ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries January 1989 / 21 ficult to overcome inertia. Most carpeting used in libraries is commercial grade w ith a very tight weave and low nap. The Range Dolly casters are designed to support and move heavy office equip­ ment on carpeting or hard surfaces. A standard set of Range Dollys disassembles into easily stored components and require minim al tools for use. The prototype Range Dolly used at San Diego State University was operated using only a socket wrench, a two-foot long pry bar, and some half-inch shims. While the current Range Dolly was designed for use w ith C ontem porary Ames steel shelving, Jim Duffy is in the process of engi­ neering adaptations which would allow its use on other types of steel library shelving. Because the concept is quite simple, requiring no winches or jacking devices, the Range Dolly can be manufac­ tured and purchased at relatively modest cost. It should pay for itself the first tim e reorganization of shelving arrangements or recarpeting is required. A major advantage of the Range Dolly is th at the weight of the shelving and books is borne in exactly the same manner in which the shelving was origi­ nally manufactured—from the feet through the uprights. No unusual stress is applied to any por­ tion of a range during the assembly of the Range Dolly or during the movement of a range. Based on the num ber of articles which have ap­ peared proposing solutions to the need to move fully-loaded ranges, m anufacturers of lib rary shelving should recognize the need libraries have to occasionally move library shelving and the advan­ tages to libraries of being able to move fully-loaded ranges, and design shelving to perm it such move­ ment. T hat this would make their shelving more attractive to libraries is obvious. Even shelving which is designed to be “perm anently” attached to the floor for seismic safety purposes should have the capability of being moved expeditiously. Libraries requiring new library shelving could encourage this process by w riting into their procurement spec­ ifications the requirem ent th a t shelving be de­ signed to p e rm it m ovem ent of a fully-loaded range. A long-term problem was resolved at San Diego State University by Jim Duffy through the develop­ m ent of the Range Dolly. A major reorganization of the 5th level of the library will be reduced to a m inor inconvenience for both library users and staff. Even at the height of the shift, virtually all materials will be readily accessible. Again, creative problem solving, in the person of Jim Duffy, found a need and developed a solution. F urther information on this Range Dolly may be obtained from Jim by w riting to him at 9300 Dillon Drive, La Mesa, CA 92041. ■ ■ Humor and creativity: Staff newsletters by Norman D. Stevens Director The Molesworth Institute Some unperceptive soul has alleged th at “There is nothing duller th an a [staff] newsletter from an­ other library. It is full of arcane references to peo­ ple we don’t know and don’t care about.”1 A more intelligent observer has suggested th at “If anyone ever deigns to w rite a comprehensive history of li- 1Norm anD . Stevens, “Contem porary American Minor Library Publications,” Library Science A n ­ nual 2 (1988): 51. brary h um or.. .library [staff] newsletters will con­ stitute a prim ary source of enormous value.”2 L ibrary staff newsletters, as they exist in so many contem porary American academic libraries, are unusual publications. As a substantial element of a large class of contemporary American minor li­ b rary publications they constitute the most ne­ glected element of our professional literature. They 2Ibid., 52. INNOVATIONS 22 / C&RL News are, w ith good reason, not indexed or abstracted in the standard reference tools, they are not recorded in our bibliographies, they are seldom cited in arti­ cles or books, and they are too often not even made p art of the perm anent collections of the libraries in w hich they originate. They are among the most ephemeral of our creations. They are also generally less attractive than even the usual library newslet­ ter for friends and patrons, although the emer­ gence of desktop publishing is beginning to im­ p ro v e th e ir a p p e a ra n c e . N ew technologies notwithstanding, they are always likely to come in a variety of formats, to be issued w ith a frequency th a t may, or may not, meet the needs of their in­ tended limited audience, and to contain an amaz­ ing assortment of “inform ation.” Fortunately these newsletters are seldom seen outside the doors of the originating lib ra ry — although occasionally they escape and have been known to bring down the w rath of the college or university administration on the library. There is sometimes a limited distribution to former employ­ ees and to a few fans of the genre. Sometimes the creature of the library administration, sometimes the creature of the staff, and in some rare cases the bastard creature of the administration and the staff working together as they so seldom do, these news­ letters serve to report on the im portant events of a particular library (such as the arrival or departure of staff), to issue official edicts, and to forewarn staff of such momentous events as the annual clean­ ing of the refrigerator. The only known reference to the nature of such newsletters describes as one of six purposes, “ ... some effort to be entertaining by including occasional reviews of movies, new res­ taurants, events of general interest, cartoons and some lighter features from time to tim e.”3 It is those lighter features th a t are of special in­ terest here and there is no shortage of them in the academ ic newsletters th a t I have seen to date. A part from the frequent reviews of movies and lo­ cal restaurants, which probably says something about the frustrated career ambitions of many aca­ demic librarians, and the ever-popular recipes, such lighter features may take the form of repro­ ducing, in violation of the copyright law, cartoons th at have a special poignancy in respect to a cur­ rent issue or event in the local library, but there is a great deal of local creativity to be found there as well. The generally light-hearted approach to library life found in such newsletters is reflected in their ti­ tles. Apart from the all too frequent unimaginative generic title (e. g ., Library S taff Newsletter), the ti­ tles defy classification but most often reflect local themes and/or the whim of the original editor. The 3Memo from David L. Kapp (University of Con­ necticut Library) cited in N orm an D. Stevens, C om m unication Throughout Libraries (Scare­ crow Press, 1983), 107. Ekspress (from the Ekstrom L ibrary at the Univer­ sity of Louisville), The L anterns Core, The Inno­ cent Bystander, Top o f the Stacks, The Library Muse, Mosaic, Rockpile, Tracings, and Cum Notis Variorum are representative examples of the crea­ tivity shown in selecting titles, especially ones that lend themselves to familiarity through abbrevia­ tion as TL C , The IB, or TOTS. The more creative of these newsletters, and sev­ eral such as Rockpile: The Creative Voice o f the University Libraries at Notre D ame th at can lay special claim to creativity, are generally the work of an imaginative individual who may also encour­ age other staff to let loose their imaginations. Top o f the Stacks, from the Florida International Uni­ versity Libraries, as edited by Ron M artin, has the most consistent commitment to humor even if some of it is only marginally funny. The most creative, at least in the “far-out” sense, of these newsletters is clearly The Library Muse, issued at the University of Missouri at Columbia Library, w ith the unusual work of Alan Arnold. All of the above, and I am sure many other library newsletters, are well worth the regular attention of the avid seeker of library humor. A representative sample of some of the efforts th at have struck my fancy includes tales of lounge lizards, “kick-a-dog” service, gerbils, funny subject headings, and a sinking library. Arnold Ellis has defined and described in some detail the “Common Lounge L izard” (Somnorifer- ous vexatiae) found in the Ellis Library at the Uni­ versity of Missouri, as well as in many other li­ b ra rie s , w h ic h , it has b een c o n clu d e d from observing th at so many sleep face down in a book or magazine, is able to absorb information through some form of osmosis. This creature leaves its do­ m ain only “for the purpose of taking on food or mating, both of which can be carried out in the lounge habitat w ith adequate preparation.” In an early issue of TOTS Calvin Burkhart an­ nounced the acquisition of O m ar, a Labrador re­ triever, to absorb the abuse previously aimed at the public service staff that, alas, was less successful than had been anticipated since Omar had already bitten, among others, two education majors and a small child. A recent issue of The Ekspress reported on the demise of Greg’s gerbil Lucifer (April 17,1988), an event not previously reported in C& RL News, sadly mourned by the staff of the Reference De­ partm ent who were making contributions to the Rodent Antidefamation Collection Fund. As reported in the underground Library of Con­ gress Professional Staff Association Newsletter in M arch of 1970 a competition to locate the funniest su b je c t head in g s p ro d u c e d such w in n ers as “ S ew ag e—C o lle c te d W orks” an d “ H a n d — Surgery—Juvenile L iterature.” TLĆ’s late-breaking 1988 news flash by a staff reporter described the tremendous effort that the library administration had p u t into resolving the January 1989 / 23 potential long-term disaster of the continued set­ tling and sinking of the main library through the purchase of new and lighter carpet w ith no p ad­ ding, to help reduce the load on the building. T hat was being coupled, of course, w ith the inevitable creation of a special task force to make further cre­ ative plans. Sometimes, naturally, the best humor is unin­ tentional, as was the case w ith the recent descrip­ tion of an important meeting at the University of Notre Dame Libraries in Mosaic, in which it was reported that the meeting moved expeditiously be­ cause “the agenda was busy,” leaving the imagina­ tive reader to w onder w here th e agenda was, whether “busy” was just another excuse for a sick day, and if there was some w ay the agenda could perpetually be “busy” as a w ay of improving all meetings. T hat gaffe even achieved notoriety for Mosaic through mention in the infamous “Margi­ nalia” column of The Chronicle o f Higher Educa­ tion (November 23, 1988) w ith the editorial com­ ment: “We’ll call it back later.” For better—as is sometimes the case—or for worse—as is more often the case—library staff newsletters allow us to demonstrate our creativity, and to publish our hum or, in ways th at no other as- Feeling funny? Lighten up folks! The initial response to my request for examples of academic library hu­ mor was encouraging, if not overwhelming, but of late I have been receiving contributions only from the usual crew. There must be more of you out there. Additional examples are des­ perately w anted for this column, for my library hum or archives (the only one of its kind in the world), and for my amusement. I am especially interested in a representative sample of library staff newsletters, to help prove my theory that such newsletters are the original source of all li­ brary humor, but please don’t put me on your perm anent mailing list unless I subsequently ask you to. For future columns inform ation about humor and music libraries, as well as cre­ ative stories about such staples as pencil sharp­ eners, plants, and staff refrigerators, are high on my w ant list. I am also seeking—ugh! — examples of library poetry even though I know it is bound to be bad. New business cards from academic librarians have also been few and far between. For a possible future column, and for my collection, I am most interested in examples (signed and dated on the verso) th at demon­ strate originality and creativity. Contributions and business cards may be sent to the address shown on my personal business card below. pect of our professional life, and no other element of our professional literature, permits. In that re­ spect such newsletters play an im portant role both in lightening the work of the library and in demon­ strating our truest abilities. Automating overdues in a non-automated library: The HyperCard solution By Kitty J. Mackey Circulation Librarian Converse College The problem The problem was overdue notices. As circulation librarian in a medium-sized college library, the most time-consuming task under my direction was the weekly generation of overdue notices. In our non-automated library the manual tasks of sorting overdues, filling out fine slips, updating the no­ tices, and typing the notices and envelopes were as­ signed to student assistants under my charge. These tasks frequently required up to 40 of my 140 stu­ dent assistant hours each week. The error rate of transposed call numbers, misspelled names, and “claims returned” items was high, and the stan­ d ard three-part overdue notices used were expen­ sive. Yet overdues are too im portant to ignore, and prom pt generation of overdue notices yields a high