There is a device at your reference desk that may well be the most stable technology in your entire library. It always works when you need it, patrons use it intuitively, staff never needs training to learn to use it, and it's cheap and abundant. That's right; I'm talking about the little pencils we all keep on the desk; the type used for keeping golf scores. When we think of technology, pencils rarely come to mind. Admittedly, it's hardly a hot new technology, but it's a form of technology just the same. Other than the supply we keep at the reference desk, what do pencils have to do with a column about the application of technology for library reference service?
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