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----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Sounds to me like your only option is to treat "off hours" library research on an appointment-only basis. We do this for archives research here at Moore because at present the archives are in the basement and staff must be present while research is going on (for security reasons) regardless of who is using the archives. You will have to make a clear policy about how much lead time is needed for people to make off hours appointments. People who are serious about doing research are generally willing to make appointments---students are another story, but it doesn't sound like you have students to deal with in your museum library. You might consider letting some of your staff have flexible hours so they can be available to "babysit" the library for these off-hours appointments. I know of other archives that have arrangements like this and it works very well. The people who get to flex their hours usually like the arrangement too. Judy Donovan Library Director Moore College of Art & Design Philadelphia PA [log in to unmask] On Thu, 21 Mar 1996, Ursula Kolmstetter wrote: > The Indianapolis Museum of Art has a noncirculating library. Only staff > with individual offices can check out library materials. Since the library > has lost too many items over the past years for a noncirculating library, I > want to make the library accessible to museum staff (including curators) > only during the times when _library_ staff are present, Monday through > Saturday from 9am-5pm and Thursdays until 8pm. > I would like to know how you handle accessibility to the library by staff? > Can they use the facility only when library staff are present, or are they > also allowed to use it when no staff are there? What happens if a curator > wants to do research on a Sunday or late evening and wants to use the library? > I would have fewer problems if only curators would be able to use the > facility after hours. But here we have to treat staff equally, i.e. > curators cannot have any more privileges than other staff. > > I have to defend this policy of restricted accessibility to staff (although > I think we have extensive opening hours). I would be grateful for your > thoughts on this subject. > > Best regards, > Ursula Kolmstetter > Head Librarian > Indianapolis Museum of Art >