Students depend on the library to have the supplies they need to complete the many readings they have for class each day.  Essential among these supplies are staplers.  Mac students are lucky to go to an institution that so values the quality of education, but the library's refusal to replace broken staplers is incongruous with this tradition of excellence.  Even if the cost of staplers is significant, it is worth it to ensure that readings are kept together and do not get disorganized or lost because of a flimsy paperclip.  Further, turning a paper into a professor with a paperclip instead of a staple would diminish the professional quality that Mac professors expect.  Asking each student to purchase a stapler only adds to the significant financial burden that comes from attending a school like Macalester.