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P.J. Clover, Private Eye #2
The Case of the Missing Mouse
P.J. and Stacy are on the trail of a missing mouse bank that belongs to their archenemy, Butch Bigelow.
112 pages, Paperback
First published May 30, 1985
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December 17, 2017
"I'll be right with you," the librarian behind the counter said. She sounded frazzled, and in a moment, I understood why. She was trying to explain the new computerized checkout system to an angry patron.
"I'm sorry, sir," she was saying. But the computer sends out overdue notices automatically."
"But I tell you, I'm going to return these books!" the man exclaimed. "As soon as I find them. you shouldn't have sent me this!" He waved a computer printout in the air. "What's the world coming to? Where's the human dimension?"
I sympathized with her. And with the man. Because I knew about those notices. My dad had gotten one for a book my brother, Victor, had lost -- if you're a kid they send the notices to your parents!--and he'd just about hit the ceiling. There's lots of legal stuff on them. It sounds like you're being sent to jail. The only way to stop the computer is to pay for the book before the notices go out. Then, if you find the book later, wedged behind your bed or in the dirty-clothes hamper or somewhere, you can get your money back.
The librarian was trying to explain all this, but the man wasn't interested.
.... "Computers!" He snorted, crumpling the notice up in a ball and throwing it on the counter. "They'll be the end of us yet!" And with that he stormed out the door. (p. 50-51).
I'll bet she wished she had a tape-recorded message to answer all the computer questions she got. (p. 59).
Or, you know, eclipse glasses questions. It's nice to see that even though some of the characters are playing a rousing game of Space Invaders a little later in the story, nothing has really changed in libraries in the last 32 years.
Only a library employee (or perhaps former employee) could have written this scene.
Plus, I love how kids in old mystery stories are always going to the library.
"I'm sorry, sir," she was saying. But the computer sends out overdue notices automatically."
"But I tell you, I'm going to return these books!" the man exclaimed. "As soon as I find them. you shouldn't have sent me this!" He waved a computer printout in the air. "What's the world coming to? Where's the human dimension?"
I sympathized with her. And with the man. Because I knew about those notices. My dad had gotten one for a book my brother, Victor, had lost -- if you're a kid they send the notices to your parents!--and he'd just about hit the ceiling. There's lots of legal stuff on them. It sounds like you're being sent to jail. The only way to stop the computer is to pay for the book before the notices go out. Then, if you find the book later, wedged behind your bed or in the dirty-clothes hamper or somewhere, you can get your money back.
The librarian was trying to explain all this, but the man wasn't interested.
.... "Computers!" He snorted, crumpling the notice up in a ball and throwing it on the counter. "They'll be the end of us yet!" And with that he stormed out the door. (p. 50-51).
I'll bet she wished she had a tape-recorded message to answer all the computer questions she got. (p. 59).
Or, you know, eclipse glasses questions. It's nice to see that even though some of the characters are playing a rousing game of Space Invaders a little later in the story, nothing has really changed in libraries in the last 32 years.
Only a library employee (or perhaps former employee) could have written this scene.
Plus, I love how kids in old mystery stories are always going to the library.
Displaying 1 of 1 review