[Publib] OPAC - requesting books from home

[Judy Anderson]

Our primary concentration should be serving the patron. Why have an online 
access catalog if people can't use it to check on books, reserve them, order 
them from other libraries, etc. It saves the patron an extra trip to the 
library or the frustration of going in for a book that's checked out.

>From my experience, it wasn't that much extra work for staff, but it depends 
on how big the library is and how many requests. We counted it for 
circulation, which is a plus.

Judy Anderson
Oregon
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>From: "Zehava Brickner" <zbrick218 at gmail.com>
>To: publib at webjunction.org
>Subject: [Publib] OPAC - requesting books from home
>Date: Sun, 26 Nov 2006 12:13:40 -0600
>
>as a future librarian i was thinking abt the OPAC system and the ability to
>request books from home.
>
>how does this feature hurt or help the library? i know that people request
>books, wait for the library to notify them when their books are ready, and
>then go to pick them up. does the library need to employ a larger staff to
>satisfy the needs of the patrons?
>
>many times the book is at the patron's neighborhood library.  when the
>patron requests it online, this means that the library staff must go
>retrieve the book from the shelf.  should the patron have to go to the
>library themselves to do this? or is this service something the library
>needs for its patrons?

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