Computer Black Out

A story from Monday, the first day after Hurricane Irene…

Our Power Library computers are set to go off five minutes past closing each day. I and everyone else who works with patrons that use our computers forgot this fact on Monday until a call from the reference desk twenty minutes into my closing shift reminded me of this fact. We are staying open 90 minutes later than usual this week to give people extra time to have access to computers, power, internet and running water. Several frantic calls, Twitter direct messages, and instant messages later it dawned on the closing staff that no one knew how to reset the computers so they would not shut off at the usual time. Panic.

We finally get in contact with someone who knows how to prevent it but there’s a catch: every computer needs to be rebooted. Every computer is constantly in use. I try to do a manual override to prevent it from happening but we had to acknowledge that the computers were going to shut down and lose everyone’s work unless we did something. Enter me scene left in the computer lab addressing forty or so adults who are furiously typing away ten minutes before the computers will shut down.

I tell them that the computers are scheduled to turn off but we’ve tried to override it. We are not sure what will happen, but I want you to be aware that very soon your computer may shut down on you. They turn their heads away from me but do not speak. I warn them again at the five minute mark. One minute.

It is not as awful as you might think waiting on the will-it or will-it-not question. I then hear the first computer chirp a sigh as Windows shuts itself down like a window pane sliding shut. The patron does not say anything. A few seconds later, another chirp. Then another. All over the room the screens go black and still no one says anything. We wait a moment and then I instruct them in the fine art of hitting the power button.

Then the unbelievable (to me) happens: people start thanking me for the warning. No work was lost.

I am a little jaded from four years in retail and hospitality services. I had expected the worst and instead I was greeted by compassionate people who understand the horrible awkwardness of the will-it or will-it-not. They were patient and did not complain that I was not master of all things electronic. It was a beautiful moment of working together.