[Publib] Accepted Book Bindings & Charging Patrons for Donated Material

[Marla]

Hello, Deborah.

> First, as a rule of thumb, what type of book bindings do other libraries
> accept as donations and add to their collections?  Do you only accept
> library binding and/or those reinforced with book binding cloth?  Or
> will you accept books with glued bindings (such as the bindings on many
> book club books) and add them to your collection?

We accept almost any kind of donation -- this is a double edged sword.
We tell donors we don't accept book club editions but they don't know what
that means and bring them anyway.

We've found that book club editions don't hold up to our library's circulation.
After all the money & labor spent (jacketing, labelling,etc.), they hold up to maybe 
3 or 4 circs.  This is true especially of the newer titles. (Actually the older book
club editions - like 1970s and earlier are almost bound better than current
library/cloth bound copies.  But that's another beef.)

I have sent some book club editions to the bindery, especially if the titles are
out of print in a series,  or only available in paperback.
>  
> Second, for any type of donated material you add to your collection, do
> you later charge patrons if they should damaged or lose it?  Or do you
> not charge the patron because the library didn't pay for it?  This
> question/debate keeps coming up at my library. 

We do charge for donated copies.  It still cost time & effort to physically
prepare the copies, pay for the downloading of marc record, etc.  Plus it
is quite frustrating when we receive a good hardbound copy of a title in a
series that some patron goes and spills coffee all over it.  (But that's a 
different beef again.)  Make them pay!  (snarling, evil laughter!!)

Ok, I'm calm again.

BYE!

Marla/Acquisitions
Great Falls Public Library
301 2nd Ave N
Great Falls, MT  59401-2593
mwilckens at mtlib.org



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