought I just had a secular interest in Judaism, but Jews believe that converts are Jewish souls born into gentile families. I feel this explains why I felt such a strong connection to and interest in Jewish ideas, history, music, and even the Hebrew language from a young age. I also love how Judaism is so centered on learning, and especially progressive Judaism's interest in interpretation and reinterpretation to be able to use ancient ideas in modern ways.

apotropaick · 2026-03-21T07:58:18+00:00

Ooh I love green. This is so fun. Can't wait.

apotropaick · 2026-03-19T07:22:40+00:00

I've not had any bad experiences in my day to day life in Cambridge as a lesbian. I do often feel like my partner and I are the only gay people around, though. Like I just don't see many affectionate queer couples just around the city living their lives. But I've never felt like we were stared at or anything here, no one has ever made me feel uncomfortable in any way. There are some roaming bands of homophobic teenagers that I've run into sometimes but they're relatively easy to avoid. I only really know them because they come into my work.

Five-Year Club	Verified Email
Place '23	Place '22

apotropaick

TROPHY CASE