[Publib] Displaying Reserved Items

[Tom Cooper]

This is a discussion that has interested me for some time. I'd like to
know what, exactly, is the purpose of self checkout of reserves. As I
see it, there is nothing gained in terms of service: indeed, you take
away the service of circulation staff retrieving the reserved items for
the patron, in favor of patrons getting them themselves. And, since so
much paperwork must be instituted to maintain privacy, I can't imagine
there is any savings in actual staff time spent on reserves. As long as
I'm going to be paying staff, I think I'd rather have them interacting
with patrons than spending hours wrapping books in paper slips and
writing names on them. I think that busy libraries first instituted self
checkout of reserves as a way of saving staff time, but once they began
to deal with the privacy issues, the staff time savings evaporated. Or
am I seeing this wrong? Is there truly a different and very good reason
for making patrons retrieve their own reserved items?

Tom Cooper, Director

Webster Groves Public Library

301 E. Lockwood Avenue

Webster Groves, MO 63119-3102

 

 (314) 961-3784 
tcooper at wgpl.org 

Do not judge beliefs by their plausibility, but by the harm they may do.

                                             Nassim Nicholas Taleb 

 

From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Mary Soucie
Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 2:50 PM
To: Natalie Morgan
Cc: publib at webjunction.org
Subject: Re: [Publib] Displaying Reserved Items

 

Natalie,

Several libraries in our area provide self pickup of holds. When we
implemented it at my previous library patrons responded favorably. We
wrapped the item in a paper and wrote patron's last name, first initial
down the spine. I know other libraries that do a combination of library
card number and phone number. We didn't have any problems with people
taking other patron's books or looking to see who had what checked out. 

I hope to implement this in the future at my new facility, along with
self checkout. They go hand-in-hand nicely.

 

Good luck!

On Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 1:00 PM, Natalie Morgan
<morgan at boernelibrary.org> wrote:

  Hi All,

We're building a new library, and as part of the planning process we'll
be providing space for our reserved items. I personally am not excited
about them being put out in the public for a self-service type of
display because of privacy issues. Can any of y'all tell me how you do
your reserves, if indeed they're in a public space? Am I crazy to be too
worried about the privacy issue? Thanks for any help you can send our
way!  

Natalie Morgan
Assistant Library Director

Boerne Public Library
Boerne, TX
Error! Filename not specified.

 


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-- 
Have a great day!

Mary

Mary J. Soucie, MLIS 
Library Director 
Three Rivers Library District 
Channahon/Minooka IL 
25207 W Channon Dr     PO Box 300 
Channahon IL  60410 
815-467-6200 x303 
815-467-4012 Fax 
Yahoo IM: trldirector

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