LISNews: Librarian News

We let patrons use headphones and we provide privacy screens and sometimes these things go missing. We also let the patrons use scissors, staplers, calculators, and magnifiers, and they sometimes *forget* to return them.

Maybe they think these things are Free. Maybe because we don't put price tags on these things, they think they can take them home. Like the books and DVDs that they forget to check out on their library cards.

Are there things, conveniences, that you don't provide because they get stolen? Are there things you used to give out, but don't anymore because you're tired of replacing them?

We give away our pencils, staples, tape, paper clips, and we expect to replace these, but we don't expect to lose the pencil cups, staplers, tape dispensers or paper clip holders.

Maybe we should put prices on everything. Not that this would deter theft, but it might make the librarians fight to get the calculator back if it had a $2.00 sticker on it.