Comments on: thoughts on the stapler

By: ThinkGeek :: The Red Swingline Stapler - Stapler Links

ThinkGeek :: The Red Swingline Stapler - Stapler Links — Tue, 23 May 2006 06:03:30 +0000

[...] thoughts on the stapler at walking paperWe just require they take training in the use of advanced stapler features first. and Jenny s response. As usual, she s spot on: And we call it a collation tool that you have to reserve in advance [...]

By: Gertie

Gertie — Sun, 23 Apr 2006 20:54:24 +0000

If this single stapler is enough to keep up with your users, than your problem is on a completely different magnitude than ours. Our stable of staplers is kept near the reference desk, and is the source of a huge amount of consternation. It includes several electric models, several regular Bostitch-Swingline types, which have all been broken beyond repair at this point of the year, and a large capacity manual that jams whenever people try to staple documents of less than 15 pages, which they do all the time despite the pepto-bismol pink sign warning against this. This week’s crisis is that our pliers have gone missing, so we can’t fix the jams.

This is all a trickle down problem from the massive amounts of printing students are doing, along with a growing consumer mentality among students who expect us to provide a range of office supplies in addition to staplers. I do believe that we need to provide a means to collate the documents that students are printing, but we’re not able to keep up with the rate of breakage. At this rate, I would rather provide a stapling service than deal with all the broken equipment. As it is, when I’m fortunate enough to get an in depth reference question, it’s guaranteed that it will be interrupted with stapler questions.

I talked to a student who went on study abroad to Oxford last semester, and she said the library she used there charges for printing (we don’t) and provides combs and covers free of charge for spiral binding. The combs and covers are apparently distributed from a service desk, but the machine is self serve. I’d like to investigate this, but I doubt the college will send me to England for a site visit, alas.

By: Cranky Librarian

Cranky Librarian — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 13:00:44 +0000

Staples cost a lot of money. We can’t afford it.

By: Erich

Erich — Sun, 09 Apr 2006 18:58:35 +0000

â€œLibraries canâ€™t be everything to everyoneâ€ I love your comments about what results from this kind of attitude. And your short list of suggestions, particularly using IM to reach users. Some of my co-workers and I are also using Facebook as another avenue to reach students where they are.
Lastly, rock on in your battle against passive-aggressiveness in all its library guises!
It can’t help but make the world, and libraries, better places to be.

By: Richard Akerman

Richard Akerman — Sat, 08 Apr 2006 12:37:27 +0000

Here's the only stapler at MPOW you can't borrow: my precious red Swingline stapler in my cubicle. The Red Swingline Stapler

By: Michelle

Michelle — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 22:31:48 +0000

That’s it… I’m buying a package of notecards. Outside of “where’s the restroom?” that’s the most popular question that our YAs ask – “do you have any notecards?”

I’m not sorry for taking away a piece of OfficeDepotMax’s revenue by wantonly passing out those cards!

Seriously, Aaron, it was a great reminder of what our goal should be – SERVE people, no matter what. And I AM going to buy a package of notecards.

By: Kelli

Kelli — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 15:37:04 +0000

My fav part of this post… “My thanks go out to all of the library workers – shelvers, administrators, IT geeks, janitors, catalogers and everyone else – who are working to make their libraries easier to use.”

Thanks Aaron, for realizing that people of ALL departments of the library are who make it what it is. :)

We should all remember not to discount ideas of staff who ‘don’t work with the public,’ they might just be open-minded enough to see beyond the ‘we’ve always done it this way’ and have some valuable ideas. Most of all, they are users too!

I’ll never forget the day our cataloger said she had been “reading a website called walking paper.”

By: Alane

Alane — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 14:54:39 +0000

Great post, Aaron. Yes, yes, and yes. Now, let’s get rid of fines….

By: amanda

amanda — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 00:49:14 +0000

“Let’s Make Libraries Easy”. I love it. Well said.

By: Mary Carmen

Mary Carmen — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 05:59:56 +0000

Thanks for linking to my brand new sign. I can happily report that in just under a week I have noticed a marked difference in the volume.

I am surprised that it took so long for you to have a stapler readily available. We have at any given time three staplers, a stapler remover and tons of scissors at the circulation desk. Yes, I do have to replace the staplers and buy new scissors every 3-4 months, but it makes the students lives easier and it makes them happy. You should see the looks on the faces when we give out paperclips and tape!