Me: “Hi, I’m picking up a game that I put on hold yesterday.”
Downstairs staff member: “Oh, you know, you don’t get to take the game the day after you put it on hold.”
Me: “Really?”
Downstairs staff member: “Once the game is taken off the shelf, it has to be processed and travel from one library to another, which can take several days. And no one can check out the game while it is processed.”
Me: “But the game I placed a hold on is already in the library.”
Downstairs staff member: “Hmmm you can check upstairs, sir, we might not have taken the game off the shelf yet.”
[I walk upstairs to the next level and talk to a second staff member].
Me: “Hi, I’m trying to find a game I just put on hold yesterday. The staff member downstairs told me to check up here.”
Upstairs staff member: “You just came from downstairs and they told you that?”
Me: “Yes.”
Upstairs staff member: “Did they run a search from the computer?”
Me: “No.”
Upstairs staff member: “Did they have you fill out the XJ5000 form?”
Me: “No.”
Upstairs staff member: “Did they check the holds shelf?”
Me: “No.”
Upstairs staff member: “Ok, hold on; let me call downstairs.”
[I waited a minute for the phone call to end.]
Upstairs staff member: “Let’s check the stacks. Come with me. Hmmm no, no it’s not there.”
[I waited about two minutes]
Upstairs staff member: “Let’s see if we can find it on my computer.”
Me: “I thought it would be easy to get the game in the library because the library website says it’s in this building.”
Upstairs staff member: “Oh, wait, it turns out the game was taken out a year go and never returned. I’ll have to change its status to trace.”
Me: “Alright, I guess I’ll have to go to another library branch.”
I thought I’d have to slay a dragon or fight a final boss to get the game. But, no, the story ends with an anti-climactic ending.
This isn’t a true story. However, my recent trip to pick up a DVD from my local library inspired this story. Also, I don’t think that my library has video games.
Video Games Nebula 
Been there with various books and DVDs. Always frustrating. I wonder if there are libraries with video game rentals.
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I’ve never had a library problem like that before. I didn’t get angry; I just laughed. It also got me thinking deeper about how people sometimes fall through cracks in our system, and the sometimes strange rules — in this case about library holds — we have in society. I thought it would work as a post if the DVD became a game.
I first heard about libraries lending video games on a gaming podcast.I know of at least one city library system that loans video games. Then I Googled the topic now and noticed that the libraries in my city are attempting to do this. Why not?
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Slay a dragon, fight a final boss, OR face the dreaded XJ5000 form!! (insert dramatic music here)
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Slay a dragon, fight a final boss, OR face the dreaded XJ5000 form! (insert dramatic music here)
(…Please disregard the other comment. This is why I don’t use Microsoft Edge.)
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That form is the bane of my existence!
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I wish there was a library near me that lent out awesome video games. And it would definitely have a easier process for checking things out.
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Do you have one that rents out video games at all? I have heard that some libraries in Canada and the U.S. do lend video games. Yeah, if gamers ran the libraries, then we’d probably have better policies. 🙂
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I never thought to check. You just reminded me renting games from stores use to be a thing. My how times have changed…
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They most certainly have changed. I wonder, though, if it’s been for the better… That’s probably another post for another time.
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This post reminds me of the days where you used to rent games from the local Blockbuster or Video Ezy. This often used to be how you decided to buy a game or not, it’s a shame that this is mostly a thing of the past.
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I miss those days too.
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