I won't be able to attend the Space Planners Roundtable meeting (re
Sue's suggestion below) so I thought I'd share my ongoing experience
with a "self-check-out system."
The Menil Collection Library is a small (20,000 vols. + 10,000 auction
catalogues) collection. We lend books, with rare exception, only to our
museum staff. Our check-out "system" consists of a 4x6 card on which
the borrower (theoretically at least) writes down the call number and
title of the book, his/her name and date. No Library staff are
available to monitor the process, and no return "due dates" are assigned.
As in Judy's situation, our Library (including stack access) is mandated
to be open to our staff whenever the building is open.
We recently completed a physical inventory of the Library collections.
Over five hundred titles are unaccounted for--that is, check-out cards
as described above are not in our circulation file. Of these five
hundred titles, 200 are still missing from our previous inventory (1998).
For the time being, budgeting/staff issues preclude the implementation
of a more sophisticated circulation system (and yes I've advanced the
argument that the value of the books we're losing would most likely pay
for such an implementation). I'm considering a volunteer Library
door-attendant to monitor staff leaving the library, much the same as
the old "backpack checkers" I recall from my school days.
To sum up, human nature being what it is, it's not surprising that,
given the choice between filling out a four-field circulation card, or
simply walking out of the Library with a book and leaving no record, so
many of our staff choose the latter option. So I'm ambivalent at best
about self-check-out systems for books.
Phil Heagy
Menil Collection Library
1511 Branard St. Houston, TX 77006
PH: (713) 525-9426
FAX: (713) 525-9444
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2004 10:03:01 -0700
From: Susan Koskinen <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Self-check out systems for books?
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This sounds like a topic for discussion at the Space Planners Roundtable
meeting -- Sunday April 18, 3:30 to 4:30 - check the program for location.
Sue Koskinen
At 12:43 PM 4/7/2004 -0400, Donovan, Judy wrote:
>I was wondering if anyone has a self-check out system in place in their
>library. We are building a new library, but the plans still are to keep
>it a one-person-with student assistants type of library. This worked
>fine when we didn't lend books, but now we do and I'm looking for a simple
>solution that will let people check out their own materials when staff is
>not around to help. Our dean insists that the library stay open whenever
>the building is open, whether it's staffed or not. My concern is that
>lots of materials are leaving the library--borrowed by well-intentioned
>faculty who plan to return it--and I am losing control over the collection.
>
>
>
>I'd like to hear the details--what's good about self-check out and what's
>bad as well.
>
>
>
>Thanks.
>
>
>
>Judy Donovan
>
>Library Director
>
>Delaware College of Art & Design
>
>600 N. Market Street
>
>Wilmington DE 19801-3007
>
>302-622-8867 x408
>
>302-622-8870 fax
>
>[log in to unmask]
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