ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 5 3 8 1 C&RL News Upon the adoption o f the changes in th e student code and the printing of citation forms, th e library began using citations to enforce th e ban on food and drink in the stack areas. Im m ediately th ere was a noticeable im provem ent in student security assis­ tant morale and a reduction of candy w rapper debris throughout the library. Table 1 is a summary o f the num ber o f citations issued since th e program was im plem ented in O ctober 1985. As can be seen, th ere was an initial flurry of activity when th e program was first im plem ented. M ore citations w ere issued in th e last th ree months o f 1985 than w ere issued in the first six m onths of the following year. Violations still do occur, but once patrons clearly understood that lack o f com ­ pliance was punishable, most chose to rem ain in the student lounge with consumables. Although the major objective o f th e program was to enforce food and beverage policies, the system has proven useful in o th er ways. T he statistics in Table 1 indicate that the most frequent use of the citation system is for food and drink violations. However, failure to comply with an official and noise violations account for a num ­ b er o f issuances. Failure to comply with an official has proven to be a useful generic category. F or example, citations in this category have been issued to patrons for such reasons as: a. the use o f chewing tobacco, which is not allowed in the building; b. non-com pliance with the tw o-hour tim e limit for m icrocom puter use; c. failure to leave the building at closing time; d. non-com pliance with group study room poli­ cies. In addition, the prohibitions on defacem ent and misuse o f university property have allowed assis­ tants to fine patrons for such pranks as stealing signage or books and hiding them in the backpack o f an unsuspecting friend. Overall, th e program has given the student secu­ rity assistants th e authority to enforce policies and cope with the p e e r pressure often associated with such a task. Certainly, th e assistants find that most difficult patron situations can be handled with a warning and a verbal request for compliance. In fact, a the end o f 1987, we stopped issuing citations for food and drink to freshm en and required an initial verbal warning. However, the occasional recalcitrant patron who refuses to comply presents a difficult dilemma. T he citation system offers a solution to th at problem and may prove a viable alternative to libraries with similar concerns. Humor and creativity: A bulletin from the front lines in the war on mediocrity By John Maxstadt Instruction Librarian University o f Arkansas, Fayetteville The University Libraries at M iddle States U ni­ versity, a medium -size research institution, re ­ cently m ade headlines throughout academia as the result o f a com prehensive library assessment p e r­ form ed by Maxine LeC outeau, the assistant direc­ tor for library systems. L eC outeau’s amazing find­ ings, which w ere published in th e prestigious journal Academic Library Update, indicated that the Middle States University Libraries perform ed at exactly the national average on all standard measures of library collections and services for academic and research libraries. All of the Libraries’ collections w ere o f perfectly average size; circulation statistics m atched the national average for academic and research librar­ ies in every detail. T he average num ber o f interli­ brary loan requests were received, and an average percentage w ere filled in the average length of time. T he backlog in cataloging exactly duplicated the national average. T he reference d epartm ent routinely provided incorrect and incom plete an­ swers to betw een 14.7% and 61.8% of all patron queries,1 the exact figure varying to match the latest estim ated average published in the library research journals. Even patron theft and vandalism cost the Libraries a sum exactly equal to th e national aver­ age. Tan Douglas, “Reducing Failures in R eferenc Service,” RQ 28 (Fall 1988): 95. June 1 9 9 0 /5 3 9 In a strongly w orded statem ent to the University C om m ittee on Academic Excellence, Vice C han­ cellor W. F re d e ric k B ullington I I I d eclared , “Mediocrity, o f this kind or of any kind, has no place in this institution’s quest for excellence!” Bulling- to n ’s indignation was echoed throughout the uni­ versity com m unity and in academic circles nation­ wide. The editors o f all the major library journals joined in condem ning the mediocrity o f the Middle States University library administration. Academic library associations around th e country passed resolutions reaffirming their com m itm ent to excel­ lence and stating that mediocrity could never and would never be tolerated in academic librarian- ship. Dr. N orm an C ipher, director o f libraries at Middle States University, im m ediately began a library assessment o f his own to uncover areas in which his libraries perform ed above the national average. H e was able to produce excellent and above-average perform ance evaluations dating back several years for nearly all of his staff, but w ithdrew them w hen faced with a study (recently conducted by LeC outeau) which showed that his evaluations exactly m atched the national average for inflated ratings. D esperate, C ipher lobbied formerly sympathetic faculty for support, blam ed his problem s on budgetary restraints, and prom ­ ised sweeping changes in library priorities and personnel. These actions merely added fuel to the fire, as it was pointed out that C ipher had done what any average library adm inistrator would do in his situation. Following an administrative vote o f no confi­ dence, C ipher resigned his position. The Library C om m ittee unanimously voted to replace him with assistant director LeCouteau, who prom ised to eradicate library mediocrity w herever she found it. L eC outeau’s new salary is considerably higher than the national average for academic library adminis­ trators. Since his resignation, Dr. C ipher has been busy preparing a research study, to be presented at the annual m eeting o f the state Academic Library Association (due to scheduling conflicts and a tight honorarium budget, the association had been u n ­ able to a ttra c t a b e tte r speaker). C ip h e r has claimed that his preliminary results dem onstrate that virtually 50% of all academic and research libraries function below the national average in any given area o f collections or services, and that 50% of all library administrators and library employees perform below average level. It is rum ored that he will nam e names. H eads are expected to roll. E d ito rs Note: John Maxstadt is instruction li­ brarian at the University o f Arkansas Libraries, which are, he tells us, 'w ell above average in all respects. ” ■ ■