A Phone Call

Hello,

While at work on Thursday I received the following phone call. I answered with my usual, “Ely Public Library, Paula speaking.”

The caller then told me his name and explained that he had returned a DVD two days before, but it still was on his record. He also informed me that he had put it in the external drop box. I am wondering if it had missed the slot and not been found in the box. But before I got into any of that I asked for his library card number. He hesitated and said it was really under his wife’s card. He searched for that card and started giving me a long number. Our patrons have a maximum of four digits on their card. “Do you want just the last four digits?” he wanted to know.

“We only have four digits. Do you want the Ely library?” I asked because many of our patrons use several libraries in the area. I told him about the only four digits fact. He assured me he wanted the Ely library.

Then I asked for the name on the card. He told me a name I had never heard before. I asked him to spell it. He did and we had no patron by that name. I again asked if he wanted the Ely Library, thinking about his hold on reality and if he were on something stronger than water. He tried to give me that number once more and I told him I did not understand how this could be because I did not find the name he gave and we did not have 12 digits for our patron numbers.

He then asked me, "Are you in Ely, Nevada or Ely, Minnesota?”

“Neither!” I laughingly said, “I am in Ely, Iowa!”

He also laughed, “I looked the number up on my phone and did not pay attention to what state it was in. I did not know your name and wondered if they had a new librarian.”

That solved my problem, but not his.

Paula