perhaps it's better to rampage?

I was not able to sleep at all last night. Had an 8:00 am meeting this morning. Needless to say i am tired. It's probably also needless to say i have a migraine. It has been a VERY long day. The minutes are growing even longer. I am alone at the reference desk. Not much going on. Kind of slumped over, my head rested in my hand, elbow on the desk (image of the perfect reference librarian right?) There's a twelve year old whose been waiting for his mom for an hour now; he's looking for scary movies, he searches the titles on our shelves, when he can't find what he's looking for there he comes and asks me if we have the same title in (everything we have is on the shelf) i try to remain patient--my nerves are fraying.

A barefooted little girl is gleefully running through the stacks. I hear her giggles and see her pop out each time she reaches the end of an aisle. She is having a grand old time. After a while i detachedly observe that this is inappropriate behaviour for a library. After a while longer it slowly dawns on me that I should be the one to do something about it. I drag myself out of my seat and slowly amble over to the aisle she is about to turn down, i lean myself against the bookcase and wait as she comes charging toward me.

"Hi," i greet her, cheerfully.

"Hi" she says, delighted with the possibility of a new friend.

"Do you have shoes?" i inquire, liltingly.

"yeah," a few clouds of confusion beginning to cross her face.

"Well, you should probably wear your shoes while you are in the library." i struggle to keep the brightness and the lightness in my voice.

"oh"

"And you really shouldn't run while you're in the library"

At this point the cute little girl's face crinkles up into such a look, and i can just see her thinking, "you're not a very nice lady, it seemed like you were going to be nice, when you were just out to spoil my fun all along!"

I almost feel bad.

But she does stop running.

But i think MAYBE playing the stereotypical, mean-old-shushing-NO-NO-NO-spinster librarian might be the better approach after all. At least then the kids know what they're getting.