Unexpected Request: “Where Are Your Diarrhea Books?”
The following is a transcript of an actual conversation I had with a student last week.
Student: Where are your diarrhea books?
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Me: …
Me: Could you say that again?
Student: Where are your diarrhea books?
Me: …
Me: … (Brain broken)
Me: … (Slowly realizing what this student might be asking for)
Me: You mean DIARY of a Wimpy Kid?
Student: Yeah, diarrhea books.
Me: Right over here.
For the librarians out there . . .
Question #1: Has this same exchange happened to you?
Question #2: Do you have a different odd patron request? School librarian Benji Martin had a good one a while back. Share it in the comments.
Filed under: Articles
About Travis Jonker
Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.
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I once had a student ask for tractor books. When I showed her the farm section, she looked puzzled and said, “No, tractor books. Like Junie B. Jones.” It took me a minute to realize she meant CHAPTER books. 🙂
A community college student once asked me for Morton D. Arthur. Firmly suppressing visions of Chester A. Arthur’s secret twin with equally curly golden sideburns, I showed him where to find Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur.
I once had a patron ask for “The Family Bed”, I stared blankly for a moment and for some strange reason, grabbed a copy of “The Napping House” and handed it to her. She looked at me and said, “YES!!” and then left. I don’t know why I knew what she meant, but I did.