Our stakeholder is Sarah Burfitt, a fellow second year Owen classmate and friend. Her problem is that, generally speaking, the stapler area is always chaotic, messy and disorganized. Specifically speaking, students are always sticking the wrong staples in a given stapler and leaving the resulting jammed stapler unrepaired. She'd like us to address the jamming problem in particular, and the messy/chaotic/disorganized problem as a secondary problem. This is something we all have experienced at one time or another.
Our three concepts are as follows:
1. Establish stapler “buckets” at each of the main Owen designated stapling stations: Two baskets would be placed at each Owen stapling location (1st floor library, 2nd floor library, 1st floor copy room, etc.)-one for jammed/empty staplers and one for working/full staplers. Student volunteer or library staff member to monitor "buckets" on regular basis (no less than 2x per day). Additional high quality Swingline staplers of the would be purchased to ensure sufficient supply of primary and back-up staplers.
2. Install organization station for staplers and staples at each stapling station: An organization station for staplers and staplers would be created at each designated Owen stapling station. This system would alleviate the problem or not knowing where staplers are or issues of putting the wrong staplers into a given stapler (since there are several types). It would increase the stapler supply and guarantee that operable back-up staplers are always available. Most significantly, a color coding system would be created for the staples/staplers (<10>50 pages, etc.), so it's easier to understand what goes where.
3. Create a swap program where inoperable staplers can be taken to library circulation desk and exchanged for operable staplers: This idea would increase the stapler supply and guarantee that operable back-up staplers are always available. It would require the support and commitment from library staff members, many those at the circulation desk.
We look forward to your feedback.
Type Z
(Kimberly Cochran, Barry Nielsen, Steve South)
Hey guys. This is a problem, so thanks for looking into it.
ReplyDelete1) The buckets are a great idea. If walked by and wasn't busy I'd probably try to fix a stapler or two if I saw it in the broken basket.
2) I'm not sure if I understand what a stapling station is, or how it's different that staplers being on a table in a certain location.
3) Good idea. My concern is if people would take the time to walk downstairs and drop off a broken stapler. Basket method my be more effective in that sense.
1) The bucket idea sounds good to me...except I think that all the staplers would end up in the broken basket. For some reason MBAs seem to suck at using a stapler.
ReplyDeleteI like the third idea the best - swaping program. My fear with the buckets is that people will throw the staplers in them, and therefore, contribute to the broken/non-functional epidemic. Owen people (I think just due to lack of time) have little regard for public property.
ReplyDeleteI like the 2nd idea. Helping organize our stapler stations is a great idea. Do MBA's really break that many staplers? I find the automatic staplers to be way too powerful and unreliable. Sometimes they staple 4 inches from the top of my page. WHy are they so powerful? I dont need to staple my case review to a cinder block...
ReplyDeleteI think the stapler situation and the whole mess around the printing areas needs to be addressed for sure. How are you going to require the library staff to monitor these areas? Or how would the color coding work? I think it may be easier to just label the staplers with the ideal number of sheets that they can staple vs having a color associated with it. Since there are already colored printers, I think it could be confusing.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to tackle as this is always an issue at Owen!
ReplyDelete1.) Really like this idea, but am afraid that Evette is right in the sense that most staplers will end up in there due to a lack of stapler working knowledge that seems to be an epidemic in Owen.
2.) Great idea. I think color coding might work in hopes to prevent the wrong staples from going into the wrong staplers.
3.) This could be a really great initiative. It would ensure that broken staplers are replaced and that the broken staplers will get fixed!
I like the idea of swapping staplers with the library staff.
ReplyDeleteI like the 2nd. Color coding system is very helpful to realize when to replenish staples. Automatic staplers always bother me. It's difficult to see where and when documents will be stapled... It's better to remove automatic staplers.
ReplyDeleteWe can also simply have an added stapling function on the printers.
ReplyDeleteI also like the second idea the best; I think that having some organization to the area would ensure that people are conscious about cleaning up and restore some order.
ReplyDeleteIdea 3 is the best of the bunch. I got confused by the explanation for the first two ideas and that leads me to think that students will be similarly confused when the new process is explained to them. I know you can get a new marker for the white boards at the library desk, it makes good sense that you could get a stapler as well.
ReplyDeleteThis is a huge issue for such a stupid, simple item, and I'm glad you guys are going to do something about it. There is a common theme behind #1 and #3, which is simply that there needs to be some sort of notification system to the people in charge when staplers are broke. I like the bucket idea, but am afraid that a) it will be an eye-sore, and b) that the electronic staplers will get broken going into and out of the bucket.
ReplyDeleteI like all 3 project ideas. However, for Project #3, I will confess that if I am on the 2nd floor and a stapler is not working, I might either a) not have time to run downstairs to exchange it, or b) be too lazy to go downstairs to exchange it.
ReplyDeleteThe bucket idea is a good one--maybe we could place it underneath the tables or off to the side somewhere so that it isn't too noticeable? It might also help to put a note on there stating that people should treat the equipment gently.
The bucket idea sounds good to me. Also, maybe for the 2nd floor the IT computer lab area can run the replacement program and the first floor's program can be ran by the library because the main desk is on the 1st floor.
ReplyDeleteI like all, especially #1. As some people mentioned, the key seems like most of students are not willing to fix troubles spontaneously. Then I think there should be the person(s) in charge of the task.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I believe there is a quality issue of current staples. I have never seen such a situation that so many staples were broken so often in Japan... Buy high quality ones!
You have some good ideas here. Be careful in generating solutions that create work for other people (who may not see your problem as their problem). You might check in with the library staff and see what their take is on the problem.
ReplyDeleteAnother think this makes me wonder is if there is a reason to have multiple size staplers at each area? Is the frequency of use of both the staplers such that each station needs multiple kinds? If not, you could just have one (carefully monitored) place where there are multiple kinds of staplers, but all other places get one kind of stapler with one kind of refills.
I like an earlier comment that someone would do the pro-social thing and fix any staplers they see in the kaput bucket. Anyway of harnessing that goodwill in additional ways in your project?
Also, I'm with Hiro...who buys these cheap staplers? Probably not the people who use them.
I like all three ideas but my comment about the first idea is that the reality that it would only work if students are willing to make the effort. I may be cynical but my experiences with the stapler issue at Owen is that it is largely due to student clumsiness not lack of organization etc. How would you be able to create enough ownership to alleviate this problem?
ReplyDeleteAnother big problem at the printers upstairs is that people just walk away with the staplers and forget to bring them back. Can we put leashes on the staplers (like a string or a chain) to keep them close to their home? Same goes for the hole punch. Sidenote, but another problem is all the paper that stacks up. At my old job, they used to have those standing file-holders to hold people's print jobs. Those would be a nice addition to clean up the space and make us look less slobby when people walk toward the library.
ReplyDeleteI think you could actually combine options 1 and 2 because they almost address two issues. The first option is good because it requires little effort from the students, whereas the third option requires someone to take the time to go to the library desk to switch out the stapler. Often times students are in a rush, so they probably won't bother going to the library front desk (esp if on the 2nd floor). The buckets are easy enough if someone is in a rush. The labels (from option 2) would likely prevent issues from happening and the buckets (option 1) would help in case a stapler malfunctions even if people use them properly (which is bound to happen).
ReplyDelete