[Web4lib] Mouse pads

[Andrew Mutch]

Judy,

How about investing in optical mice? CDWG sells some basic optical mice for under $15 and you can probably get them even cheaper, especially if you buy them in bulk. It's a small investment to save you the hassle of dealing with cleaning the mice and finding long-lasting mouse pads. 

An optical mouse doesn't eliminate gunk getting into the scrollwheel but it does eliminate the problem with having to clean out the mouse ball and related mechanism. Unless you're using them on a glossy surface, you can almost always eliminate the need to use a mouse pad with them. They still collect dirt on the bottom but it's a lot easier to clean the bottom of an optical mouse than cleaning the inside of a standard mouse. When we went to optical mice, we ditched the mouse pads and neither staff or patrons have missed them. 

Good luck!

Andrew Mutch
Library Systems Technician
Waterford Township Public Library
Waterford, MI


---- Original message ----
>Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 11:42:49 -0500
>From: Judy McBrian <jbrian at boonvillelib.net>  
>Subject: [Web4lib] Mouse pads  
>To: "publib at webjunction.org" <publib at webjunction.org>, Weblib <web4lib at webjunction.org>
>
>Excuse the cross posting please
>
>I know, this is a really elementary question, but I would like to save
>myself a trip to the "mouse pad" store ;-)
>
>First of all we're a not too large library and my job description is
>cataloger, Systems Admin., and whoever-answers-the-phone is reference desk.
>
>In the spring we bought some mouse pads with mircroban (seemed like a
>good idea) that had a surface that was not particularly hard,
>(sorta like flannel)
>After a summer of teens on myspace , etc. ad nausaum...I've found really
>grungy mouse pads and totally crudded up mice wheels.
>
>I mean, I  used to clean these things about once a month with a little
>dirt inside them.  Now I find that after only a week the movable parts
>inside
>are really coated with bits and bots of dirt and whatever, and the mouse
>pads are filthy even with daily cleaning. because it seems
>the surface of the pad holds onto everything, and then the mouse sucks
>it up.
>
>What Id  LIKE to do is march the patrons to the sink, hand them some
>soap with the  command "WASH"
>
>Since that's hardly seems practical, I'm asking for your wisdom in
>finding an affordable hard surface mouse pad that won't
>pick up the dirt so easily and hence pass it into the mouse workings.
>
>Web sites are not too helpful in describing the surface on these pads
>unless they are really, really nice...and expensive.  (I've seen some made
>of glass...gee, that'd be great for this particular public setting...)
>
>Thanks
>Judy McBrian
>Boonville Warrick Co Public Library
>
>
>
>
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