The Great Library Sorter Race

For many years (well, four), I worked at the only library system in the country with a complete AMH setup. Then the Queens library in New York City got one, too.

It's been unofficial war ever since.

We'd set a record hour for items processed. They'd set a record hour. We'd pull ahead. They'd get further ahead.

To determine once and for all who was the fastest sorter, us or them, a contest was proposed, to be held today. It started, evidently, as a little informal contest between bosses. Somehow, the stakes were raised. The AMH system manufacturer offered a trophy. The losers had to send the winners a prize. Soon, it seemed like everyone and their brother was leaning over our shoulders.

Normally, I don't work Tuesdays, but there was an opening, so I took it. So I found myself in on the big event.

How did we do?

We set a new hourly record for our facility, north of 12,000 items in a single hour.

We also set a new hourly record for the NYC facility... by fewer than 150 items.

In other words: we won, if by the proverbial skin of our teeth.

And not only did we win (in spite of snarky sorter software that fouled up our second hour), but we finished over an hour early. Even with an hour-plus lunch break. And we got celebratory cupcakes before we left.

Considering how cruddy the past week has been, that cupcake tasted especially sweet.

--

Okay, for all none of you following along on the Grandpa Saga, he was discharged from the hospital this afternoon. The people at the hospital are all amazed at how far he's come; he's still not 100%, but he's surprisingly close to his mental state before the Killer Furnace Incident. Now, he's at a rehab facility. I was at work during the transfer, but apparently he was excited: the facility is much closer to home, and he seems to understand that it's not a permanent, nursing-home situation. We don't know how much care he'll need long-term, but this place will assess where he is mentally and physically, and do its level best to get him as independent as possible again. I think the family's pretty much agreed that he can't be left alone all day anymore, though. We were pushing our luck before this, to be perfectly honest. Hopefully he'll just need someone to be with him during the day instead of 24-hour care... and hopefully he'll be able to go back home. But all we can do is take it one day at a time. The ball's really in his court now...