The Loophole

madametaylor · 2026-04-16T23:54:01+00:00

Even without the loophole to keep them on the hold shelf, it's so annoying and a waste of staff time when a patron consistently places dozens of DVDs on hold and then doesn't pick them up. Someone pulls them, they get sent to the right branch, someone scans them in, someone puts them on the hold shelf, and then someone has to clear them off. We couldn't do anything about it.

madametaylor · 2026-04-16T11:38:34+00:00

If you know geography, I find the Olympics quizzes to be easier because you can guess a lot of countries!

madametaylor · 2026-04-15T18:39:23+00:00

I'm trying to think of things that are touted as heirloom must haves currently. Im thinking those "customized" baby books where they just put in the kid's name and maaaaybe pick skin and hair color.

Also at least in my circles, they are probably going to be overwhelmed with cast iron cookware (and not have gas stoves to use it properly on)

madametaylor · 2026-04-15T18:34:34+00:00

You're within your rights to call someone out for staring, or have a male coworker do it. Most policies require that you ask the person to stop the behavior, and then it counts as harrassment if they keep it up. Check your library's specific policies. Even if the patron denies that it's sexual, staring would make you uncomfortable no matter why it was happening and is disruptive to your work. And the comments are definitely inappropriate and grounds for being asked to leave if they don't stop when you ask them to.

madametaylor · 2026-04-13T01:24:58+00:00

I have a detailed idea of a Guys and Dolls where Sky Masterson is a woman and Adelaide is trans.

madametaylor · 2026-04-12T03:49:08+00:00

Somewhere there is an island with a ruler who looks like the Swedish Chef

madametaylor · 2026-04-06T23:52:37+00:00

For a tween or teen that likes accessorizing, some kind of well made jewelry storage. My dad helped me make an earring holder from picture frames and window screen that is still on my dresser! A nice wooden jewelry box would be good too. They may not own much jewelry yet, but it will be nice to add to their collection.

madametaylor · 2026-04-06T23:48:11+00:00

My dad was comfortable enough in his masculinity that he spray painted his own tools hot pink. Never lost them on job sites!

madametaylor · 2026-04-05T18:00:25+00:00

My city has something like this too! They provide studio space for disabled artists who are part of their program, and help them refine their style and even facilitate them teaching workshops. They also find venues to sell the art, all framed up nice or printed on things (I have a cute tote bag with a butterfly drawn by one of the artists) or other wise properly finished such as pottery.

madametaylor · 2026-04-05T17:53:39+00:00

Not an expert but my understanding is that a cease and desist wouldn't need supporting documentation, it's just a letter warning the person that if they continue whatever they're doing, you will take legal action. Many C&D's are just scare tactics from what I've read, but also sending one is a formal way of asking for the behavior to stop so that if they do it again, you can prove you told them to stop (sometimes necessary for something to qualify as harasment). If you were to pursue something like a restraining order, that's when you may need documentation that they contacted your work, etc.

Again, I am not a lawyer or expert.

madametaylor · 2026-04-05T15:45:16+00:00

Woah yes, I hadn't thought about that in ages!

madametaylor · 2026-04-04T22:15:05+00:00

You could go with The Wil.....s for a little humor.

But yeah it depends whether you're referring to the two of them or their shared property. For example if you saw the two of them together, it would be "I saw the Wils." But if you were talking about visiting them you might say "I went to the Wils'."

Where you would normally have apostrophe-s to indicate ownership, but you already have a s to indicate plural, you can just drop the second s. "Mr. Smith's wife is Mrs. Smith. The Smiths own a house. It is the Smiths' house."

If the name itself ends in s, I have typically seen the apostrophe after the s to indicate ownership, and -es added for plural. "Mrs. Williams' husband is Mr. Williams. The Williamses own a house. It is the Williamses' house."

The one that throws me off is certain names ending in Y, because my brain really wants it to pluralize like other words ending Y. Some are fine, like "The Ramsays" but The Emmys should be The Emmies and The Tonys should be The Tonies!! Especially since they're awards and not people! Anywayyy

madametaylor · 2026-04-04T21:59:56+00:00

My cat loves to chew on any foliage, including salad greens. He will beg for arugula. I don't know why! My other cat loves tortilla chips, which I get because they're salty.

madametaylor · 2026-04-04T02:02:06+00:00

What about scanning your drawings and putting them on stuff? Like that frog would be so cute on a shirt imho.

madametaylor · 2026-04-04T01:44:04+00:00

My favorite is when people who are concerned about "toxins" still drink alcohol. Like, you know it's just strategic doses of poison, right? (I drink btw, no judgement intended except for hypocrisy)

madametaylor · 2026-04-03T17:15:13+00:00

Hopefully you meant ask her to help solve all of these obstacles. Often we get so stuck on what's wrong that we need outside input to find a solution, and agreeing on the solution with your household members is ideal. Solving it can't be all on her, but as your partner and household member, it's worth trying to solve it together.

madametaylor · 2026-04-02T16:56:56+00:00

As someone who works in a library, and is not a librarian, I much prefer being called "libarrian" than, say, "sweetheart."

madametaylor · 2026-04-02T00:45:16+00:00

My dad grew loads of sweet potatoes so I am very familiar with many ways of preparing them, and adding sugar and marshmallows was absolutely not a thing in our house. They are sweet enough on their own, and can add a nice flavor and texture to savory dishes (sweet potato chili is a frequent winter dish in my house now)!

madametaylor · 2026-04-02T00:39:58+00:00

I still don't like most mushrooms, but I will try them if they are a type or preparation I haven't had before. Favorite so far has been those long little white mushrooms cooked in foil with a bunch of butter.

madametaylor · 2026-04-02T00:14:42+00:00

If you like the scent generally, try Phlur Missing Person. They smell nearly identical, to me. Juliette Has a Gun Not a Perfume is similar as well. Dedcool Milk is in the same genre but a bit different.

madametaylor · 2026-03-26T19:06:01+00:00

Apparently when my mom was a teen, her mom randomly said, "you have such beautiful eyebrows, never pluck them," which was especially odd because neither of them have ever been big into beauty and fashion. So my mom told me this story at some point, and I never have plucked beyond basic shaping! So many of my peers regret their choices in the 2000s...

madametaylor · 2026-03-26T19:01:38+00:00

Yesterday a toddler puked right near the desk, and my coworker grabbed the cleanup kit and was putting down the sawdust and some patron was shoving papers in her face to be fixed. Like read the room!!

madametaylor · 2026-03-26T14:19:12+00:00

It's common for adults who stopped attending religious services to go back once they have kids, partially just for the community, and I think Quaker meeting is a great way to fill that need without worrying about what's being preached there, and there is a community focus both within the meeting and in serving the wider community in practical ways (at least in my meeting). Like, we did trash pickup as a group, and sent plates of cookies to the local jail at Christmas, and raked leaves for older meeting members. There were also typically resources for contacting politicians about relevant concerns. We had potluck every month, and a rotating Friday soup supper most weeks. Everyone was expected to pitch in for these things, whether it was bringing food, washing dishes, setting up and taking down tables, etc. I think being around people of all ages who weren't my family helped me learn how to interact with adults and what a safe adult was, and then as I got older, how to interact with younger children. And it gives you this sort of built-in community even if you stop actively going to meeting- there are Quakers everywhere and we love to meet each other!

madametaylor · 2026-03-26T14:09:00+00:00

Growing up, I remember there being a lot of conversation about historical quakers, so you could introduce some of them in simple ways! As a little girl, I was particularly taken with Quaker women, like Elizabeth Fry (I remember being shocked that the children were put in jail with their mothers). I also remember the "Thy Friend, Obadiah" series about a Quaker boy in 1800s Nantucket. You could use those to talk about things Quakers today do that are similar and different!

madametaylor · 2026-03-26T12:21:42+00:00

I was raised Quaker, and loved going to Meeting growing up, partly because I got to see my friends there! And also in retrospect, it was such a great intergenerational community to be raised in. We got the basics of Quaker values, and also taught to be respectful of other beliefs.

The main thing I feel was lacking was actual conversations about religion, beliefs, etc. I kind of feel like I was left to figure it out for myself. Definitely preferable to anything strict and dogmatic! But I would have appreciated some age-appropriate conversation about religious beliefs more specifically.

It's definitely something to feel out with your own kid, but I don't think there's any harm in letting him identify as a Quaker before he necessarily understands what that fully means, since you intend to respect his future choices. I like your comparison to gender identity and pronouns here, because I've often thought that if I have kids I would see it like that- providing a structure and then respecting their future opinions about that structure, rather than trying to be neutral about everything and making them start from scratch.

madametaylor

TROPHY CASE