Valentine’s Day is one week away, so naturally, our thoughts turned to love. Love and books (we’re eager readers around here). So we went wandering through Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, asking any staffers we found how they plan to show their love on Valentine’s Day. Not surprisingly, we got lots of flowers, dinners and candy in response. But there were a few people who had more adventurous ideas.

Dan Applegate
Evening Circulation Desk
“Flowers and chocolate. If anyone will take it.”

Carl Jankiewicz
Circulation Desk administrator
“I buy her [his wife] a box of candy and give her a card. You have to give a card or you get in trouble.”

Ellen DeMarinis
Reference librarian
“I would cook a very special meal.”

Kieran Diamond
Reference intern
“Go out to dinner. Do something naughty. Do something unprintable.”

David Azzolina
Reference Department staff
“Flowers. I’m into flowers.”

Raymond Rorke
Web editor
“I would give them my URL: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~rrorke/Play/throb.html.”

Shiva Vakili
Librarian and lecturer in Persian
“I don’t believe in love only once a year. I like to show my love all year round. I believe in giving flowers too.”

Marvin Weaver
Programmer analyst
“Bake a cake. I’m taking cake decorating classes.”

Antonio Vivas
IT support specialist
“Dinner. A small gift is the normal way in Venezuela. Send flowers to work and home.”

Christina Cashman
Library Human Resources coordinator
“Telling everybody that I love them.”

Cynthia Cronin-Kardon
Reference librarian
“I would have a very romantic dinner for six — two parents and four children.”

Dennis Hyde
Collections director
“I suppose I could take someone out to dinner. Come up with a card.”

Carton Rogers
Associate director of libraries
“Showing up! Flowers and a card.”

Barbara Bradley
Library staff assistant
“I don’t. I don’t believe in Valentine’s Day. I believe everyday is Valentine’s Day.”

—Abhimanyu Prakash