Every reference librarian should wear a fanny pack (or "bum bag" for readers in the UK) filled with office supplies. You never know when a patron will need your professional services to procure a pencil, an ink pen, a highlighter, WiteOut, Post-it notes, a small paper clip, a large paper clip, a 3x5" notecard, a 4x6" notecard, a staple remover, a permanent marker, a pair of scissors, a hole punch, a pencil, a ruler, binder clips, a blank CD, scrap paper, a stapler, a tissue, pain reliever, a Band-Aid, Rolaids, or a condom.
Ask the readers: What else do you carry in your "ready reference" fanny pack?
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
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30 comments:
A gun.
A flash drive.
An "ink pen"? Is there another KIND of pen? I've never been asked for a pig pen...
Hair grips and chocolate. I work in a dance library.
Earplugs! They were our hottest items until we started charging for them.
poster board, construction paper, glue, and change for a $20
Breath mints.
Mace.
A backup flash drive because the first one will probably go missing.
Condoms, the library is known as the place to hook up on campus.
WiteOut? We weren't allowed to have that...
I sometimes had a phone on me.
A "vanilla" folder.
Hmm. I'd probably have to add a flash drive, earphones, a flat-bed scanner, plain white #10 envelopes, postage stamps, and pencil erasers.
keys! to lock classroom doors between classes to keep the students from hooking up because that's always so embarrassing to the person or people that happen up on the couple.
needle-nosed pliers to help pull jammed paper out of the copiers and printers
I second the needle nose pliers but for the removal of jammed staples from staplers that students invariably and literally pound on to staple their documents.
Anonymous 3: Here in the Southern US, you will often be asked for an "ink pen"...
I always carry GLOW STICKS for the flash raves
Another vote for needle-nose pliers.
I am also constantly asked for the bus schedule though the bus discontinued its route to the library two years ago.
A pair of tweezers (for those really difficult paper jams)and disinfectant spray (for use after patrons view adult entertainment).
What's Rolaid?
BTW:
www.libraryirelandweek.ie
Dimes for the copier, business cards with library hours.
A hemostat is THE best tool for pulling staples from an unjammed stapler. Or you could use it to grab an obnoxious patron by the ears, though I've never tried that. Yet.
a calculator (business, scientific, or plain);
envelope to surreptitiously slip overdue assignments under the prof's door.
p.s.
I really really REALLY want to be a dance librarian now.
Air freshener
Hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer.
Hair grips for me too, I also work in a dance library - no chocolate for our dancers though, the librarians are another matter!
Vodka and horse tranquilizers. I work in a inner city library.
I don't know how many times patrons have asked to use my cell phone.
A ShamWow. Great for cleaning up all sorts of liquid substances.
I'm so happy to see someone else embrace the hemostat as an essential reference desk tool. We'd be lost without ours!
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