Comments on: Things I Hate About Libraries

By: Joelle Biele

Joelle Biele — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:35:59 +0000

The Howard County (MD) library system emails–they give three notices & you can renew on-line–very helpful!

By: Tina Kubala

Tina Kubala — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 01:30:47 +0000

I consider my library fines well spent. When hubby and I go, we check out the limit on my card – we share for simplicities sake – ten books. Figure an average book at ten bucks full price, so I save a hundred dollars by checking them out instead. My currently library in rural Missouri has cheap fines, so I’ll have a buck or two. No big deal.

Also, I think some books should automatically have longer check out times. War & Peace, of course. I read The Fountainhead earlier this year. 800 pages. Three or four weeks for most people. I did it in two and a half weeks, but I don’t have a life so I simply cut some TV time.
.-= Tina Kubala´s last blog ..Lying About Reading? =-.

By: Petunia

Petunia — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:03:11 +0000

My library only recently started sending emails 2 days before a book is due back. I find it very helpful. But until this started there was nothing. No notice that a book was due or overdue or VERY overdue. That was not so helpful. Especially when someone stole my son's card and took 4 books and never returned them and we didn't find out until 2 months later. The library paid for half but we still had to pay a $14. fee. .-= Petunia´s last blog ..Adventures in French Cooking =-.

By: Chixmum

Chixmum — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:13:10 +0000

My local library offers the few days before due email notification service. However, you must have an email address–a valid one. The library clerk serving you at the time of check out or updated information (once yearly renewal check of phone number, email address, mail address, surname, pin number) offers email notification. However, sometimes even with all that, the patron brings the book back so seriously late, he or she has been charged for it. Our email notification is a courtesy NOT a right!!!!! One still has to take responsibility and look at the due date on the slip that is given at checkout. Lastly, the clerk also tells you when the books or items are due and reminds you of the fee or fine you owe. All this in a very courteous tone or way.

By: Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness)

Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:33:37 +0000

My library e-mails which is a life saver. I check out books sort of randomly, so I’d never keep track of them effectively. I like LR’s suggestion about going on certain days, and I wish that would work for me! But, I do a lot of ILL books, and you have to go pick those up pretty close to when they come in — if I always waited until Saturday they’d send my book back which is lame!
.-= Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness)´s last blog ..Some Philosophy of Reviewing (Weekly Geeks 2009.34) =-.

By: LR

LR — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 04:30:39 +0000

Here’s a system that works for us:
1. We go to the library on Saturdays. All books are checked out on Saturdays.
2. Every Saturday, before physically going to the library, we go online and renew everything that needs to be renewed.
3. Items that can’t be renewed don’t actually need to be returned on the Saturday. Because of library closing hours, the library gives you a grace period. If it’s in the bin before the library opens the next library opening day (usually Monday, some libraries Tuesday), it is not counted as overdue.
So, bingo, there’s your two-day notification!

By: kevin

kevin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:55:11 +0000

We, too, don’t do emails because we couldn’t afford the add-on to our library management system (and don’t get me on the subject of whether or not our corporate IT guys would have allowed it to be implemented in the event anyway!) I’m hoping our net system will have that built-in. If we ever get one.

Having said that, there is a danger of our infantalising our patrons. We have a set loan period. We tell our customers how long they’ve got. We spend money on date stamp labels that we should really spend on books and we stamp on the due date. If they can’t physically get to the library they can renew their loans over the ‘phone or online. And if there’s an oversight they can still renew the loans to make sure they don’t get any further overdue. I seriously don’t think it’s too much to ask.

I don’t like overdue fines in principle (and I think it’s scandalous that many, if not most, UK library services have fines income targets imposed on them by their councils). But there are times when we have to have some way to remind ourselves and our customers that this is common public property that we’re dealing with here, not something we’ve bought them for a present.
.-= kevin´s last blog ..Not in the mood =-.

By: Mrs. Micah

Mrs. Micah — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:02:29 +0000

Kiirsten, I agree 100% that the end responsibility lies with the patron, BUT even my very financially-strapped local library system has a due date notification built into its software. 3 days warning. I don’t think anyone is asking you to personally look through their accounts–it’s the same sort of standard feature that should be implemented by library systems as soon as possible, like being able to check one’s account online in the first place. One could say that even that’s not necessary if you still want to stamp people’s books (date stamps are cheaper than online access), or if you print receipts, but it encourages people to bring back their materials on time and creates a better relationship with their library, since they can stress less about missing due dates.

If patrons complained that they didn’t get the e-mail, we still charged them, checked the e-mail on the account, and told them (info they’d gotten when they signed up) the e-mail address to make sure is in their contacts so it won’t be spam-blocked.
.-= Mrs. Micah´s last blog ..No More Paper Paychecks at Walmart =-.

By: Molly @ bookhopping

Molly @ bookhopping — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:19:13 +0000

I get emails two or three days in advance, which I love. Plus, we can renew up to 5 times online, even if an item's already overdue. You would think with all of these conveniences, I'd never have fines. Not so much. But I do imagine I've paid far fewer than would be the case without these options. .-= Molly @ bookhopping´s last blog ..this week =-.

By: raych

raych — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:47:27 +0000

My public library emails me 2 days before so that I can go online and renew them and then forget that I have them and then freak out 3 weeks later and then do it all again and then freak out HARD 3 weeks later, because you can only renew online twice. It is for this reason that I consider making out with my library. .-= raych´s last blog ..I have a franken-neck! =-.