It costs my library $2 / book when I reserve one through inter-library loan!

[Audrey]

Also, why do you get to decide when a request for a book is worthy? Just because someone's requesting an Oprah book rather than--I don't know--Shakespeare, their request gets tossed? And because maybe they hadn't heard of the book a week ago, they don't get their request filled today? Maybe I'm misunderstanding the situation, but if I'm not...then I don't really understand! :confused:

 

Oh, it doesn't matter what I think of the book. I do think some are frivolous requests, but that's not the point. People will suddenly decide a book is very popular so demand outstrips the number of copies. The problem occurs when people won't wait for their own library's hold list and want to jump the queue to another library's hold list.

 

Why should MY patrons have to get in line for MY copy of a book BEHIND patrons of another library? They should get in line behind the patrons of their own library. FTR, my library also does not make an ILL request for a book we own. We place a hold for our own copy for our patrons. Not all libraries follow the same guidelines, though.

 

I didn't say I didn't fulfill requests for books sitting on my shelves. I don't do it when the book ISN'T there. And our written policies make it very clear that our own patrons come first in the service queue. So, if you're ILLing my copy of Twilight, you're not getting in my line up for it, you need to get in your own library's line-up.

 

If it's just sitting there on my shelf, THEN you can have it. No problem.

Edited April 14, 2009 by Audrey

[KidsHappen]

I don't even think our library will do an interlibrary loan if they have the title in their system.

 

Most libraries will not. They just request tell you to request it from another in system branch.

[melissel]

Oh, it doesn't matter what I think of the book. I do think some are frivolous requests, but that's not the point. People will suddenly decide a book is very popular so demand outstrips the number of copies. The problem occurs when people won't wait for their own library's hold list and want to jump the queue to another library's hold list.

 

Why should MY patrons have to get in line for MY copy of a book BEHIND patrons of another library? They should get in line behind the patrons of their own library. FTR, my library also does not make an ILL request for a book we own. We place a hold for our own copy for our patrons. Not all libraries follow the same guidelines, though.

 

I didn't say I didn't fulfill requests for books sitting on my shelves. I don't do it when the book ISN'T there. And our written policies make it very clear that our own patrons come first in the service queue. So, if you're ILLing my copy of Twilight, you're not getting in my line up for it, you need to get in your own library's line-up.

 

If it's just sitting there on my shelf, THEN you can have it. No problem.

 

Huh, that must be why I'm having trouble getting it. Our library system pools all requests. If our library is out of Twilight, I don't wait in a specific queue for our library, my request is funneled to the main queue. Whichever library comes up with it--say, Matawan--when I'm at the head of the queue is the one that sends it to my library for me. If a Matawan patron is then next in the queue and South Brunswick gets a copy back in, South Brunswick's copy would get sent over to them...and so on. That way no one in the system has a super long wait for a book that's might be sitting on a shelf somewhere else.

 

Thanks for explaining why you pick and choose the way you do. I'm still not sure I like the way your system works (not that it matters!)--I rather prefer our more equalized system, but it's also very large--but I understand it more clearly now.

[katilac]

I couldn't afford to use the library system if they did that here. Then I'd really be stuck in trying to educate my kids the way I think they should be educated.

 

 

(above refers to my comment of 'costing out' books)

 

No, costing out doesn't mean that you pay a fee. It is just a method of assigning internal costs; for example, if a staff person makes $10 per hour, and doing XYZ takes them half an hour, then the staffing 'cost' of XYZ is $5.

 

My thought was that the staff might be referring to a cost out figure when they said each hold 'costs' the library $2.

[katilac]

You would absolutely detest me. I am a shelf wiper. Why? Because when I am wiping a shelf it means I am doing research on a subject....)

 

But other people would like to do research on that subject as well. Is it fair for there to be NOTHING for them to check out?

 

I'm also impatient. If you have ten copies and all are out, I feel perfectly justified in ILLing something...and do, and (snip)

 

It's not helpful to me to wait three weeks for a book...or to be told that I can only take five books on a subject out at a time...I can read five books in a day. And if I am working on a paper or an article, the delay of taking out five books, bringing them back, taking out five more, etc. can cost me a job.

(snip)

....)

 

I'm impatient, too, but I figure that's my problem! Libraries exist to serve people, and they have to balance the needs of the entire community. Is someone else shelf wipes the subject you want to research for an article, wouldn't THAT be just as or more likely to cost you a job than having to return books and check out more?

 

I use the library for job-related research as well, but when I take on a paying job, getting it done is my responsibility. If the library has everything I need, I do the happy dance. If they don't, I have to spend some of the money I'll be making, or think ahead and allow enough time to do requests or multiple checkouts. The library exists to enhance the life of the community as a whole, not my personal life, y'know?

[Colleen in NS]

I'm sure there is a formula for costing out reserved books, but yes, those trucks would be going back and forth no matter what. If they are 'costing out' reserves at $2 a book, that would not phase me at all.

 

(above refers to my comment of 'costing out' books)

 

No, costing out doesn't mean that you pay a fee. It is just a method of assigning internal costs; for example, if a staff person makes $10 per hour, and doing XYZ takes them half an hour, then the staffing 'cost' of XYZ is $5.

 

My thought was that the staff might be referring to a cost out figure when they said each hold 'costs' the library $2.

 

Oh, sorry! I think I get it now. It wouldn't phase you to hear that the "cost out" is $2 - in other words, it wouldn't stop you from reserving books in your system, right? Sorry about that!

[chaik76]

(And that's why I am glad I have a dh who is a professor and can take out two hundred books and keep them out for a year if he wants...)

 

Not germaine to the thread topic, but I remember many times going to my univ library and being unable to get a book because a prof had checked it out basically indefinitely. That was frustrating. If they needed a book for that long maybe they should have invested in buying their own copy.

It annoyed me in college too! Now I think it's a perk of a small salary and lots of headaches. I'm partially kidding there...while dh can keep books out this long he rarely does, and when I take out books I do try to get them back in a timely manner. We do have a few we've kept out all year...but not hundreds.

 

But other people would like to do research on that subject as well. Is it fair for there to be NOTHING for them to check out?

I usually only have books like this out for a day or two. I don't like to sit at a library to do my work, so I check them out and bring them home. When I lived in a city where there was high library usage I was less likely to do this. First, there were usually far more books on a topic than I could ever hope to need, and second, other people actually checked them out.

 

I now live in a community where books are not valued that highly. We have no bookstore, and not too many people use our public library. I don't feel too bad because a lot of times the books I'm checking out haven't been checked out in years.

I'm impatient, too, but I figure that's my problem! Libraries exist to serve people, and they have to balance the needs of the entire community. Is someone else shelf wipes the subject you want to research for an article, wouldn't THAT be just as or more likely to cost you a job than having to return books and check out more?

 

I use the library for job-related research as well, but when I take on a paying job, getting it done is my responsibility. If the library has everything I need, I do the happy dance. If they don't, I have to spend some of the money I'll be making, or think ahead and allow enough time to do requests or multiple checkouts. The library exists to enhance the life of the community as a whole, not my personal life, y'know?

I understand what you're saying. Most of the jobs I get are 48- to 72-hour turnaround, so that influences how I use library resources. I do understand that the library is for everyone...