InsaneJournal

Usually I avoid the vulgarity of ranting online, but today is a special case.

In Special Collections, we have rules for handling books. Each book has its own particular rules, which I very clearly communicate to patrons when they request their reading material. These rules are not arbitrary. Each one exists either to protect the books or to protect the patrons. When they are followed, they work.

This morning I had a patron who thought rules about books did not apply to him. He's a wizard, you see, and he knows what he's doing, and he doesn't like authority, so he doesn't need to listen to the librarian telling him what will happen if he mishandles the book he's requested. Hardly a spell can touch him, he says, just give him the book and get on with it.

"Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."

Now a priceless antique copy of Secret Worlds is covered in blood and will require a specialist to clean and restore. We can only hope that they'll be successful in doing so; this sort of damage is very difficult to repair. And I suppose we must also hope that medical personnel are successful in reattaching the wizard's fingers.