“Yes, you can return your materials to any of the branches.”

“Sure, the DVD checkouts are free.”

“Storytime programs are entirely free.”

“You can have up to 50 CDs at once.”

“Yes, we have the new __________ CD.”

“Free wireless.”

We’re not used to getting things for free anymore. Some people are so excited/surprised/delighted when they hear what the library is all about that they thank me as if I personally started the whole thing. I love when that happens. It’s like Christmas has come in mid-August. The patrons are smiling, I’m smiling, people walking by are smiling and they don’t even know why. It’s all magical.

I’m writing about this because a) it’s awesome and b) I was finally on the other end of this kind of exchange today. Yesterday I signed up for the Downtown YMCA. I don’t know what took me so long — there’s racquetball, saunas, steam rooms, and a whirlpool! I used to belong to crummy Gold’s Gym and even though it was cheaper per month, they had all sorts of shady cancellation limitations and scary locker rooms and no fancy stuff.

So today I noticed on my paperwork that I could also use the (close to my apartment) Madison facility once a month as well. Or so I thought. I headed down there ready to hear that I had to pay extra or only come on special hours or some weirdness. Instead, here’s how my pee-my-pants with joy discussion w/ a YMCA staff person went today…

Me: So, I joined the Y downtown, but it says I can use this one once a month, right?

Them: No, you can use it any time you want.

Me: The one downtown, right, but this one I can only use once a month.

Them: Nope. Anytime. As much as you want. You can go downtown then drive here and come here, too. Whenever.

Me: Seriously?

Them: Seriously.

Me: OK. Wow. Rad. So, then, if I want to add my partner to the membership, I have to wait like, a year, or until my membership expires or…?

Them: Nope. Just whenever. It cost $35/month more.

Me: But yeah, but, I have to like, wait until some special…

Them: Nope. Whenever. Just let us know.

Me: And then…he can come here, too? Just…whenever he wants? Like I can go downtown and he can come here?

Them: As long as we are in this building, being the YMCA, you can come whenever you want.

Me: Wow. You guys are the nicest people in the world and I love you. I LOVE THE YMCA!

Them & Me: (beaming smiles all around)

Now I get the joy, and I’m going to do my best to be even more excited when a patron is excited, because places like the library and the YMCA? Rare in this world, and so worth being excited about.

So here’s what’s up:
Due to the budget cuts required by the city, the branch library hours changed pretty dramatically. In order to staff the new hours, there was some restructuring, or “management initiated transfers.”

My transfer was not to another neighborhood branch, but to the Central branch downtown. I’m going to be working in General Reference Services, on the 5th floor (the Mixing Chamber). It looks like I’ll spend a lot of my off-desk time online answering questions via QuestionPoint, txt, and chat reference. It’s going to be a big change, switching to 100% reference work.

When I first found out I was pretty upset – I’ve worked with the same coworkers and community of patrons for 3 years, and I’m very attached. In this new position I won’t be doing any outreach, programming, or work with teens and schools. I also won’t get the same interactions with patrons – no more reader’s advisory (unless I’m filling in on the Fiction Desk), no Rules of Conduct violation discussions (oh wait, I won’t miss those).

All in all, it’s been a big upheaval for myself and those I work with, but change isn’t always terrible and I’m staying positive.