One of my co-workers once saw an MSNBC poll that asked which professionals were most likely to end up in a psych ward. Believe it or not, librarians won the poll, followed by police officers.

Quite frankly, I can believe it. One takes a job like this thinking it'll be nothing but peace, quiet, and books, and the next thing one knows, one is dealing with bodily fluids and busting people for looking up hardcore porn on the public-access computers. (When I say "one," I mean "I.") Once, after a particularly bad day at work, I vented by creating a list of the Top Ten Ways To Tick Off Library Staff. It made me feel better, and it even made some of my co-workers laugh.

During another bad day at work, as I was stapling the packets of documentation that we give out to people who've just acquired library cards, I saw this particular brochure in a whole new light. No editing done. Cross my heart.

Surely, you say, there is some redeeming factor in watching people check out books that will challenge their intellects and broaden their minds. Ha. Ha-ha. Ha. No, they check out trashy romance novels. At first, I had a virulent hatred for these little paperbacks with half-clothed couples for cover art, but now, I'm mildly amused by them. At the branch where I worked, we had a tradition of naming a Bad Romance Novel Title of the Day, and now I'd like to share some of the gems we've uncovered. Go ahead, click; they make me laugh.

I am presently no more than an ex-library employee, though now I realise that I'd like to pursue the library as a career path. Given all the aforementioned "particularly bad days at work," this might seem surprising, but I really miss it. (If you're the sort of person who can offer me a scholarship to an MLIS programme in the spring of 2005, feel free to contact me. ;)) However, to my amusement, I find myself looking through the romance novels at bookstores, and a former co-worker still e-mails me particularly good titles, so rest assured that I will continue to update, though those updates may be even more irregular than they already are.

For more library rants, you can read my short story Literary Bunch or visit one of my favourite therapy sites: Librarian Avengers.