The librarian asked me to decorate the book drop in such a way as to make it appear more prominent and obvious. A lot of kids don’t seem to understand that you can’t just leave your library book in some random place on the circulation desk. I mean, you can, but you can’t expect it to get checked in. It will just sit there, unnoticed, and then, when you try to check out a new book, the person at the circulation desk will explain to you for the 57th time how libraries work. And you’ll insist that you DID return your book. And the adult will explain it to you for the 58th time. And then you’ll find the book in the random place where you left it and get angry because SEE you did return it. And then we have to explain how libraries work for 59th time.

You’re probably an adult and don’t need me to explain how libraries work. And the kids shouldn’t need the explanation either BECAUSE THEY’VE ALREADY HEARD IT. But kids need a lot of repetition.

If you put your book in the book drop it will get checked in. If you don’t put your book in the book drop it won’t get checked in.

If you put your book into the book drop and then try to check a new book out 30 seconds later, your book will also not be checked in because clearly if I’m talking to you at the desk I can’t be looking in the book drop at the same time. They’re like 20 feet apart. If your issue is immediate you can give your book directly to the person at the desk. But, generally speaking—book goes in book drop; staff retrieves books at regular intervals when they have time to look; staff checks books in.

it’s not rocket science. But it’s not getting though.

Hence this hungry, hungry hippo. I don’t know how long he’ll last, but I had him laminated and mounted him on cardboard so hopefully he’s tough.

When I finished making him but before I had him laminated, I sent a picture to the Fox, who said he was liable to give kids nightmares. So I went back and made his eyes less creepy and the kids who have seen him so far thought he was great.

Nobody has fed him any books yet but I’m sure he’ll get something tomorrow.