Going to one's local public library should be a pleasant experience. Unfortunately, as is the case with any public setting, one's experience can be profoundly affected by the actions and behavior of random strangers. You could be in a movie theater, a coffee shop, or the post office and find similar entitled behavior from Karens, parents, and kids that has the potential to ruin your day. Let's take a moment to assess the myriad of ways in which the same phenomenon can occur in public libraries.…

Some teachers have your back

Bookish kids will always remember the day they got their library card. Perhaps it's because this is the first card you ever authenticate with a signature at the bottom, or perhaps it's because you had unlimited access to all the books in the world and finally had a friendly old lady who was willing to point you towards your next adventure. And everyone knows that friendly librarians are the ultimate pseudo-granny.

Kleptomaniacs come in many forms. Bank robbers, snatch-and-grabbers, check-out chocolate bar thieves, and public transit backpack rummagers are all some form of thieving-obsessed klepto. Although most klepto's dream of being a bank robber like in the movies, nobody has the stones or the brains to pull a job that big, so instead, they head over to their local library to get their thieving fix.

If you've ever worked in customer service, you know you have dealt with some dicey patrons. Not everyone has the guts to do what needs to be done with every customer confrontation and most folks lean on their one sassy manager who walks fast, talks loud, and shuts down every local Karen before they can get too ramped up. However, as a librarian, you can't necessarily strong-arm every bad patron with your big voice in the ‘Quiet Reading’ section.