Would You Ask a Librarian for a Lap Dance?

Librarians Get Some Very Odd Requests

In the 20 years that I’ve worked at my local public library, I’ve learned that we librarians and library workers do plenty of things for our patrons that aren’t in our job descriptions. After a patron asked me to change her flat tire, and another wanted to check out our pencil sharpener, I logged onto my favorite Facebook librarian hangout and asked: What’s the oddest thing a patron has ever asked you to do?

The first response?

Someone just asked me for a good book to read on the toilet.

Quickly followed by:

A patron who was on his way to the casino wanted to rub my red hair for good luck.

Last week a woman came in asking for my help to get the witches and demons to stop pinching her.

A patron once asked me to sit on his lap. (I laughed at him.)

Unusual Patron Requests proved to be a hot topic. Within a day, I had over 100 responses, as librarians shared stories about that special patron who:

Asked if she could leave her kids with me while she ran errands.

Wanted me to find books to prove that he was Julius Caesar, reincarnated.