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What is your favorite Unshelved story or strip? Is there one that felt like it was "ripped from the headlines," i.e. from your library?

flag	asked Nov 17 at 19:19 Emily J 3,466●2●18

pats-asterisk · Accepted Answer · 2009-11-18 02:49:06Z UTC

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When this was published, I was a very new computer tech and librarian, with a brand new (and cranky) public access network. This has remained a favorite for all these years . . .

http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20050709

answered Nov 18 at 2:49

pats-asterisk
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That's one of my favorites too. I think they should write a script involving staff controlling the computer time. I once had a patron come in the last 2 minutes we were open and try to use the computer. We had control of the kill switch and ended the session. – Jeff Nov 18 at 19:44

Ack! I got a friendly reminder to pick a "winner" and after coming home from an evening of "the printers are down"/"the printers are working"/"that printer is down"/"so is that one"... this one rang true to the most tonight. Although I'm also a regular witness to the cell phone phenomenon in the answer below. – Emily J Nov 21 at 7:43

Not every question has a right answer... – Bill Barnes♦ Nov 21 at 20:21

I agree, but I didn't want someone to not earn their points because I asked a fuzzy question! – Emily J Nov 26 at 2:25

Deb · Answer 2 · 2010-01-05 06:00:14Z UTC

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Loved the unattended kid with the borrowed yellow highlighter that ran Oct 25, 26, & 27, 2004. The "you missed a spot" on the Wednesday strip was especially funny

answered Jan 5 at 6:00

Deb
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ryno · Answer 3 · 2009-12-10 15:54:02Z UTC

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I love the idea of Dewey as a slick ladies' man:

http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20050507

answered Dec 10 at 15:54

ryno
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SaraM · Answer 4 · 2009-11-29 22:39:24Z UTC

I'm a big fan of this one about an unattended child. We have stuff like this happen in our library all the time and this rang particularly true. And I can't help but love the fact that Dewey says all the things I really want to say!

SueT · Answer 5 · 2009-11-29 22:34:48Z UTC

My favorite strip is the one where Colleen is explaining that "It's a reference book not a printout of the internet". I shamelessly use it (with attribution, of course) in my Freshman Seminar class to start a discussion on using the Library as a starting point for all research instead of Google.

Ali McCann · Answer 6 · 2009-11-27 23:35:52Z UTC

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We once had someone use bologna as a bookmark.

answered Nov 27 at 23:35

Ali McCann
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	This would better as a comment under Archivite's response. – Betsy Ray Nov 29 at 17:53
	Nah, they're talking about two different strips (although similar subject matter). – Bill Barnes♦ Nov 30 at 20:18

Judith · Answer 7 · 2009-11-26 16:59:12Z UTC

This one was the one that got my library assistant reading Unshelved every morning:

http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20080916

She'd just finished a really big 'clean and tidy' of the the Sports section when 3 yr10 (15 yr olds) classes came into the library... (and I was writing a budget bid that week)

Judith in England

Betsy Ray · Answer 8 · 2009-11-21 15:20:19Z UTC

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One of the storylines that rang most true for me was the "Petition" that starts here:

http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20040920

Only in a public library!

answered Nov 21 at 15:20

Betsy Ray
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The character in this sequence based on the real life Tim Eyman, who is constantly pushing tax-cut initiatives in Washington state which affect libraries. – Bill Barnes♦ Nov 23 at 16:37

Archivite · Answer 9 · 2009-11-20 16:21:54Z UTC

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The "weird bookmark" strip is a great example of truth being stranger than fiction. Everytime I'm faced with something bizarre between the pages I think back to it.

answered Nov 20 at 16:21

Archivite
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A branch in my library system did a display of things found in books- highly entertaining and sometimes disturbing! – Emily J Nov 26 at 2:27

BookMasterJMV · Answer 10 · 2009-11-20 03:01:10Z UTC

My favorite strip has to be the "put everything in the bookdrop" one.

http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20021211

In the library that I used to work at, the bookdrop used to be right next to the Circulation Desk and a good 25% of the questions were, "Can I put ___ in there?". On the other side, the staff side, a printout of that comic still sits there today, a good four years (atleast) after it was printed.

Etta · Answer 11 · 2009-11-20 15:16:39Z UTC

I love the Library vs. the internet series between Dewey and Merv. It starts here and ends five days later, on the thirtieth. My favorite out of the series is the Adult Content strip.

I also really love this one, it proves extremely true for me as I am slightly scatterbrained to begin with.

I refound this one; I had to add it, as it is another of my favorites. I love that we are in a profession where we are celebrated for our uniquneness and the silliness of a tickle war breaking out is fairly okay.

youngwhippersnapper · Answer 12 · 2009-11-18 02:10:39Z UTC

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The start of the book club is my favorite

http://www.unshelved.com/?strip=20050404

answered Nov 18 at 2:10

youngwhippersnapper
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debrarian · Answer 13 · 2009-11-18 01:29:18Z UTC

"The Misperception" has got to be one of my all-time favorites. It was actually traced from a snapshot taken one quiet Tuesday morning at my small urban branch:

http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20050206

The more I have this conversation the harder it is not to give Dewey's answer.

Kathy · Answer 14 · 2009-11-17 20:56:49Z UTC

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I have a special place in my heart for the Secret Origins of Buddy the Book Beaver.

answered Nov 17 at 20:56

Kathy
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One of my favorites, too. Starts here: unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20020626 (Also, a great chance to see how much Bill's art has changed over the years...) – Gene Ambaum♦ Nov 18 at 16:11

Me too! Me too! Me too! (sorry had to repeat myself to get enough characters for my comment to post!) – Anne Jan 5 at 14:37

Jeff · Answer 15 · 2009-11-17 19:57:44Z UTC

My favorite was the reading advocacy chicken. Many of the lines from that series arc I think I probably have said as a director at a time when I was too obsessed with numbers. I love how the arc backfires.

http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20070212

http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20070215

http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20070216

http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20070217

Matt · Answer 16 · 2009-11-17 19:46:04Z UTC

Not story lines but two of my favorite strips are where Dewey is waiting for the patron to hang up the cell phone and the patron says I am waiting for the threat. And my all time favorite (actually have a signed print of it somewhere) is when it is explained that it takes the village people to raise a child.

Here are the links as demanded by Bill(who you think could have provided them) http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20081113 (Cell phone strip)

http://www.unshelved.com/archive.aspx?strip=20030115 (Village People Strip)

Favorite Unshelved storyline?

16 Answers