By Tommy Praeger and Chris Fischer

One major concern that students have when they sit down at a computer in the library is if the there is a mouse to go along with the computer. There are an alarming amount of computers in the library that do not have mice.

In order to get more information, we interviewed the librarian, Ms. McCabe, for her thoughts on the issue. First, she assured us that she is aware of the complication with the missing mice. The main theory for the sudden disappearance of computer mice is the bending of the pins that connect the mice to the keyboards. The bent pins make the mouse’s cord unable to fit into its designated slots on the keyboard. This problem renders mice with broken pins useless. In order to find a mouse for a computer, a student must take a working mouse from another computer. Students stealing mice from other computers are a common sight here in the Briarcliff High School Library. As the number of broken mice builds up and the number of working mice dwindles, it is harder to find a mouse for each computer.

Ms. McCabe states the school does not have enough money in the budget to replace each of the broken mice. Another variation of mice that is present in the library, mice that connect to the computer at a USB port, are much more reliable than the previously mentioned mice. There has not been a problem with these mice breaking.

Ms. McCabe proposed another solution to the problem. This solution was that students check out laptops from the library. Students would not have to use any mice if they did this.  The presence of broken and missing computer mice at the library computers is a major problem at Briarcliff High School that remains unsolved although possible causes have been identified.