[ILL-L] new library -- new problem

[Richard Samford]

Henriksen, Phalbe wrote:
>
> Folks,
>
> I’ve left Florida and am back in my home state, North Carolina.
>
> The library’s OCLC code is UZO – note the upper case “o.”
>
> A university in New Zealand is UZ0 – the number “zero.” (I think it’s 
> University of Otago.)
>
> We occasionally get requests for materials that UZ0 owns. Our staff 
> person doesn’t not know how to respond to them and so she lets the 
> request age out. I’m not satisfied with that and would like her to 
> respond quickly.
>
> Can/will anyone advise me how she should respond to this kind of error?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Phalbe Henriksen
>
> Director
>
> Alexander County Library
>
> Taylorsville, NC
>
As a borrower, I would definitely recommend a conditional. We don't make 
mistakes like that because we're lazy. Maybe in a hurry, and it's very 
hard to tell one from the other. To just say no and not fix a problem 
for a patron kind of goes against what we're here for - to share 
information...

It's pretty easy to have a canned response in a template somewhere. 
Word, e-mail template, notepad document on the desktop, whatever. Paste 
the response into the conditional, and if you start to recognize the 
same borrower making the mistake, send them an e-mail directly. Once 
it's pointed out, though, I'd bet people would be more aware of it and 
not make the same switch. Other lenders will be in the same boat as you 
are, it would indirectly help them.

Sounds like something that will happen pretty often, so find the best 
and fastest way to get material into the hands.

Rich

-- 
Richard Samford            | samford at pittstate.edu 
Interlibrary Loan          | voice:  (620)235-4890 
Leonard H. Axe Library     | fax:   620/235-4090 
Pittsburg State University | http://library.pittstate.edu/ 
Pittsburg, KS   66762-5889 | OCLC:  KFP