Sound the alarm!

posted by Bunnery on Fri 10th Aug, 07 at 17:39:23

Hello everybody

Have been working at the new job for oh almost four weeks now. It is going fine - most of the time. I have to say it is one of those places where there is never a dull moment!  

I have a resident alcoholic who sits on the steps outside - but he hasn't been too much trouble so far. I have to say I am on first name terms with most of the police around there though - on account of the kids who are bored out of their minds during the school holidays and think that causing disruption in the local neighbourhood library is a spiffing wheeze.

I know where they live now though - and most of the time just picking up the phone and doing a little play-acting when describing their exploits to the imaginary police operative on the other end usually does the trick. I have managed to get a couple of the worst (boys!) excluded for a week - and this is possibly going to be extended to a month after the "throwing coke bottles at old ladies" episode yesterday.

But hey! - it takes my mind off the ant invasion at the bottom of The Library. And the maggots too.

Also I still do Wednesdays at the YOI with the Naughty Boys - so it helps to put it in perspective. Maybe I should tell these kids what it is like in there - so they'll feel at home when they arrive!! 

Aaaaanyway - like I said it is going fine :-)

Actually my biggest fear was accidently setting off the alarm. Once you unlock the main door in the morning you have 30 seconds to get through another door, across the library, into the back room to put the secret code into the panel that flashes incessantly in there.

They say that facing your fear is the only way to conquer it - so a couple of Fridays ago when it was chucking it down with rain, I entered the library, rushed at the inner door - which is never kept locked - and guess what? It was locked. Apart from almost breaking my fingers - I realised that I had better find the right key within 30 seconds - or the whole of the Midlands would be able to hear my alarm! I fumbled manically with the three keys I'd been given - but not one would open this door. I rushed outside - to be deafened by the alarm and the flashing - attracting attention from everyone in the nearby shopping centre. I was mortified - and didn't know what to do. Rang head office - and they said they would dispatch someone with keys - and arrange for the alarm man to come and stop the noise. 

By now my colleague arrived - tried her keys - but they wouldn't open it either! Luckily the alarm had stopped - so we had to stay outside in the torrential rain - as going into the foyer would set it all off again. Help from Head Honcho arrived - but his keys wouldn't unlock the dratted door either!

By now the alarm man had arrived to reset everything - but because no-one could get into the building - there was nothing he could do. Meantime - we had set the alarm off again - as we tried more keys.

The cleaner was located eventually - but she declared that it was "impossible to lock that door" as it had never been locked in the last 3 years! Okaaay - maybe we just enjoyed standing in the rain - trying to explain to customers that we couldn't get into out own library.

Eventually - at 3.30pm we tracked down a delivery driver from Stafford - who had delivered books before we opened - and taken it on himself to lock to inner door for extra security. He didn't actually realise that he was the ONLY person in the whole county who had a key to this door!

He seemed to find the whole episode amusing - much to the disgust of several bedraggled, soaked, cold and miserable  staff.

I confiscated his key - and it is now on my keyring!!

One good thing - hours later when the alarm man came back - I got him to change the timings so I could have a whole minute to get to the panel next time....

Not that it would have helped in this case - but at least I know what the alarms sounds like now [long word]