Bi-Weekly Internship Report

[For those of you confused, my Bi-Weekly Internship Reports are sent to Professor Bill Norton, who makes sure that we're doing a good job at our internship and everything is going well.  Basically a liaison between us and our internship.]

Dear Professor Norton,

I believe every human has a right to a bathroom without having to ask someone to use it.

Allow me to explain.

It's not as though there is some weird library rule that states, "You must ask your supervisor when you need to go," but there might as well be.  You see, everyone at the library has a little ID that unlocks all the doors in "the back."  This includes the elevator which leads to the break room, which leads to the bathrooms.  Everyone except me.  About 5 of the higher-ups at the library have told me at some point, "Oh, I could have sworn we ordered you a temporary ID..." but nobody seems to be in much of a hurry about it.  Now, typically, I need to make a bathroom trip 0-1 times in a 4 hour shift.  But, sometimes, things happen.  And, well, wouldn't you feel a bit silly asking someone for their ID to use the bathroom 2-3 times?
Sometimes it just depends on the work I am doing.  InterLibrary Loan is the worst.  The books are filthy, and make my hands feel ridiculously dirty.  I might be a little OCD, but it makes me want to wash my hands every hour.  A privilege which I feel entitled to, but am to embarrassed to fulfill.  It is at times like these that I actually appreciate those randomly-located soap dispensers they have around Bethel.

Having your own ID has other benefits, too.  You can go from the main library to "the back" with ease.  You don't have to pester the security guard every time you need to relocate, or get a drink of water.  You don't have to explain to the children's librarian for the 200th time that week that Yes, I am an intern, and Yes, I know how to shelve the children's books, now could you please just let me into the back room?

But besides that, everything has been going pretty well.  I keep finding interesting notes in books.  Things that friends write to friends--letters, cards, recommendations, etc.  It's pretty interesting, sometimes.  Just another perk of working in a library.