A Fond Farewell

Hi, this is John--the evening supervisor. Starting June 2nd, I will working full-time across the street in Technical Services. Regrettably, this means I will be leaving my post here at BUSP. So I'd like to say goodbye and thank you to everyone who is working here over the summer, and also to all the student assistants returning in the fall who I've worked with over the years. It's been a pleasure to work with you all, and I wish you the best of luck in everything that you do.

Room Key Policy Change

Please be aware that overdue fines for our group study room keys have been raised to $10.00 per hour, with the fine accumulating when the room is one minute overdue. We hope this huge jump in the fine will encourage groups to return our keys on time, allowing more students to use the rooms.

Other policies concerning our study rooms remain the same: We still require a group to consist of five or more people, and all of them must be present to check out the key. Keys are checked out for a two hour period on a first-come, first-served basis. Keys cannot be renewed unless at least one group study room is empty at the time of the renewal request. When all rooms are in use, a group wishing to renew a key may do so after fifteen minutes have passed if no other group has come to request a room. Groups of five or more may also use the classroom (150J) when it is not being used for instruction.

If you have questions about our study room policies (or any other policy, for that matter), please check with your supervisor. Answering your questions makes us feel good!

NO, NO, NO!

At BUSP we try to answer our patrons' requests in a positive way, but there are times when we just have to reply in the negative. For instance, if a patron needs a book that is checked out by another user, we cannot tell that patron who has the book checked out. Even if the patron making the inquiry has a desperate look in their eyes, and says something like, "But I have to have it for a class assignment that's due tomorrow, and I'm pretty sure I already know who has the book, and they are a friend of mine, and they wouldn't mind sharing it with me..." (We have heard this story before.) It would be nice to help this person and replace their desperate look with a smile, but we cannot. The information they are asking for is considered private, and BY LAW, we simply are unable to give it to them. The best we can do is tell the patron no in a kind way, and explain that it is illegal for us to give them the information they want. Nor can we give it to anyone else. Now if it should happen to be a policeman or an FBI agent, with a badge to prove it, who comes to the desk and asks you who has a book checked out, get your supervisor. (And yes, this has happened at BUSP before also.)

Why Are You Here?

If you are in doubt, you can find this information on the student staff bulletin board located on the wall to your left as you enter the reserve room from the circulation desk. Our reason for being here is embedded in the Libraries' mission statement, which is posted there.

What else can you find on this bulletin board? Sub notices. Post one if you need to miss a shift, and check there if you'd like to pick up some extra hours/money. The BUSP summer schedule is also posted on this bulletin board, and from time to time, you'll find articles of interest tacked onto it.

Wow, so now you know why you are here. Would you also like to know the meaning of life? You're expecting a lot if you think a bulletin board can tell you that, but you might find some clues (or get a good chuckle) from the "quote of the week" that's posted there. So check it out, O.K.?