What is this...a zoo?

Yes. I work in a zoo.

First, school's out and the library is busy busy busy. In a good way. But busy.

Second, the animal tally today included 1 snake, 1 mouse, and 1 turtle.

The snakes tend to leave the library earlier in the spring, shortly after storytime has ended, but at least one decided to hang around and see what the summer programs are all about.

The mouse wandered in (I think from outside), explored the paperback section for a minute, and (I presume, after discovering that all the Emily Griffin books were checked out) started to head back to the outside door. We someone else, not me, escorted her back to relative safety by placing an upside down recycle bin over her and walking her back out.

Thankfully, the snapping turtle did not enter the building. But as it got closer and closer to the street, more and more patrons expressed their concern that it would not make it across the street in one piece. "Make way for turtle" clearly doesn't have the same pull as "make way for ducklings." They wanted to pick it up (one kid wanted to pick it up by the neck...) and turn it around. Luckily my fellow librarian paid attention to the reptile performers who had given a show at the library when they said that turtles are stubborn, determined creatures. They are going to go where they are going, and turning them around or bringing them back won't stop them. The best thing to do is to help the turtle get to its destination, so we someone else, not me, picked it up by its tail and carried it across the street.