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Ode to a Comb – Pic of the Week

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Today’s guest post is by Betty Lupinacci, supervisor in the Processing Section of the Law Library Collection Services Division.

This simple comb helps save time updating the Bloomberg/BNA portfolio titles in our collections.  [Photo by Betty Lupinacci]
This simple comb helps save time updating the Bloomberg/BNA portfolio titles in our collection. [Photo by Betty Lupinacci]
I can’t tell you how delighted I was to receive the object pictured above in the mail.  The Collection Services Division has been trying to get hold of this elusive item, and it finally arrived!  I was not alone in my joy – our contract staff were equally as happy to hear of its arrival.

How could a 3-inch piece of plastic stir up so much excitement?

Well, if you perform technical services in a law library that doesn’t have everything online, you will recognize this as the only practical means of updating Bloomberg/BNA’s Tax Management Portfolios (or any of their other portfolio titles).

The comb aligns the paper tabs with the wire binding for easy insertion. [Photo by Betty Lupinacci]
The comb aligns the paper tabs with the wire binding for easy insertion. [Photo by Betty Lupinacci]
For a while now, our looseleaf filers have been using pencils, pens, paper clips, fingernails and, rumor has it, a homemade device fashioned out of cardboard that lasted only a short time, to file replacement pages into the portfolios.

But no longer. 

We have what we need to keep our collection current and decrease the time it takes to get the volumes into patrons’ hands.

Now, where did I put that box of rubber fingertips?

Comments (4)

  1. only one??? no backups? smh 😉

    • We actually received four. Filers have already put their names on the combs with permanent marker to help keep track of them.

  2. Where can I get them. We also file Portfolios and all of our combs over the years have broken.

  3. Liz Batista, we typically call the publisher and ask for replacement combs. They have been more than happy to send us a handful of combs.

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