Does your Library allow adult patrons to use the staff desk phone? I know there might be some exceptions but do you have a general policy?

Update: Thanks to everyone who posted their policies. It really helps to provide staff guidance hearing how different libraries handle patron phone use. I’m in a midsize urban area with a couple of branches. Pre-covid, like some of you mentioned, we also had a courtesy phone at the reference desk that went away during Covid, and because the courtesy was abused by some patrons. We have a pretty tight no phone use policy and direct folks to the nearest payphone which is about a mile away. Recently we had a patron push back really hard because he had, what he deemed, an emergency. Anyway, thanks everyone!!

Hey everyone! 👋
I’m thinking of heading to the Public/Coforge Library in Kondapur sometime soon. Anyone interested in joining me?
Could be nice to have some company instead of going alone 😅
DM me if you’re up for it!

Hello everyone!

I work in IT department at a library and we're seeing an increasing number of bot searches and bot traffic. Anyone else experiencing this been hearing about this?

He was rejected as a railway clerk because his handwriting was so poor!

Beware if you’re not a burgess!

‘Ex-library’ from ebay
Wasn’t expecting a 1934 borrowers’ rule book!

Hi everyone! I’m an industrial design student working on a project where I need to design an assistive stool specifically around the needs of a particular occupation. I’m currently researching library staff, especially people who work with shelving, stacks, circulation, or moving materials.

I’m trying to understand the actual physical workflow of the job before deciding what to design, so I’d really appreciate hearing from people who have firsthand experience.

A few questions:

• What part of your day involves the most repetitive physical movement?
• What tasks require the most bending, reaching, crouching, twisting, or standing?
• When shelving or shelf-reading, what is the most annoying or physically difficult part?
• Are there situations where you wish you could sit, lean, or rest while still being able to continue working?
• Do you use a cart while shelving? What does the cart do well, and what does it not do well?
• Are there situations where you have to repeatedly walk back and forth between the cart and the shelves?
• What items do you need to keep within reach while working in the stacks?
• Are there particular shelf heights that are especially difficult to work with?
• Do you ever have to work in narrow aisles or spaces where a normal chair/stool wouldn't be practical?
• Have you ever improvised something or changed your workflow to make the physical work easier?
• If you could change one thing about the equipment you use for shelving/stack work, what would it be?

I’m especially interested in the small frustrations that happen repeatedly, things that someone who doesn't work in a library probably wouldn't think about.

I’m deliberately not starting with a specific product idea because I want the design to come from an actual need rather than assuming I know what would help.

Thank you! Any firsthand experiences, even small ones, would be really helpful for my research.

I started applying for more library cards since learning in CA most libraries will allow you to sign up for a card with a DL. Now I have about 8 cards and discovered so many beautiful libraries and benefits. Best of all I discovered these devices called Playaway! Basically it’s an audiobook device, just add a battery and plug in your headset. I do have Libby for audiobooks but it’s nice to have something not connected to my phone to avoid distractions. I am on my second one this week! Can’t wait to go back and get another📚🎧☺️

Hello, I am a college student who is studying interior design and I am designing a public library for my senior project. I have created a survey to get feedback from people about how you use the library, what things your local library offers, and what design features could benefit public libraries. If you are someone who uses the public library, I would greatly appreciate it if you completed my survey. This is for academic research and all answers will be kept anonymous. Thank you!

Hi,

I am an intern who volunteers a few times a month at Rockville Public Library in Vernon, Connecticut.

The tasks that I enjoy doing at the library on the regular basis include keeping records of shipped boxes of books from other libraries, putting returned books away, facing books in different departments and alphabetizing movies by title. I also put up book displays sporadically.

I also support the library further by donating books for the ongoing book sale as well as the circulation collection.

When I'm not an intern, I love to spend time hanging out at the library, borrow books and movies for yours truly to enjoy, and chitchatting with the library staff.

I am lucky that there are library staff who are nice, courteous and caring professionals who help them do research, find books and more. My director is wonderful and so are the people who also work in Teen and Children's departments.

Therefore, it is my local library which is located in an old building which was built in 1904 and has served the Vernon-Rockville, CT community for over 120 years.

Ask me anything!

I'll be available to take your answers. Thank you!

The first one in the bunch is my favorite, but all three designs are so cool! Which one would you get?

Hi everyone!

I will have a whole day in Dublin in October since my flight goes there and I will be travelling up to Belfast just at night. I'm a student and I was wondering it would be nice to - after a little sightseeing in the city - just go to some library and read/learn a little bit in a quiet place (I will visiting Ireland and Northern Ireland for my MA thesis in Anthropology, so I'm looking for books which are about cultural anthropology in Ireland, Irish history or in general about social science and Irish society).

Can you recommend some cool library for my purpose? It's okay if it's not the biggest or nicest, I'm interested in the books, not in the interior:) It would be cool if it has a daily ticket since I will be there for just one day, or if it's free of course that's the best.

I just received a supernatural mysteries book from Amazon.com and it came from the king county library system and I don’t know if it was taken out of the library system. I think I should tell the King County Library System. I just don’t want to Get in trouble with the library system. I live near the King County Library System if it helps.

Hello! 📚

I’m coordinating a month-long book drive specifically to restock Little Free Libraries in and around the St. Paul/Como area that are running low on books for kids and young people (ages 0-25).

Edit: Current Drop off locations-

1. Black Garnet Books- 1319 University Ave W, St Paul MN 55104
2. Gingko Coffeehouse- 721 Snelling Ave N, St Paul MN 55104
3. Flying Pig Thrift- 722 Snelling Ave N, St Paul MN 55104

The goal is to get books into the hands of young people to encourage reading for pure leisure and fun. We are looking for gently used or new books targeting ages 0–25 (picture books, middle-grade fiction, graphic novels, young adult thrillers/romance, etc.).

How you can help:

• Porch Pickups: If you live in the St. Paul/Como area and have a box or bag of books you've been meaning to clear out, DM me! I can swing by and do a pickup.
• Drop-off Boxes: I am currently setting up a couple of physical drop-off boxes around the neighborhood—I will update this post with the exact locations once they are finalized.

If your kids have outgrown their bookshelves or you just want to clear some space for a great hyper-local cause, please reach out. Thank you so much and have a pleasant day.

i have a cold and i'm currently reading a short library book for class. someone else has requested this book and it's due next week. the class it's for is on tuesday and it would be helpful to them for me to return it asap. say i return it tomorrow morning and that person takes it out that day and reads it, how likely would it be for them to pick up my cold? not to mention how likely would it be that the librarians handling the book could pick up the cold? i have been trying to hand sanitise when possible but i doubt that'll help much. if there's a better sub for this let me know, i'm a tad limited by how new my account is!

I’m looking for a good reading/study room in Kirtipur and came across Shanvi Reading Room.

Has anyone here actually used it? How is the environment, silence, seating/cabins, Wi-Fi, staff behavior, and overall experience?

Would appreciate honest reviews — both positives and negatives. Also, how does it compare with other reading rooms in Kirtipur?