At around 5pm, Reference Librarian J approached me in the children's area and said a patron on the computer was making her uncomfortable. I asked what happened and she said that a patron on the computers was asking about ghostwriters, but that she may have been drunk. I asked if she could smell alcohol on her breath and she said yes. I asked J to point the patron out to me and she did (middle aged woman with blonde hair and thick glasses, wearing a grey jacket and jeans). I wanted to confirm the smell of alcohol, so I walked past the patron toward the Deputy D. However, she was facing away from me at the computer, so I couldn't smell anything.
I asked D if he could accompany me in the children's room so I could ask him something, as I did not want to discuss the patron in the patron's presence to avoid causing a scene. I let him know that Jennifer told me she suspected the patron was intoxicated, as she smelled like alcohol. He shook his head and said "Yes, I figured she might be a problem when she walked in."
I printed out a copy of the Patron Code of Conduct and highlighted the appropriate rule to give to the patron. We also looked up the card number she was using for her computer session and determined she was AF.
At this point, Ms. F had walked away from the computer and was using the courtesy phone. Deputy D, J, and I approached, maintaining a distance so the patron could have privacy while on the phone. However, I did hear her say "Can you come get me? I'm at the library, I think I'm about to get in trouble."
When she hung up the phone, she turned to us and, in a calm demeanor asked what was wrong. I told her that I was the branch manager and someone informed me that they smelled alcohol on her breath. She said "of course" in a manner that seemed to be confirmation. I let her know that unfortunately, she would have to leave for the day, as being intoxicated (or appearing to be intoxicated) on library property was not allowed. She stood there for a few seconds, contemplating and then walked toward her things at the computer area.
At this point, she started talking, half to us and half to herself. I was only able to catch snippets of what she was saying, but she used profanities like "fucking" and "shit". She was not raising her voice, but her tone was very annoyed. At some point, she zipped up her jacket, impatiently, then grabbed her bag which caused her to knock her drink over and spill it on the floor. I could hear her say "I'm not drunk, I haven't brushed my teeth, my breath just stinks!"
Deputy D told her she would still have to leave for the day and they both started walking toward the door. However, she kept turning around to pepper in phrases about how she "wasn't bothering anyone" and how she thought she had "made some real progress." About halfway between the circulation desk and the front door, she said "Can I go put my lipstick on? I have to go use the bathroom." We allowed her to go in, and waited for her to return.
When she came back out, she seemed more irate that we were asking her to leave. She and Deputy D walked out the front door into the parking lot. I told Ms. F that I knew she was waiting for someone to pick her up, so she was welcome to stay on the bench while she waited. She said "I'm not waiting on shit!"
At this point, Deputy D took over. I could not hear all of their conversation, but I did hear "I'm not homeless, I own a $300,000 house!" although I am not sure what the context of this was. I couldn't hear very well, so I was only catching things like "Lawyer" and "Shame on you!" I also heard "I'm just stinky. What if I took a sobriety test?" During this exchange, her tone became more aggressive and her voice rose. From in the lobby, I could hear that her words were slurred.
Soon after, she started to walk quickly into the parking lot, although she kept turning around to say things to Deputy D. I could not make out what she was saying, but her tone was aggressive and her voice was loud. While this was happening, another patron got out of her car and started to approach the building. Ms. F stopped the patron and spoke with her. At some point, the other patron got her phone out and put it on speakerphone so Ms. F could speak to someone. I couldn't hear what was happening. The second patron walked toward the entrance and said "wow, you never know what you're going to get." I asked her if she was okay, and she said yes. I apologized for what happened, if she was made uncomfortable, and she said "oh don't worry about it, these things happen."
When I turned back around, Ms. F was walking across the parking lot toward the intersection of Old Hammond Hwy and Flannery Road. When she was off the property, Deputy D and I walked back into the building. He said "she said she was coming back, but not today."
I thanked him for his help and he said "I could tell she was drunk because when she came out of the bathroom, I got a big whiff of alcohol."
I did not originally intend to suspend Ms. F for more than one day, but due to her actions toward the deputy, I am going to request a suspension of one week.
Petition to do something about the sign:
