Got yelled at by a librarian in Austin for shelving a book wrong - now I double check every call number before I touch a cart

I thought I knew the Dewey Decimal system after 2 years, but mixing up 636.7 (dogs) with 636.8 (cats) got me a 10 minute lecture from a woman who's been there since 1999, so has anyone else had a coworker show off their knowledge in the worst way possible?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor_patel15d ago

Have you tried making a cheat sheet with the most common numbers taped to your badge or wallet? After I mixed up 641.5 (cooking) with 641.8 (beverages) at my old library job, a retired teacher showed me that trick and it saved me about a dozen lectures. The senior staff there are like walking encyclopedias but they don't always realize how their tone comes across to newer people. Maybe just ask her directly for the "official" way she wants things sorted next time you grab a cart.

nina_taylor15d ago

Wait, a senior staff member actually lectured you for mixing up cookbooks and beverage books? @taylor_patel, that cheat sheet suggestion is gold, I'm honestly shocked they gave you that much grief over a decimal point.

corah7515d ago

Got a whole spreadsheet on my phone for that stuff lol