we all scream for....

My patron was an older man ( I learned later as we were on the computer that his birthday was 1935), and he was searching for an old book which we of course didn't have in our public library collection. I explained the Interlibrary Loan system to him and he listened carefully and then attempted to do it on his own at one of our Internet stations. 82, frail, hesitant, but determined as rock. His cane dropped out of his hand en route to my desk and another patron asked if she could pick it up for him and he uttered a decisive "No!" and proceeded to bend over bit by patient bit to retrieve it. It took a long while but my internal hands were clapping when the mission was accomplished!

Later he stopped in at my desk on his way out, saying he thinks that he successfully completed the ILL form and would see what happens. He said he knew it was at the Library of Congress - and I said, " Let's wait until we see if ILL can find it for you before you make that trip." To which he replied with a great deal of force, "Oh my yes, I'm not going all the way down there even if they got ice cream."  !!!

One day, that may have been a draw; these days that's a pretty funny pot of gold!