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Although I know better than to judge the members of my community (or any library's community) by my own standards, I can't help thinking about my behavior when I was an undergraduate. I would never have presumed even to ask to borrow a stapler or a paper clip or the like, let alone assume that one would be provided. And yet, now that I'm on the other side of the relationship, my undergraduate population does assume. It is such a matter of course that I've actually seen and heard students at multiple institutions getting testy when the stapler runs out of staples.
In the past, I wondered at the presumption, but now that I'm the boss lady, I'm also flinching at the money involved. This kind of thing isn't sustainable, obviously, and even less so with ever-shrinking budgets. I do have a few ideas of how to address the money vs. student needs issue, for instance I saw someone tweet about office supply vending machines in academic libraries and LOVE that idea. I've already started, in a somewhat desultory manner, to investigate what it would take to have such a set up in my library. I will definitely pursue this idea with more gusto in the future.
However, beyond how I'm going to slowly ween our community off of expecting the library to provide such things, I'm wondering what you all think of this phenomenon: is this normal? Do your patrons get huffy when you won't loan them a pair of scissors? Am I being obtuse by objecting to spend my budget replacing broken stapler after broken stapler? And, finally, when did this become a thing?
It's been normal at the two previous and current academic library where I work. I've had students ask for scissors, tape, paper clips, high lighters, permanent markers, rubber cement, glue stick, plain paper, ruled paper, even a USB once. I've always tried to accommodate these requests, because the institutions have marketed themselves as student centered and personal. Yeah, this is every IHE in the US...but I think it does ring truer when you are a "small" private institution with a low student to faculty ratio.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen a student get upset if we didn't provide them with what they requested. However, I do believe that students expect there will be some sort of stapler near a copier/printer. I'm not sure why this is the expectation. I don't have any recent knowledge of what it is like in high school to know if office supplies are readily available for students to use. Perhaps it is part of the entitlement sentiment that goes along with the Millennial generation or because of the amount of tuition they pay each semester.
You aren't being obtuse, because as the Library Director you now have a finite budget to cover a large variety of competing needs. I personally would spend a little more to buy a better quality/heavy duty stapler. I don't have a problem providing basic office supplies for student use. Staples and paper clips are a drop in the bucket compared to the money I pay for electronic journals.
I think this become a thing when libraries started having computers and printers. Students come into our building to use these tools to write their papers that are due in an hour. I don't remember there being a stapler near the copy machine back in 1988-1993 at Ohio State when I was an undergrad. However, I do recall that there were staplers at the circulation desk at Undergrad Library.
I went to undergrad in the same general era, and I can't remember these kinds of supplies in the library or the computer labs. I do remember letting others use my stapler and such in the dorm, though.
DeleteI've been thinking about this a lot lately -- not supplies specifically, but the mission of an academic library, and what we're doing that's outside of that mission. I'm not against providing staples and paper clips, since it's a very small amount of money in exchange for a bit of good will. But where does it stop? More and more, libraries seem to be doing anything they can do get undergrads to like them: providing supplies, offering free coffee and snacks during finals, running game nights or book clubs. I like being able to offer these extras to my students, but when we're short on both money and time, do these expenditures make sense? I'm trying to find the line between "good will" and "trying desperately to please."
ReplyDeleteTo a certain extent, I do ascribe to a Vegas customer service mentality - get them in the door at whatever cost - but there are definitely some things I won't do. Not gonna buy the latest textbooks, for instance.
DeleteI've flat out told patrons that we're not Staples or Office Depot. It boggles my mind that college students walk around all day without a pen or pencil. And yet, that being said, we have golf pencils, staplers, and tape at the front desk. We even have extension cords and surge protectors available for checkout. But paperclips and binder clips are a bridge too far.
ReplyDeleteI will occasionally put free pens I've gotten from vendors, that I don't like, out for students, but that's not a loss.
DeleteI'm in a special library, but we share a building with the university library and they have an office supply vending machine - it even has blue books in it. It's a regular stop on the prospective student tour. I believe it's just a converted snack vending machine.
ReplyDeleteIt's one of those "why don't we slice the bread before selling it" level ideas. I flipped when I saw someone tweet about it.
DeleteI think people see the supplies on our desks and don't see why they can't use them - they don't extrapolate to hundreds of people using the supplies! I still remember the Great Office Supplies Debate at our public library several years ago. We had staff meetings about it! After much tempestuous discussion, we have stapler and scissors by the copier and will lend pens/pencils if asked. I have crayons and scratch paper available for the kids. We give out dry erase markers for the study rooms along with an eraser. I do get kids asking for colored pencils/markers/etc. but I generally don't give them out. I think a fair number of people use the tape on my desk, but I've decided it's not a big deal (the fact that I don't order the office supplies may have something to do with this attitude (-:)
ReplyDeleteWhat gets me is a student asking, "Can I borrow a pen?" as s/he is already in the process of grabbing it. I've actually taken back the pens on occasion, because it was a good one or was my only one or similar.
DeleteI've definitely seen this at the public libraries I work at. People also ask if we have manilla envelopes, regular envelopes, post-it notes, etc. I like the vending machine idea because you can point people to a convenient way to get what they need. Partner that with keeping the staff desk cleared of all but the bare minimum of office supplies (so you can give a legitimate "no I don't have x that you can use"), and I think most patrons would be happy. And for those that do complain, hopefully a polite "our budget just can't support extra office supplies for public use" will placate.
ReplyDeleteI also get people asking to use our fax machine. That's a flat-out "no."
DeleteThis post made me think of a recent list of "library patron's bill of rights," posted over at Designing Better Libraries. They addressed this need specifically:
ReplyDelete9. Our community members are entitled, within reason, to the basic office supplies that facilitate their ability to satisfy whatever tasks they came to complete at the library. There are any number of options for providing access to staplers, scissors, tape and other simple necessities of office work that help community members do their work and eliminate their stress. Let’s eliminate barriers to providing these resources.
Yikes, 'our community members are entitled'?? That seems like a TERRIBLE thing to post publicly.
DeleteI'm not at all opposed to providing office supplies, our patrons are generally respectful not to break them and are appreciative and as such do not abuse the priviledge, but to publicly proclaim our patrons are ENTITLED to anything like that seems a bad move.
I think I'm with Name on this. There is, of course, the wiggle room phrase, "within reason," that can be interpreted a lot of different ways. I like eliminating barriers, but my budget will only bear so much.
DeleteOur public library handles a fair amount of these requests every day. We've got staplers at the desk for use (we used to have a public stapler that was more accessible, but it broke and was inconvenient once they removed the reference desk (a choice I cannot explain and STILL hear complaints about). IME, we're less likely to give paper clips than staples, but we still will, if asked. Envelopes seems to be a big sticking point... I keep a few in my desk, but seldom give any out.
ReplyDeleteFor USB drives, we've finally started selling them. Branded, but reasonably priced and available. I keep a couple abandoned drives around for people who need to save something quickly and don't have one on them.
I like the idea of reselling the jump drives. We've got a ton of those that have been left behind for lord knows how long.
DeleteWe sell USB drives (and earbuds) but we also keep one USB drive for public use. Mostly for people who need to save a document and email it to themselves and haven't realized our computers don't allow you to save anything. Or that our computers no longer take floppies...
DeleteI work in an academic library and we do keep staplers, tape, a pencil sharpener, and paper cutters readily and freely available at both the Circulation and Reference desks. Students also request rubber bands quite often.
ReplyDeleteRight now we sell pencils and pens for .25 cents, but we are getting an office supply vending machine soon. I hope that we also offer band aids in said machines, because we get asked for those A LOT. We constantly have left behind USB drives turned in to our Lost and Found, and if they are unclaimed after a certain amount of time then we delete the files and sell those too.
It is frustrating at times when patrons cut the line to ask for something they probably shouldn't depend on the library for.
I've only been asked for a bandaid a half dozen times in my entire career. Wow. What are your students doing?
DeleteI keep a first aid kit at my desk - but I'm public, so that's a little different. Best (or worst) story - 9 year old wandered up to my desk, "do you have a band-aid for my knee?" I look down and he's covered in gore from his knee to his ankle. Turns out he fell off his bike (at least that's what he said, I think he must have run into a tree to get that many scrapes, cuts, and bruises). We didn't think he should ride home, so we went to call his parents...took us 30 minutes to contact an adult and she had no idea he was at the library!
DeleteWe got our supplies vending machine today! I had no idea we would be getting it so soon. We've put a call out on Twitter and FB to find out what people want it to contain. We are getting great responses, some things we would have never thought of. So hopefully this cuts down on the not quite appropriate requests at service points.
DeleteKristi, is there anyway I could get you to shoot me an email with some of the details? Thanks, either way.
DeleteOur library, which is pretty small, offers a few services (hole punch, stapler, pencil sharpener, tape, scissors, guillotine), and if we do produce promotional swag like pencils or pens we make them available. That's usually in the fall when we're in full-swing promotion mode. When we're down to smaller numbers we put them in a drawer but will give them on request. However, when we're completely out we send them to their student association as they let us know they always have those supplies.
ReplyDeleteWe also have a few calculators that we lend to students who have exams as long as they leave some form of ID, usually a driver's license or health card. They look a little put out, sometimes, at us not just taking them at their word (they've also looked down their noses when they need a fancier device -- dude, you FORGOT yours), but for the most part they're fine.
That said, we had one student march right into our supply closet one time. They were given a dressing-down but we learned our lesson and it's now locked.
I've had students reach over and grab stuff of the desk without asking, but in the closet? Wow.
DeleteLate to the party, but at my previous job, we had some office supplies in the regular vending machine. Talk to your vending machine company and see what they offer before you buy a whole new machine. We also had Tylenol, Advil, and a few other oddball things in the vending machines too.
ReplyDelete