The most annoying

of all patron behaviors are when they try to help - emphasis on the word try! The one that has become a kind of pet peeve of mine is when someone comes to the desk to check out a book and opens up the book to the end so as to expose the barcode and "Book Due" plate. This is not offensive in and of itself, unless the patron in question has more than one book, and has stacked the opened volumes one on top of the other. While this might seem like a very considerate thing to do for a time-strapped Circulation Desk worker, it's perhaps one of the worst things you can do to the binding of a book, and as much as we'd like to get you out of the library and on your way as quickly as possible, ensuring that the items we add to our collection remain useable for as long as possible must be the paramount concern. One patron takes this "shortcut" a step further and carries her pile of stacked opened books to the exit so that she doesn't have to take the books out of her bags again in order to show the doorman/woman a valid stamped due date. So now not only is she killing the books' spines, but risking a spill where she could damage the whole lot, either from the force of impact with the floor or by landing in dirt, mud, or water (you never know what pools up on the floor of a heavily-trafficked library). It makes me wince every time she comes to the desk, but thus far I haven't seen anyone call her on her behavior - myself included. I fear the backlash of a well-meaning patron being humiliated for his or her good deed, or even worse, the singular wrath of a self-important jackass in a hurry. Talk about being between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea!