In that case, say you'll do the September and October meetings, which gives them four months to con someone else into doing it.

And if they can't find a replacement, then they won't be able to have a library for the members.

Life is too short for this shit! It sounds like a job for someone who is passionate about hectoring people, i.e., the chair. The books don't appear important enough for you (or anyone) to stress over, given people feel free to fail to return them. Point them to Amazon's excellent used book prices and moonwalk outta there.

If they're not taking your safety concerns seriously, there's no earthly reason why you should continue to support their library, Steph. And I'm speaking as someone who considers libraries about as holy as any formal place of worship you could name. This isn't reflecting badly on Tim; it's reflecting badly on an organization that doesn't respect the safety concerns of its volunteers.

They're all concerned (or reacted with what seemed like concerned faces), but the best suggestion was "Get mace and an air horn."

Now, admittedly, I certainly have no intention of getting a .22 and a conceal-carry license. But I don't feel any safer with mace and an air horn than I did before. We can't lock the doors because people show up late all the time. I mean, we could lock the doors, but I would have to get up and let them in. And I don't recognize all the members, so it could be a member or it could be a sketchy person off the street, but I don't know. If I refuse to let a member in because I don't recognize them, people will be pissed. (And there is no way to enforce people with ADD showing up on time. EVER. One of our own board members shows up 90 minutes late every month. And then usually stays out at the library table talking to me, where I'm trapped and can't leave.)

And yeah, some people do just wander in off the street. There was a particularly freaky incident with a woman yelling about how she needed the pastor (we meet at a church after hours). I tried to calm her down and said we were just a group that meets there, not part of the church, but I'd call the pastor for her if she could give me his number, and she lost her shit even more, yelling about how she isn't part of that church, but churches are supposed to HELP people, and she needed HELP to get to Dayton to see her daughter. (I have no idea why nobody heard her, especially yelling the word "help," and came out to see what was happening.) I don't remember how I got her to leave, but her behavior was enough to spook me hard. I really don't like being the only one alone in the lobby after the meeting starts. (And I already asked, and I can't leave the library and go into the meeting, because [1] someone has to watch the library, because what if someone steals books when it's unattended, and [2] someone has to be in the lobby because the doors are unlocked and what if people arrive late.) The only suggestion beyond "mace" and "air horn" was "call the local high school because the students are required to do volunteer hours, so one can come and sit with you." Yeah. *That* will make me feel safe. A random 15-year-old who doesn't want to be there. Which will be in no way awkward.

7-8 is one month notice, and that's being generous.

They don't care about you; they care about what they can get from you, without giving a shit about your safety concerns.

End of the year is too much, IMHO. Nope Octopus!

Yeah, but the 7-8 isn't just based on the safety issue; it's mostly based on the Don't Wanna factor. It's a thankless job and a fool's errand. Give books to people with ADD, who promise to bring them back. And then send them emails every month for 2 years reminding them to return them. (And we've made invoices and sent the to the people, and nothing ever comes of it.) It's physically difficult setting up the library (it involves hauling around tables and 8 huge boxes of books that need to be taken out of the boxes and set up on the tables, and then taken back down at the end of the evening), and no one helps.

I totally get why the previous librarian resigned.

It's the being out there alone that concerns me, Steph. It sounds like it needs to be a two-person job.

I agree. You are gone as of October 1. And that is being generous. Just the don't wanna is good enough reason. But If they can't solve the safety problem then finding a volunteer is there problem. You are not obligated to be unsafe while they do their search. In fact I'm leaning towards 2 minutes notice.

"Don't wanna" is sufficient, if we're in the 7-8 range. You're allowed to quit! You're allowed to let other people solve their own problems.

(I have no idea why nobody heard her, especially yelling the word "help," and came out to see what was happening.)

That seems further evidence of their lack of concern about your safety and general security issues.