Elmont Public Library — Attraction in Town of Hempstead

I've held an Elmont library card for under 2 years and in that time I've had at least seven books that I returned that were not recorded as having been returned.

The first half dozen or so were ones that I put on the conveyor belt. After numerous mistakes of them not having been recorded as returned, I spoke to Sonia. She said that the books on the belt are read automatically and that there is a problem with the auto reader, so I should put them on the desk rather than use the belt.

Which I have been doing. But a couple weeks ago I got an email that two books that I had returned were due. I again spoke with Sonia and she said she would look for them on the shelf. I checked back a week or so later and she said that she had found one of the books but had not bothered to look for the other one on the shelf, and it was now showing as being overdue. So I had to do their job, and go to the shelf, and bring her the book to show her that I had returned it.

She also criticized me for putting the books on the desk rather than handing them to somebody directly, said that that's probably why the book was misplaced. I told her if somebody is available I will give them the book directly, but I'm not going to interrupt a conversation or track somebody down to hand it to them.

Why are they blaming me, when every single time I had returned the book in question and it has been their mistake?

This is a library. You would think that people who work here are intelligent. This isn't rocket science: If the automated system isn't working, either fix it, or check in the books by hand. And if there's nobody available at the desk to hand the book to, why don't they just have a bin or something to put...

Like everyone else, I do love this library, the history and the many opportunities they have there for children, teens, and adults alike. The building is beautiful and there are many quiet areas to study. They even offer passes for events outside of the library and have ipads (or nooks?) available to be taken out. However, I am disappointed by those who feel that the staff may be incompetent or a 'deer in the headlights' like the comment below for example. I highly doubt that the library would hire someone who didn't know what they were doing. It seems like the teens are one of the biggest problems with the library but in reality, their behavior can only truly be fixed by their parents who sometimes take the side of the teen even when they are in the wrong. I have literally walked past the teen section and seen the staff trying to correct and kick teens out for eating or being a disturbance to no avail. I used to blame security or the staff themselves but when I saw parents denying that their child was a problem, claiming that their child was only there to work, I realized that there is only so much an employee can do -- the library is not a day care service. And to be honest, the police have been called there many a time because of the teens, and the librarian's are supposed to be responsible for that? My suggestion if teens want to work somewhere is to get a study room or work in the adult section. No solution if you want a computer...

They always have wifi issues and poor manners from some staff. Today, they had wifi issues and the internet was down for almost 2 hours (probably more). I went to the staff desk over by the computers and printers section and asked a young man. If the wifi was down. Two people were at the desk. A woman sitting down and assisting someone else at this time. Anyway the young man gave me such a look. Stared at me, then looked down and started shaking his head in a no motion (left to right) but then he looked back at me and said 'The wifi is not working'. I said 'ok' and walked away. The look he gave me though, made me feel as if I was stupid for asking that question as if it was obviously down and I was bothering him. I had just came in at that point and was setting up my computer when I noticed the issue. I get it. He was probably bombarded with people coming up to him before me, asking the same question. However, I felt like, though his verbal response was not disrespectful, his mannerism/attitude was passive aggressive. He came came off as being annoyed and just rude. As someone who has worked in the customer service industry for years, I can understand being overwhelmed by the job but that's no excuse to be obnoxious and rude. A pleasant demeanor...