Scent of Fear Sends Scribe to Library Seeking Answers
It was a quiet day at the library Tuesday, but the unmistakable smell of revolution was in the air.
Just the night before, at the Santa Ana City Council, library employees had asked the city to remove their boss, Rob Richard, because he “terrifies” them. “The fear is real in the libraries,” a representative of the librarians told the council. The rep also told the council that one librarian had told him, “If I had a gun I would blow (Richard’s) head off.” Librarians are upset with what they call his “threatening” management style. Richard contends the tension stems from a disagreement with his employees over money.
Journalists must always be prepared to go to the battlefront. So, although knowing it would be potentially dangerous to infiltrate the nest of some hacked-off librarians, I went to one of the libraries to get a firsthand report on the fear and, if I could, to learn about any incipient insurrection.
11:58 a.m.: I arrive at the library. Not wanting to look suspicious, I disguise myself as a nerd and sit at a table in the browsing area. People looked at me warily. I realize it’s because I don’t have a book, so I go to a shelf and grab “The Mutants Are Coming,” a sci-fi novel, and return to the table. From that vantage point, I can see everything that’s happening in the library.
12:01 p.m.: From what I can tell, three staffers are on duty. I search their eyes for fear. I don’t see any, but they do seem to be looking at their watches a lot.
12:03: I’m starting to wonder if maybe some of the other people in the browsing area aren’t in on the coup to overthrow Richard. I decide to check them out. One guy is reading a catalogue on filling out resumes. Two other youthful people are doing homework, and an older woman is writing a letter. From my seat, I can’t make out who she’s writing to.
12:14: “We wound our way up the street, darkness on all sides.” That’s not from my surveillance--that’s from Chapter 15 of the “The Mutants Are Coming.”
12:15: Wait! Someone is approaching the front desk. It’s one of the people who had been posing as a citizen, now apparently going over to discuss insurrection plans with the woman at the front desk. I strain to hear their conversation. The librarian asks for some identification. The woman furtively slips her some. They speak quietly, almost out of my earshot. The young woman is listening intently. I hear the librarian say something that sounds like: “The first time, you’re allowed to take two books for two weeks. After that, you can take all you want.” I have no idea what that means, but it must be a code of some kind.
12:22: I’m beginning to sense the fear. It’s a feeling that begins deep in my stomach. It isn’t going away. It’s now so intense my stomach growls. I realize it’s hunger. I leave to get a sandwich.
1:04: One of the librarians is wheeling a book cart through the aisles. I decide to make contact with her. I track her down in Biographies. Our conversation goes something like this:
“Is there fear?”
“Excuse me?”
“Is there fear? Is there fear of Rob Richard?”
“Yes, there is fear.”
“Is it real fear?”
“What’s the difference between real fear and plain fear?”
“I don’t know. I’m just here collecting information.”
“Yes, it is real fear.”
“Do you have a plan for overthrowing Rob Richard?”
“Yes, we do.”
“What is it?”
“Can you keep a secret?”
“Absolutely.”
“All right. See the lady back there with the blue hair?”
“You mean the kindly looking woman in Children’s Books?”
“Yes, that one. She’s in the federal Witness Protection Program. She’s going to do it.”
“You don’t mean--”
“Yes, we’re gonna waste the sucker.”
“How?”
“She’s going to lure him outside and then run him over with the Bookmobile.”
“Holy Cow. Couldn’t you just ask for a transfer for him?”
“It has to be done this way. It’s long overdue.”
“That’s a very poor joke.”
“I know.”
“When will it happen?
“I can’t say. I’ve told you too much already.”
1:49: Shaken, I’m back in the browsing area, finishing up “The Mutants Are Coming.” I wish I hadn’t heard what I’d just heard.
I’m left with one thought.
If I were Rob Richard, I’d be very careful.
These people mean business.
Dana Parsons’ column appears Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Readers may reach Parsons by writing to him at The Times Orange County Edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626, or calling (714) 966-7821.