Wednesday, March 29, 2006

True Love

You know you really love someone when,

You let him cut your hair,

In the library,

With the circ desk's crappy scissors.

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Sunday, March 26, 2006

What Happens in Your Library?

Katya said that a porno was once filmed in her library.

I can't top that, but something pretty cool went on tonight.

A punk rock band filmed a music video here. They used one of our studios. So this evening, guys and girls with mohawks have streamed in and out of the library. They certainly added a little variety to the scene.

Though Feel-good Librarian may have found it all very banal.

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Thursday, March 23, 2006

Library X Joke

What a happy patron would say at a typical academic library:

"This is great. I got a cup of coffee, a book, and a warm welcome."

What a happy patron would say at Library X:

“This is great. I got a beer, a bag of chips, and a glimpse of someone’s ding-a-ling.”

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Library X MySpace Groups

One of the student assistants clued me into these, and I've had an interesting evening looking at them. Has anyone else experienced this phenomenon? All groups were created by students.

Library X MySpace Groups:

Club LibX

Who's Spewed in Library X?

I've Been Known to Check Out Girls in Library X.

Library X Groupies

Library X is My Home Away From Home

Library X Sucks!

Library X Tenants

Library X is a Brothel.

How Do I Spend 14 Straight Hours In Library X and Get Absolutely Nothing Done?


Um yeah, these are the groups my library inspires...

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Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Libraries as Snitches

Hey, wait a minute, I'm no stinking stool pigeon!

Right?

UPD has a suspect for the rash of library thefts that have occurred the last month. They supplied the libraries with a photo of the suspect and have asked us to call UPD if we see this individual enter the library.

I'm all for stopping crime. I want patrons and their belongings to be safe when they come to the library, but it doesn't seem right for us to we start calling UPD when someone just walks through the door.

I know I called UPD on the Ghost without a second thought. Shoot, I even tracked the Ghost into another library to help police find him, but now I'm beginning to regret that. Not because I don't think the Ghost is a freak and needed to be spoken to, but maybe the library is setting itself up for some sort of unsavory precedent.

Let's see if I can explain this better.

I have no evidence that the suspected thief has done anything wrong. All I've been told is UPD wants library personnel to contact UPD if we see the individual. There's no warrant out for his arrest. There's no charges pending. UPD just wants to speak to him. That's it.

I find myself wondering - Do I have any duty to protect this patron?

Librarians have always been staunch advocates of patron privacy. We've fought the Patriot Act tooth and nail over the release of library records. I believe what a patron checks out should remain private. I can understand and somewhat support the resistance to put filters on the public computers. (I think filter technology is intrinsically flawed. We need to find a better filter, not just have no filters.) But if I'm willing to fight for the patron in these ways, shouldn't I also guard the patron's mere presence in the library?

I find myself facing a moral dilemma that I'm not sure how to handle, and really resenting the fact that I'm forced to deal with it.

If someone comes to a library, shouldn't they have the right to use the library in the manner which is allowed by our policy and not have the cops called on them as soon as they walk through the door?

Should the cops really expect us to be their look outs?

I really don't know.

I'm reminded of the suspected pot seller. I didn't want to point him out to police either. I don't know what became of his arrest. I do know he's not in prison now. I've seen him around town, but I have not seen him in Library X. He may be afraid to return, or he has been told not to. I hope it's the latter and not the former. I'd hate for anyone to be afraid to visit the library.

A thief was arrested tonight. Not the one who we were told to keep an eye out for. The thief is someone my boss and I had suspected prior to the arrest. We'd seen the individual acting suspiciously while down in the stacks on a number of occasions. She was arrested with over $400 cash and a number of gift cards on her, which she confessed to having stolen. I suspected her, but didn't call the cops on her.

I don't know the guy in the photo from Adam. Why should I call UPD on him?

I know UPD has their reasons for suspecting this guy that they probably aren't at liberty to divulge, but because I don't know these reasons, I don't think I should be expected to assist them in contacting him.

I want the thefts to stop.

I feel bad for every student who comes up to report their belongings stolen.

But what about this lone patron? Shouldn't he have the chance to come to the library without being ratted out?

Geez, I haven't ever even met this guy, yet he's given me a major headache.

If anyone has some words of advice, please post them.