Monday, December 31, 2007

A Fitting End!!

Ok - it's New Year's Eve - and the Library is closing early. It's five o'clock, the last two customers are checking out (of course they both have problems that prohibit using self-checkout!!), the man who left the empty LLBean backpack in the lab comes running back in at the last second to get it (YEA!) and I'm ready to lock the doors

WHEN

the security guard calls that there's ONE MORE IN THE BATHROOM!

I vaguely remember seeing a tall man (actual size and race, etc. undetermined) enter the men's room but I hadn't really been watching. Now I ask if he's still in there and if he knows we're closed. She said he's not responding to her calls, so she and I venture into the public men's room - an adventure devotely to be missed! - and I yell and she bangs on the locked stall door. No reaction at all - all I can see are feet!

Back out to the Help Desk where a cold wind is blowing - OH NO - the automatic door isn't automatically closing!! - and a call to 911. The dispatcher and I chuckle over the fact that there's a man locked in the men's room stall who won't respond to banging or yelling. At her request I have a male staff member check over the door to ensure the man is breathing - he comes back to say the man's passed out with his pants around this knees!

Minutes later the fire department and the police arrive - firemen with sledge hammers and various tools to break down the door. Luckily that's not necessary - the police are able (somehow) to rouse the man, get his pants up and out the non-working automatic door!
I turn off the automatic door, pull it closed, secure it with our high-tech bike chain and lock and we're FINALLY off for New Year's and 2008!

It had been such a quiet day! Goodbye 2007!! A fitting end!

3 comments:

Susan Marziani said...

Ok - you just made all that up, right? But seriously, who said working in the library isn't any fun? OMG! You have us all beat for NYE excitement! God bless you....Hugs, S

Abby's Mom said...

Sounds like just another day at OF to me!

Anonymous said...

Geez, Diane. You guys need to earn extra money for hazardous duty pay! What an ordeal...