Libraries generally ask you not to reshelve books because they keep records of which books get used, not because they think their patrons are too stupid to do it properly.
I’ve worked in a public library and school library and we never took books left on reshelving carts and made any notes about their use. That’s probably done in the system when you check them out, but otherwise they just get sorted and reshelved. It’s easier than someone putting them back wrong or leaving them all over the floor, library tables, or window sill.
PS. Incidentally, my spell check doesn’t like the word “reshelve.” It says “reshelf” is correct, so it’s probably a case of someone’s spell check run amuck on the order form when they put in for the signs.
JK’s right. We only keep records of the books that actually leave the library. We don’t want patrons to reshelf them because 99% of the time they do it wrong.
We’d rather them leave them in a neat pile on the table. Then we pick them up and scan them because sometimes – rarely, but sometimes – a patron happens to grab a book that is “in house missing.” Meaning a staff member went looking for it in several places, couldn’t find it, and marked it as missing in our computers. Scanning automatically takes it off the missing list.
Because sometimes people ARE too stupid to do it, at least properly, so when you go to pull a book for a hold or a patron or because YOU FREAKING WANT IT, it’s not where it supposed to be.
I thought they were referring to the time honored reshelfing students do when they don’t want their classmates to use that book i.e. being dicks and hiding certain books during term-paper season.
Yeah, normally I would find a letter like this annoying. In this case, however, I understand how this student feels. (S)he is paying for a university education and seeing a mistake like that all the time has to make one question the value of the education that the University of Guam provides.
I am often a member of the Grammar Police, but I’ll take “reshelf” over the obnoxiousness of this note. It seems as thought it would have been a lot easier to just tell someone that there’s a misspelling on one of the library signs, but I suppose that doesn’t come with the refreshing cloud of smug superiority that lingers for the rest of the day.
I have a weird rant. I am alone on this probably. It is such a fad to celebrate books and library these days. Books are just one of the resources for information, like an internet etc. People make such a huge deal about reading a book. I understand library and books are being replaced and that makes some people go overboard. But this thing is reading a book does not make one literate. If you are reading cheap (in quality) crap or worst yet personal interest fueled propaganda, you are becoming anti-literate actually. Celebration should be for quality reading not the tool of reading.
Hey, ok. Rant is over. I did say it ‘s gonna be a weird rant…
I’m pretty sure that we celebrate the reading of any books because society is under the belief that kids “no longer read”. Some people point to Harry Potter as the saving grace for books that influenced a whole generation to get back to reading.
I’m not sure how much reading is actually dying, but I am sad to note that I know at least one person that refuses to read anything. No books, no comics, no newspapers, no magazines. It’s people like that which cause the rest of us to applaud even simple reading in others. Reading is very important for comprehension and communication growth, so it also has an impact on intelligence. Even cheap crap will help in these departments – so don’t knock those books too hard.
On my side of the fence, I think forcing students to read books ahead of their time (i.e. “classics” that were written during their time for adults, not 14 year olds) – the sort of books you would likely espouse – is what’s helping to kill the desire for reading. Even I love to read but I wanted to die rather than read Ethan Frome.
While I absolutely, completely embrace the intent, I need to point out that the author actually includes an incomplete sentence within the body of the text, in the sentence beginning, “simply because…” I know it’s probably really uncool to do this, but hey, the author is in school, right? Willingness and readiness to learn, etc.? I AM glad the sign was posted and the error identified, though. Thank you, Undergraduate (no “lowly” about it)!
I would like to point out that this person should be penalized for plagiarism, which seems far worse than the library’s original mistake —google “reshelf” and you will see there is an almost word-for-word post about this on grammarphobia
I think I broke out into a mild rash the day that “disorientate” made it into an actual dictionary because a critical mass of people were unable to discern the root word and use it properly.
Same goes for the past tense of “to lead” (led). Now I’m irritated every time I see a newspaper print a sentence that reads something like, “And he lead the people to victory!” and it’s considered grammatically sound. Bah!
The library should just hire a pygmy with a blow-dart gun to fire tranquilizers into the neck of anyone who attempts to put a book back on the shelf. No need for signs. Problem solved.
On an unrelated topic, how cool of a word is pygmy? Four letters that dip below the horizon. Pretty sweet!
My undergrad university does this, too – their alumni magazine is full of singular “alumni”. The classics department flips out about this every now and then. The next issue will use “alumnus/a”, instead, then everyone forgets about it and, “an alumni” makes a comeback.
Pretty sure the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.), the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed), Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged and the Oxford English Dictionary don’t have “alook” as a word either. Perhaps you should reshelf this letter up your a33.
It is Re-shelf. There is there the other form of shelf that the undergrad does not take into account. As in when something has a shelf life or you buy something off the shelf. To re-shelf is to put it back on the long piece of wood known as a shelf.
Usually I don’t like grammar nazis, but I think a library should use proper grammar in their communications. Like someone else said I wonder if it was a result of spell check. Also since one of the official languages of Guam is Chamorro ,the other being English, and there is also a large Filipino population there, who could speak primarily Tagalog, if it was an incorrect translation on the original notes part.
That’s not impossible, but generally it’s all pretty standard (albeit sometimes regional) American English in Guam– especially at UOG, and especially in the library and archives.
Back at my university, it used to drive me nuts that *every* parent open-house weekend there would be a piece of paper taped to the front of the administration building door stating “Get You Student IDs Here”. What a great advertisement about the quality of education that your child is receiving. One weekend they were also having entertainment for the parents. The next sign inside the door had the word “Cariacaturist” [sic] with an arrow pointing to the location of the entertainment.
I did a short stint at UOG and I came in all excited for some kind of unique Marianas complaint to chuckle at. Like a demand that the librarians somehow do something about the stray dogs that follow people around, or insist that they be provided a better place to study because the fish people caught in the reef to keep in the only rooms with wifi are all dying and it smells really bad but we can’t clean it because the lionfish are still alive and we’re afraid to put our hands in the water to clean it. But no, it’s a scolding from a grammar stickler.
Keep in mind people actually live on all those islands out there! There aren’t a lot of universities in the Pacific, pretty much anyone in Micronesia at least is more likely to end up there than anywhere else.
But UOG has a library/archive of texts unlike any other for the history of that region, which includes a lot of areas of interest for a lot of people. The atomic bombs dropped on Japan were launched from the Marianas, for example. When I was there, a group of Spanish scholars were there to do research on Spanish colonial history. There’s also a lot of academic ecological interest in Guam specifically because of the brown tree snake disaster.
Using shelf like re-shelf is like changing impact to impacting (i.e. making it a verb, along the lines of the extremely odious medalled as in ‘the Olympic athlete medalled’).
So the complainant is goddamn correct, and the correct word is re-shelve because shelve is a verb and shelf is a noun.
Microsoft word doesn’t accept “reshelve” as properly spelled word, so I think it’s reshelf. To shelve is a verb, but I do believe that you are to reshelf a book as once again shelve it. The library is correct on this one.
As a former library volunteer, I understand the pain that both the ‘lowly undergrad’ and the library go through. Yes, the signs drove me nuts. However, the fact that he did his research and the note was written very nicely (by way of notes) shows that he truly cares. Undergrads typically don’t have a life (undergrad myself).
Libraries ask you not to reshelve books due to A) they want to keep records of what books are being used and B) people are stupid and don’t reshelve them correctly, especially when you get into the non fiction. Even I have made the mistake, and I used to volunteer and knew where every book in the library went.
84 responses so far ↓
#1
H for Toy
Sorry.
“Please do not make a shelf out of the books… AGAIN.”
Feb 19, 2013 at 12:39 pm rating: 43
#2
JN
Grammar PA notes always put me in a good mood.
Feb 19, 2013 at 12:42 pm rating: 44
#3
Beatus Mongous
What’s with the green lines?
Feb 19, 2013 at 12:52 pm rating: 2
#4
Amy
Obviously this person has nothing better to do with their life. Other people have LIFES…. lol
Feb 19, 2013 at 12:58 pm rating: 77
#5
w.r.printz
So…the signs should be reprinted?
To be fair, the library saying “Don’t put the books back because you are too stupid to do it correctly” would be less PA and more fun…..
Feb 19, 2013 at 12:59 pm rating: 46
#6
jjbooknut
Not to mention this pearl: “… issues any students may experience”. HELLO!
Feb 19, 2013 at 1:14 pm rating: 9
#7
Lola
I find it strnge that the nore is dated the exact day that it appears here on PAN
Feb 19, 2013 at 1:18 pm rating: 4
#8
Lola
I find it strange that the note is dated the exact day that it appears here on PAN
Feb 19, 2013 at 1:20 pm rating: 4
#9
sockpuppet
I am in no way a fan of the Grammar Police, but in this case I have to agree….a library is the last place that should have an error like this
Feb 19, 2013 at 1:20 pm rating: 31
#10
TeeDeeAitch
While I absolutely, completely embrace the intent, I need to point out that the author actually includes an incomplete sentence within the body of the text, in the sentence beginning, “simply because…” I know it’s probably really uncool to do this, but hey, the author is in school, right? Willingness and readiness to learn, etc.? I AM glad the sign was posted and the error identified, though. Thank you, Undergraduate (no “lowly” about it)!
Feb 19, 2013 at 1:23 pm rating: 15
#11
sockpuppet
I would like to point out that this person should be penalized for plagiarism, which seems far worse than the library’s original mistake —google “reshelf” and you will see there is an almost word-for-word post about this on grammarphobia
Feb 19, 2013 at 1:26 pm rating: 37
#12
m9
Like a re-gift, it’s a re-shelf.
Feb 19, 2013 at 1:37 pm rating: 8
#13
nunavut guy
I am going to hit you with a shelve….sorry,shelf.
Feb 19, 2013 at 1:45 pm rating: 6
#14
Sir Puke
Ah, to be in the halls of macadamia. I mean college, NOT.
These are the people that should be slapped in the town square.
Feb 19, 2013 at 1:58 pm rating: 2
#15
pooham
I remember being a little sad when I learned that somewhere along the line it became acceptable to use the word fishes for more than one fish.
But I was also elated when my sister and I found a sign above a Walgreens aisle that said “Incontinents!”
Feb 19, 2013 at 2:12 pm rating: 10
#16
Ely North
The library should just hire a pygmy with a blow-dart gun to fire tranquilizers into the neck of anyone who attempts to put a book back on the shelf. No need for signs. Problem solved.
On an unrelated topic, how cool of a word is pygmy? Four letters that dip below the horizon. Pretty sweet!
Feb 19, 2013 at 2:37 pm rating: 34
#17
Captain Hampton
It would be more effective and fun to take a red pen to every offending sign.
Feb 19, 2013 at 2:37 pm rating: 10
#18
mutzali
Big sign in the faculty office at my sons’ high school (yes, I have two sons, so “sons’ ” is correct):
Are you an alumni of Del Mar?
I’ve complained, but the sign’s been there for four years so far.
Feb 19, 2013 at 3:10 pm rating: 12
#19
Shelfin' Fool
Pretty sure the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.), the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th ed), Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged and the Oxford English Dictionary don’t have “alook” as a word either. Perhaps you should reshelf this letter up your a33.
Feb 19, 2013 at 3:33 pm rating: 3
#20
Bookstore Owner
It is Re-shelf. There is there the other form of shelf that the undergrad does not take into account. As in when something has a shelf life or you buy something off the shelf. To re-shelf is to put it back on the long piece of wood known as a shelf.
Feb 19, 2013 at 4:07 pm rating: 4
#21
Joe Blow
I’m confused — you won’t find “reshelve” in multiple dictionaries, but you will find it in a different one. So we should use “reshelve”?!
Feb 19, 2013 at 4:21 pm rating: 3
#22
wkj
Irregardless, we should not use ‘reshelve’.
Feb 19, 2013 at 4:43 pm rating: 15
#23
Ashes
Are we allowed to post links for pain-in-the-ass pendants here?
Here’s hoping: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7E-aoXLZGY
Feb 19, 2013 at 4:58 pm rating: 1
#24
danny b
Usually I don’t like grammar nazis, but I think a library should use proper grammar in their communications. Like someone else said I wonder if it was a result of spell check. Also since one of the official languages of Guam is Chamorro ,the other being English, and there is also a large Filipino population there, who could speak primarily Tagalog, if it was an incorrect translation on the original notes part.
Feb 19, 2013 at 6:26 pm rating: 2
#25
SS
Back at my university, it used to drive me nuts that *every* parent open-house weekend there would be a piece of paper taped to the front of the administration building door stating “Get You Student IDs Here”. What a great advertisement about the quality of education that your child is receiving. One weekend they were also having entertainment for the parents. The next sign inside the door had the word “Cariacaturist” [sic] with an arrow pointing to the location of the entertainment.
Feb 19, 2013 at 10:44 pm rating: 3
#26
Kou
I did a short stint at UOG and I came in all excited for some kind of unique Marianas complaint to chuckle at. Like a demand that the librarians somehow do something about the stray dogs that follow people around, or insist that they be provided a better place to study because the fish people caught in the reef to keep in the only rooms with wifi are all dying and it smells really bad but we can’t clean it because the lionfish are still alive and we’re afraid to put our hands in the water to clean it. But no, it’s a scolding from a grammar stickler.
People really are the same everywhere.
Feb 19, 2013 at 11:03 pm rating: 9
#27
guadalisa
I’m curious. How, exactly, does one end up at UOG?
Feb 20, 2013 at 9:11 am rating: 0
#28
lowly me
Did lowly undergraduate write, “come across come signs”
Feb 20, 2013 at 11:48 am rating: 0
#29
Kim
I got my BA at UOG and I have to admit that those signs in the library always drove me nuts.
Feb 20, 2013 at 12:23 pm rating: 1
#30
bob loblaw
Using shelf like re-shelf is like changing impact to impacting (i.e. making it a verb, along the lines of the extremely odious medalled as in ‘the Olympic athlete medalled’).
So the complainant is goddamn correct, and the correct word is re-shelve because shelve is a verb and shelf is a noun.
Feb 20, 2013 at 1:12 pm rating: 5
#31
Frankenstien
Microsoft word doesn’t accept “reshelve” as properly spelled word, so I think it’s reshelf. To shelve is a verb, but I do believe that you are to reshelf a book as once again shelve it. The library is correct on this one.
Feb 21, 2013 at 4:35 pm rating: 0
#32
DC
Did anyone else picture Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory when reading this note?
Feb 22, 2013 at 10:16 pm rating: 1
#33
MissDragonMage
As a former library volunteer, I understand the pain that both the ‘lowly undergrad’ and the library go through. Yes, the signs drove me nuts. However, the fact that he did his research and the note was written very nicely (by way of notes) shows that he truly cares. Undergrads typically don’t have a life (undergrad myself).
Libraries ask you not to reshelve books due to A) they want to keep records of what books are being used and B) people are stupid and don’t reshelve them correctly, especially when you get into the non fiction. Even I have made the mistake, and I used to volunteer and knew where every book in the library went.
Feb 26, 2013 at 11:12 am rating: 0
#34
shepd
I didn’t know green bar came back in style. Bonus hipster points for the fact it’s no longer for printers!
Mar 6, 2013 at 1:49 pm rating: 0
#35
katie k
As an English teacher with a background in linguistics, I feel I can say with confidence: This person is a dick.
Mar 18, 2013 at 10:45 am rating: 0
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