During the past eight
months I have worked at the
Circulation Desk at Alderman
Library, and during that time I
have observed a situation in
which dozens of students are
shafted every day. The
problem is that faculty
members are never required to
pay fines – regardless of the
length of time they keep a
book and irrespective of the
number of requests they
receive to return a particular
volume.
I do not know why those
people at the apex of the
Alderman hierarchy have
formulated this policy, but I
do know that certain faculty
members have not returned
books which were requested by
students three months ago: I
have sent at least five requests
for these books to certain
people, and they have not
responded. I am absolutely
powerless to do anything about
even the grossest, most flagrant
abuses.
Why should the faculty be
immune from sanction when
every other class of patron has
to pay for his abuses, including
students (naturally),
employees, and cardholders? If
every faculty member returned
books as promptly as the Law
School's A.E. "Governor Dick"
Howard, no sanction would
ever be needed. Unfortunately,
a substantial number either
cannot read or do not give a
damn about the student who
need the books they have.
I hope that the Cavalier
Daily will join me in
demanding that the faculty
library committee require that
faculty members be liable for
the same penalties for
misconduct as any other
library patron. This change
would be fair because it would
treat all classes of patrons
identically, and it would result
in greater service to the
students for whom the library
purports to exist.
