ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 92 / C&RL News Read any good (suggestion) books lately? By Donald Altschiller Reference Librarian H arva rd U niversity a n d N ortheastern U niversity A great way to inform, advise, and amuse students. A re w e paying for th e Q uayle Q uarterly? If so, why?” “Yes, a little h u m o r in o u r lives is im p o rtan t and M ark Russell was too expensive.” T h e p re c ed in g w ritten exchange is n o t atypical o f th e often lively dialogue b etw een library u ser and librarian found in th e suggestion book at H arvard’s K ennedy School o f G o vernm ent (KSG). K ennedy School stu d en ts do n o t lack opinions, a quality refreshingly m a tc h ed by th e library staff. A fter all, who says th e c u sto m er is always right? T h e Q uayle Q uarterly (which bills itself as the only publication in th e w orld d evoted to th e life o f W hen the hot w ater supply was shut o ff at a Texas library, one w itty wag complained and then signed his name “Cool Hand Luke. ” J. D an fo rth Quayle) evoked o th e r co n tentious com ­ m ents. “M uch as I dislike Vice P resid en t Q uayle, is th e Q uayle Q uarterly really th e b e st way to s p en d $20 w h en so m any im p o rtan t jo u rnals a re unavail­ able?” T h e reply was succinct: “W hich ones, at $20?” T h e response conclu d ed w ith an FYI: “By the way, th e Quayle Q uarterly only costs $12.” Library suggestion books usually contain a range o f com plaints and com m ents from patrons: th e p h o to co p ier d oesn’t work, th e library is too h o t o r to o cold, and please buy this o r th a t book. Invari­ ably, th e librarian’s response is polite, responsive, a n d well, er, boring. To b e sure, th e KSG librarians are also polite an d responsive b u t, a t tim es, Malcolm H am ilton, th e librarian o f th e KSG, responds a bit feistily— especially w hen th e com plaint is re p e ated for th e n th time. W h en a few users com plained ab out excessive noise an d food in th e library, h e gently responded: “I personally tell anyone I. see to e at (and talk) elsew here. I will rem in d th em again.” B u t th e com plaints persisted. Apparently, some students (America’s future political leaders, it should b e n o ted ) passively assum ed th a t th e p ro b lem could b e c o rrected only by others. Mr. H am ilton had a d ifferen t idea. “W e ’re doing o u r b e st,” h e wrote, “b u t w e d o n ’t always see th e food o r a re n o t close en o u g h to th e problem . You are being tra in e d h ere as a m anager/leader. Exercise som e o f th e te c h ­ n iq u es you’re learning by telling those w ho b o th e r you, to knock it off. Tell th e m th a t you’d appreciate i f th e y continue th e conversation elsew here. Assert yourselfl Stand up for your rights—w ith your fellow stu d en ts as well as librarians.” How ever, th e KSG suggestion book contains few such necessary lectures. R ather, it is a forum for suggestions, frequently p u n c tu a ted by lig h th eart­ edn ess an d also som e arcane exhibitions o f political correctness. W hen R and M cNally p rin te d a U.S. February 1992 / 93 atlas containing only 47 states, one activist stu d en t p e n n e d the following exhortation: “To show soli­ darity with th e people o f N orth D akota, South D akota an d O klahoma, please do n o t p u rchase R and McNally’s latest atlas.” Occasionally, students set them selves up for clever rejoinders. O n e stu ­ d e n t w hined: “O f all th e libraries on cam pus, only Countw ay M edicine carries th e Utne Reader. This is nearly incom prehensible to m e.” T he wry riposte: “W e ’ll g et a copy an d fin d o u t w h eth er it’s incom ­ p rehensible t o us, too.” “C ould th e library subscribe to th e R e a d e rs Digest?’' suggested on e student, adding p e d an ti­ cally, “It is, a fte r all, th e largest selling magazine in th e w orld.” Mr. H am ilton quickly re tu rn e d th e volley. “O ne o f th e reasons it sells so many copies is th a t individuals buy th e ir own copies. T V G uide is th e largest selling m agazine in th e U nited States and peo p le d o n ’t ask us to b uy th at.” Library suggestion books have b een called “insti­ tutional forms o f grass roots populism ” by John K upersm ith, a Texas librarian. Sometimes, though, people offer com m ents th a t exceed the concerns, ind eed th e walls, o f th e library. ‘W h y have they changed th e shower heads in th e m en’s locker room in th e gym ?” w ro te one p erplexed s tu d e n t at Carnegie-M ellon University. A nother waxed m eta­ physical: ‘W h y am I at C arnegie M ellon? D oes th e question g et answ ered by th e Philosophy D e p a rt­ m en t?” B ut m ost com m ents deal with q u ite real issues. W h en th e hot w ater supply was shut o ff at a Texas library, on e witty wag com plained an d th en signed his nam e “Cool H a n d Luke.” Library users are n o t th e only ones w ho enjoy th e opportunity to air th e ir views. A p atron, for ex­ am ple, com plained about th e condition o f furniture at th e KSG. “Is th e re any way th a t th e arm chairs in the Library could be cleaned m ore often? T h ey look uninspiring.” T o which th e librarian responded: ‘W e n ev er th o u g h t o f th e chairs as inspiring! N ev­ ertheless, w e’ll see w hat can be d o n e ab out clean­ ing.” And h e o r she th e n concluded w ith a reflec­ tion: “I w o n d er how th ey got so dirty?” ■ ■ Witty suggestion book comments sought D oes your library’s suggestion book contain som e priceless gem s? Share th em w ith C & R L N ew s re a d ers. C &R L N ew s will publish selected com m ents as small fillers on a space available basis. Sendyour com m ents to: Suggestion Books, C & R L New s, 50 E. H u ro n St., Chicago, IL 60611; b itnet: U38398@UICVM.