[Publib] bestseller service

[Shaw, Matthew M]

We have had holdable and non-holdable copies of bestsellers for a long
time and we have had little trouble explaining the difference between
holdable and non-holdable copies and the philosophy behind offering
each. Our holdable McNaughton copies have a green label on the spine,
while the non-holdable copies (we call them "Pops") have an orange
label.

We strive to have one holdable copy for every 5 holds but our budget
often cannot meet that guideline. 

There are a couple of problems with offering the two types of bestseller
copies. First, even though the Pops are not renewable there is a way
around this that patrons learn fairly quickly. In many locations, we
keep a shelving cart for bestsellers adjacent to the circulation desk.
Customers just pick up the book that they just returned to check out
again. It is hard to police that unless you want to be
ultra-confrontational. Regular customers at many branches simply bring
books they have not finished to the circulation desk and check them in
and then right back out. Most folks, however, use the Pop books as they
were intended.

The other problem that we have is a technical one. The ILS that we had
for years was nimble enough to remove patrons from the hold list if they
checked out a Pop copy while waiting for a hold copy. The ILS that we
have had for the past 3 years, however, does not remove the patron from
the hold list. We run a report once a week and then, consulting the
report, remove customers from the hold lists manually, which, though
fairly successful, is a big pain. The alternative is that the patron is
notified of an available hold and then drives to the library only to
find that they have already read the book.

Matt Shaw   



Community Libraries and Outreach Services

Forsyth County Public Library

660 West Fifth Street

Winston-Salem, NC 27101

(336) 703-2978

shawmm at forsythlibrary.org


-----Original Message-----
From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Melissa Rice
Sent: Friday, May 25, 2007 5:09 PM
To: Publib
Subject: [Publib] bestseller service

Hello,

I am gathering information on guidelines and "best practices" from
libraries who purchase multiple copies of books that are not "holdable".
We currently do not offer this service.  By not holdable, I mean that
these are copies of bestsellers and hot titles that are on shelf and
available to patrons who walk into the library.  What is your formula
for purchasing holdable copies vs. non-holdable, i.e. for every 3 holds,
purchase 2 copies and 1 non-holdable?  Also, how do you handle questions
from patrons who are #15 on the reserve list and want to know why there
are 2 copies of that title sitting on the shelf?

Thank you,

Melissa

Melissa Rice
Head of Adult Services
Frankfort Public Library District
21119 S. Pfeiffer Road
Frankfort, IL  60423
815.534.6177
www.frankfortlibrary.org 

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