[Publib] Recharging personal items at the library

[Robert L. Balliot]

I am pretty sure that the definition of what a
library is SUPPOSED to provide changes with regional
philosophies and administrative perception.  I don't
think there is any single right or wrong answer.

But, I have never bought the idea that budgets
should dictate services.  Services should dictate
budgets.  Libraries pay off at 8 to 1 for every tax
dollar spent in the services that they provide. 
There is no better value to the community.

When Katrina hit New Orleans, they flew
about 400 displaced souls to stay in former Navy 
housing behind us.  They were homeless - their homes
were gone. They had never paid local taxes - they
lived over 1500 miles away.  

But they were our fellow human beings.  
And, any one of them could be any one of us.

After the fanfare was over and the politicians finished
their photo ops, the library stepped in to
fill their information and to a large extent their
community needs.  We helped them process FEMA forms,
set up e-mail accounts, make contacts, learn computer
skills, and find lost dogs.  It felt great to be of
help. The costs incurred were insignificant
but the benefits provided were immense.

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Robert L. Balliot
1-401-421-5763
Skype: RBalliot
Bristol, Rhode Island
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xMredXsPMw 
 http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm
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-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
On Behalf Of Kevin Okelly
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2007 10:55 AM
To: publib
Subject: Re: [Publib] Recharging personal items at the library

Many of your stories make me recall similar experiences at my workplace.
Our policy of not allowing people to recharge personal items arose out of
the overall context of patrons consistently demanding things that the
library simply doesn't exist to supply.

At my time at the reference desk I have been asked for:

ZIP disk (not to buy, mind you, he just wanted us to give him one)
Business envelopes
stamps
manila folders

At one time, a patron was sneaking into a staffer's office while said
staffer was out and making phone calls and using her computer.

Our department head was consciously (or unconsciously) taking into account
all these events when she decided on our no-charging policy.

Kevin O'Kelly
Reference and Cataloging Librarian
Somerville Public Library
79 Highland Ave.
Somerville, MA 02143
(617)-623-5000