Holds: 43 of 151, 10 of 63 and 16 of 32
London Public Library (LPL) has been a lifesaver. The resources, the people, the space and so much more make my trips to any number of branches rewarding. There are, however, one or two things that trouble me. At the moment it is the holds policy.
Recognizing the importance of getting high demand books, DVDs, CDs etc., to eager patrons the LPL, like most other public libraries, let users place holds on items from the collection. LPL policy permits patrons to place a maximum of 40 holds by simply logging on to the website and selecting the title and selecting the branch where you would like to have the book delivered. The library will then email or phone to tell you that the book is available for pick-up. You have a 5-day period to retrieve it. You then have the three-week loan period to enjoy the book.
The problem arises when there are works in very high demand. Yes, patience is a virtue. But when a particularly intriguing title becomes available and there are already 75 holds, one despairs. The title of this entry indicates where my current holds sit in relation to the total holds for three titles. Vincent Lam’s Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures will probably not make its way to my hands for at least 6 months and Richard Dawkin’s God Delusion, already on the hold list for over a month, probably won’t make it to me until well into the New Year. As for Carol Windley’s Home Schooling, I am only half way down the list.
On the scale of terrible things to befall an individual having to wait a few weeks/months is really not that great of a burden. And, it has been a very pleasant surprise to discover that a hold, placed 11 months ago and forgotten, has now become available. On the flip side, discovering that while you were on vacation the hold you placed came and went can be traumatizing. A few changes in the Holds Policies will, therefore, be suggested. As it is each hold represents about four weeks that a book is in the hands of another: three week loan period plus transit time plus grace period for pick up. And this doesn’t take into account the borrower who returns the book late.
One solution would be to buy more copies. Barring that, why not limit borrowing periods on high demand titles to two weeks? And, increase the late fines to the level of DVD fines for high demand titles. A $0.15/day late fine on a book is not much of a disincentive to hold on to a title past its due date. While I am not particularly fond of increased fees for users why not consider a fine placed on books that are not picked up from a hold shelf? Finally, I am sure the technical wizards at LPL can facilitate the ability to suspend a hold while you are going on vacation. By allowing a vacation stop for a hold you will free up the item for access by other patrons and you will allow the original person placing the hold to remain in their place in the queue.
Recognizing the importance of getting high demand books, DVDs, CDs etc., to eager patrons the LPL, like most other public libraries, let users place holds on items from the collection. LPL policy permits patrons to place a maximum of 40 holds by simply logging on to the website and selecting the title and selecting the branch where you would like to have the book delivered. The library will then email or phone to tell you that the book is available for pick-up. You have a 5-day period to retrieve it. You then have the three-week loan period to enjoy the book.
The problem arises when there are works in very high demand. Yes, patience is a virtue. But when a particularly intriguing title becomes available and there are already 75 holds, one despairs. The title of this entry indicates where my current holds sit in relation to the total holds for three titles. Vincent Lam’s Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures will probably not make its way to my hands for at least 6 months and Richard Dawkin’s God Delusion, already on the hold list for over a month, probably won’t make it to me until well into the New Year. As for Carol Windley’s Home Schooling, I am only half way down the list.
On the scale of terrible things to befall an individual having to wait a few weeks/months is really not that great of a burden. And, it has been a very pleasant surprise to discover that a hold, placed 11 months ago and forgotten, has now become available. On the flip side, discovering that while you were on vacation the hold you placed came and went can be traumatizing. A few changes in the Holds Policies will, therefore, be suggested. As it is each hold represents about four weeks that a book is in the hands of another: three week loan period plus transit time plus grace period for pick up. And this doesn’t take into account the borrower who returns the book late.
One solution would be to buy more copies. Barring that, why not limit borrowing periods on high demand titles to two weeks? And, increase the late fines to the level of DVD fines for high demand titles. A $0.15/day late fine on a book is not much of a disincentive to hold on to a title past its due date. While I am not particularly fond of increased fees for users why not consider a fine placed on books that are not picked up from a hold shelf? Finally, I am sure the technical wizards at LPL can facilitate the ability to suspend a hold while you are going on vacation. By allowing a vacation stop for a hold you will free up the item for access by other patrons and you will allow the original person placing the hold to remain in their place in the queue.
posted by Bruce at
4:42 p.m.
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