Category Archives: Just silly

Stubby little pencils

Those stubby little pencils that all reference and circulation desks give out.  They used the same kind when I was in college 3-5 years ago.  What are they called?  What is their history?  How many does Duke buy per year? [3597C]

[written in answer space:  “History–I have seen this type of pencil used for score cards at most golf courses”]

[written in original hand:  “Interesting.  But did libraries come first?”]

Duke only buys one very, very long one each year and staff cut it into “stubby little pencils” (both technical name and accepted vernacular).  It’s brought in on a series of flat bed trucks, usually in late July, and dis(as)sembled and sharpened at Wallace Wade Stadium.

Sexy fonts

You should change to a fancier font.  Arial just doesn’t cut it. [3580C]

[written in other hand:  Agreed.  Arial sucks.  If you must, at least use Helvetica.]

That seems a bit harsh, Secret Scribbler.  Sans serif fonts generally get a bad rap for their lack of flair.  That said, if you had to look at Goudy Stout all the time, you’d probably get sick of that too.  Also, we’re limited by the somewhat primitive program we use for the online version.