Hell Week

This is, officially, Hell Week 2013.  I have gone in early every day so far and stayed late most of those days (and will do so again tomorrow).  And, get this, I don't get paid overtime and I can't accrue comp time, so either I leave early Saturday or I don't get paid for my time.  And I don't know if I can get enough done to leave early on Saturday.

This is why I'm so busy:

1. Next week is National Library Week.  I am required to participate in it, do promotions for the library (got some GREAT ideas for that next year), and I like to roll out "new" things in the library.  For example, this year I am rearranging the library (to make it confusing, apparently), introducing an OPAC (no, we don't have an OPAC yet...the only library in the freakin' world that doesn't have one), and offering free Bible repair (which I do anyway, I just wanted to promote it).  Normally the week before is Hell Week anyway, but it's numbers 2, 3, and 4 that make it worse.
2.  My institution just got a new classification of offenders.  These guys need their own library hours.  I found out the day they got here, which was the day before their library hours were supposed to start; they don't have library cards, and can't get applications so they can GET library cards and actually USE the library; and nobody, and I mean nobody, knows what's going on.  Oh, right, and since the Special Offenders' hours are additions to my schedule AND during the normal dinner hour, I have to cobble together volunteers to staff the library and figure out when they can go eat and get back here in time to actually work.  Mass chaos/confusion?  You betcha.
3. Budget meeting this week.  Not a huge inconvenience, but our Business Manager retired on March 31, and his second-in-command is now in charge and she doesn't know exactly what she needs to know to run the office as seamlessly as he did.  So now I'm scrambling to make sure things get ordered and delivered for the correct fiscal quarter, handling things he used to handle, and trying to get the supplies I was desperate for a month ago.  Lots of phone calls and emails and following up that I just really don't have time for.
4. New books.  I was really, really hoping to unveil the new books this quarter.  However comma some of those supplies I needed last month are book pockets (sorta essential) and paperback laminate (equally essential), so no new books yet.  On top of that, I have not had the time to read the books that need reviewing (5 down!  About 18 to go before the return period expires!).  So, I guess The Guys (read: convicted felons) are just gonna have to wait.

Alright.  I have a tuna sammich and a warm bed calling my name.  Will report on National Library Week after National Library Week.  If my To Do List doesn't gain sentience and eat me first (highly probable at this point).

FRIDAY Follow Up (Finally)

 Hooray for updates!

Okay, I know FRIDAY was two months ago, but I'm still reeling (sorta).

FRIDAY wasn't really that bad.  What was awesome was that I got a ton (standard) of books for myself during recon and a metric ton of books for my library because I was the only one who knew the layout and I could zero in on the popular authors and, basically (but not proud of it, sorta) sweep the shelves.

In all, MODOC took over 5000 books out of that bookstore.  I, personally, brought over 900 into my library.  Got rid of over half almost immediately (thank the gods).  Still have 300 left to process (long story)(wait...not really).  Let me tell you this: We ran out of boxes, so I had to go home, unload ALL the books I had packed up, and truck it back to the store and donate the boxes to the other libraries.  Then I had to act like I actually go out once in a while and lead the Convoy to the "Mexican" restaurant. 

Anyway, FRIDAY was over.  Is.  Whatever.

The following days were a mass of confusion, organizing, more confusion, more organizing, reorganizing, list-making, MOAR list-making, and frantically entering the "new" books into the system, processing them, and attempting to figure out a way to integrate them into the library. 

Then I ran out of book pockets.

For all of you accustomed to relatively old-school libraries.  The cards in the back of the books that the librarians stamped and put into a filing system go into the pockets in the backs of the books.  Barcodes and keyring library cards (and updated LIS's) that you know from your current awesome public library....well, my library literally can't be state-of-the-art...so let's say that those old-timey book pockets are kinda essential.  So I was down to 5.  Pockets, that is.  Holy Balls.

Then I got sick for a week (not a big deal, but...).  And while I was sick, I received my quarterly Book Order.  So now I have over 300 "new" books in my office and 175 (we counted) seriously New Books that can't be entered or read until I have new pockets.  Can I get a collective "Buggrit"?  Oh, and did I mention that my business manager retired and now neither I nor his temporary replacement have any idea what's going on?

And National Library Week is coming up.  I'm totally not prepared at all.  But I will be next year, dammit!  More on that in, what? Two months? ;-)