Chapter 6 Circulation Services

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Chapter 6Circulation Services

• LIST 1105
• August 30, 2006
• Amy Moore Lora Mirza

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Two major roles of Circulation Services

• Circulation Control that activity of the
  library which, through personal contact and a
  system of records, supplies the reader with the
  books wanted
• Public Relations Center of library activity for
  most customers

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Circulation Philosophy

• Guarantee equal and fair access to the library
  collection
• Therefore, libraries determine circulation
  policies and routines with the goal of providing
  maximum access to the materials

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Customer Relations and Circulation

• Almost every transaction in a library is an act
  of customer relations
• Patrons expect library staff to know everything

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What makes patrons complain?

• Not finding what they want
• Not being notified about overdue materials
• Short loan periods
• Limited renewals
• Fines
• Noise
• Not satisfied with the help they received from a
  librarian
• Too hot or too cold
• Copy machines or computers dont work

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Circulation Control Systems

• Allows staff to determine the location of each
  book in the collection
• Allows staff to identify who has the material and
  when it is due
• Keeps track of requested items
• Retrieves statistics

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What to consider when selecting a Circulation
Control System

• Quality of service given to the customer
• Size of the library collection and expected
  volume of circulation
• Cost of the system
• Type of customer the library serves

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What to consider about the cost of the system

• Initial cost of processing and equipment
• Cost of ongoing processing, equipment
  maintenance, and supplies
• Cost of personnel needed to operate the system

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Automated Circulation System

• Computerized
• Requires little or no patron participation
• Library users are assigned a library card with a
  barcode
• Barcodes are attached to the users library
  record

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Automated Circulation System

• Charge or check out - system automatically
  retrieves the patron record and checks the
  borrowers eligibility to borrow materials
• Discharge or check-in system reads the barcode
  and clears the record from the computers memory
  unless the item is overdue

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Automated Circulation System

• Barcodes are attached to each item in the library
  collection
• Barcodes are linked to the items bibliographic
  record in the online catalog
• Allows customers to determine the circulation
  status of cataloged materials from public
  terminals

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Automated Circulation System Functions

• Identify overdue materials
• Identify holds (reserves)
• Show all items currently checked out to a
  borrower
• Calculate fines and fees
• Prints overdue notices and fee statements
• Shows the status of an item (For ex.- Bindery)
• Statistical information about the use of the
  collection

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Library Registration

• Identifies who has a right to borrow or a right
  to use the library
• Gives the customer some type of identification
  necessary to borrow
• Obtain demographic information that would help
  plan for services and acquisition of materials

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Public Library Registration

• Usually have to be a resident of the county
• Some will grant privileges to non-resident users
• Applications may be available in other languages
• Children need the sponsorship of an adult

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Academic Library Registration

• Primary responsibility is to provide service to
  students, staff, and faculty
• Student ID might serve as the library card
• Alumni sometimes have borrowing privileges

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Check-in and Check-out

• Limits are set so borrowers will return the
  materials within a reasonable amount of time
• Length of the loan may depend on the size of the
  collection
• Loan period for books is typically 1-4 weeks
• Loan period of non-print materials is typically
  3-5 days
• Academic libraries may permit faculty to check
  out materials for longer periods of time
• Most libraries limit the number of items you can
  have out at one time
• Academic libraries may also limit by subject type
• If the material is damaged, a fee may be charged

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If a patron says they cant find a book on the
regular shelf, where else could it be?

• May be checked out
• Shelving cart
• On display
• Popular Area
• Oversize
• Reference
• Ready Reference
• Special Collections room

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Requesting materials

• Automated circulation systems allow patrons to
  request materials that are currently checked out
• Many online systems allow patrons to place the
  request themselves
• Some libraries ask patrons to fill out a paper
  request form
• The library will notify the requester when the
  item arrives
• Most libraries will hold the item for 7-10 days
• If it is not picked up by that time, the next
  person on the list is notified
• Patrons often do not pick up the items they
  request

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Why do we charge overdue fines?

• Because overdue items are not available to
  borrowers
• Patrons need to demonstrate responsibility
• Most libraries charge fines as a means of
  convincing patrons to return the books on time

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Overdue Fines

• Fine rates vary
• Fine rates for short-term loans are higher than
  for long term loans
• Fine rates may vary according to the types of
  items
• Most libraries send overdue notices

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Overdue Fines

• Some libraries offer Amnesty Programs
• If the fine isnt paid or the item returned,
  library privileges may be suspended
• On rare occasions, libraries use collection
  agencies
• Academic libraries will withhold transcripts or
  prevent graduation

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What we do at GPC

• Flat fee after a grace period
• Grace period matches the loan period
• Students are not allowed to check out library
  materials if they owe 15.00
• Students are blocked in Banner if they do not
  return their library materials
• Unblocked once they return the item

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Collection of Fines

• Fines are usually paid at the Circulation Desk
• Automated systems automatically calculate fines
• Borrowers often contest their fines
• A lot of negotiation takes place
• In academic libraries, the fine money does not
  always go back toward the library

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Collection of fees

• Libraries charge fees for damaged books and lost
  books
• Policies vary from library to library
• At GPC
• We charge a set amount. It does not vary from
  item to item.
• Lost book charge processing fee

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Ethical and Legal Considerations

• ALA Code of Ethics reaffirms the librarians
  duty to protect each users right to privacy with
  respect to library records
• Circulation staff are ethically bound not to
  reveal what users have checked out and have an
  obligation to prevent others from obtaining this
  information

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Stack Maintenance

• Libraries must have an accurate and efficient
  shelving operation
• Mis-shelved items are considered lost
• Most collections are sorted by format
• Books are arranged by classification number
  Dewey or Library of Congress
• The concept is to group books together by subject
  and within each subject by author
• Shelf-reading act of regularly checking the
  order of materials on the shelves

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Collection Growth

• Shelvers frequently have to shift books to create
  space
• Place frequently used materials in easily
  accessible places
• Keep related materials together
• Arrange materials logically
• Shifting requires a great deal of planning

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Preservation

• Circulation staff should set an example about how
  to handle library materials
• Staff training is important
• All materials should be handled properly
• Look for items that need to be repaired or sent
  to the bindery

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Security

• Some libraries have a security gate and/or a
  security guard
• Materials may have a security strip (trigger or
  target) which needs to be desensitized
• Circulation Staff are usually responsible for
  notifying security in the event of theft or
  inappropriate behavior by customers

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Staffing

• There is usually a department head of Circulation
• Circulation staff need to
• Enjoy working with the public
• Be accurate
• Be adaptable
• Be dependable
• Be able to problem solve
• Be able to work without close supervision

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Scheduling

• It is important to have an experienced staff
  member on duty
• Full-time staff usually work one night a week and
  weekends
• There are busy periods and slow periods