Hold Shelf and Patrons

NEW POLICY

We have a couple of patrons that make themselves at home at the hold shelf, and today that caused a bit of a problem, so as of now, patrons are no longer permitted to remove things (or be at) the hold shelf.

Some libraries have a self-serve hold shelf system - we are not one of them. Besides privacy concerns, we have enough to do to keep things on the shelf in order, etc etc etc without patrons messing around back there. In fact, patrons do not belong behind the circ desk area for any reason.

I know that this may cause some tension with patrons who feel as though they have special privileges - if you encounter any issues enforcing this policy, please come get me and I will enforce it.

Questions, please let me know.

Thanks!

Patrons and Personal Staff Information

First, an email from the Police Chief:

Just a heads up on our friend Josephine Atavilla.  I understand a number of town departments are receiving calls from her.  We deal with her on a regular basis and Deborah Thompson has spoken with mental health.  They can assist us but there are criteria needed to meet any type of Section 12 or placement.  If you have incidences where she has threatened staff you should document the call and let us know.  There is a difference between nuisance calls and threatening calls – the line for any type of intervention is usually a showing that the person is a danger to themselves or others.  One of the issues that has her going is an investigation by the ACO regarding a neighbor’s complaint of noise from her chickens.  Lori has advised her that she needs to make application to the Health Dept. pursuant to the Animal Rules and Regs passed by the Health Dept in October.  The contact has set her off.  

This is an unbalanced person who we have had contact with and complaints from, here at the library. This is also a person that lives near Kathy, and that Kathy has had issues with. Recently, she asked questions about Kathy's whereabouts...

Bottom line is that we should NOT be sharing personal information about staff with ANY patrons. It very easy to make offhand remarks about our co-workers to patrons because we have so many regulars, and many patrons are also personal friends, but we need to keep in mind that we also have our fair share of mentally ill and problematic patrons, so we need to be more mindful about safeguarding staff personal info.

Also seems that we have been having an increase in "problem" behavior from some of our patrons. PLEASE do not hesitate to have me deal with a patron who is being problematic! If I am not here, please get as much info from the patron as possible so that I can deal with them in the future. And if you EVER feel threatened by a patron and I am not here, CALL 911.

Please see me if you have questions.

PO Box Addresses

I am finding that when I call people about returned bills (for unreturned items), many times the reason the bill was returned to us by the post office is because the patron did not give us their PO BOX NUMBER, but only their physical address. So, when creating a new patron record or verifying info for an expired one, please try to remember to ask either for their MAILING ADDRESS or if they have a PO BOX number in addition to their street address.

Thanks!

Courtesy Notices

We have now signed up for courtesy notices. these are notices that go out AUTOMATICALLY 3 days before an item is due (to any patron listing their email address in their record). I am hoping that this will be especially helpful in the summer months, when "lost items" increase.

I don't think most patrons will mind the courtesy notice, but it may irritate people with children who check out 20 books at a time. There is a way for patrons who do not want courtesy notices to filter them out, and I will make up a hand-out for you to give to patrons who request it.

Complete info is available on the CLAMS Staff Page at
http://www.clamsnet.org/staff/millennium/CIRC/courtesy_notices.html

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thanks.

Patrons Paying for "BILLED" and LOST Items

Patrons paying for billed, lost, or damaged items:

1. Check should be made payable to Dennis Public Library
2. The check and list of what is being paid for should be left for me in my mailbox so that I can place a re-order if necessary.
3. I will get checks to Julie.
4. The patron has the option of replacing the book or DVD with a new (or nearly new condition) item.

Questions, let me know.

Thanks!

Patrons using Family Member's Card(s)

Recently there was some discussion about how to handle a patron with high fines/missing items (enough to suspend their card - $25 or more) wanting to use a family member's card to take out items (if you need more clarification, come see me).

After much thought, here's the decision:

If a patron attempts to take out materials and discovers their card has been suspended for overdue and/or unreturned items, the patron CAN NOT take out those on another person's card. It does matter if that person is/ is not a family member, or if that person is "giving permission," or whatever. The bottom line is that the patron must FIRST RESOLVE the issues on their card before they can take out more items. If the patron wishes to resolve card problems, and you are unclear on how to proceed, please let me know and I will assist the patron. If I am not here, please have them come back to see me, if necessary.

Now, that being said....

If a family member / friend comes in and checks out those same materials (without the delinquent patron present), and their card is OK, there is little we can do about it.

If you have any questions about issues like this, please let me know ASAP, and I will handle the transaction.

Thanks!

Patron EMAIL Addresses

As the circulation functions become more and more automated in Millemium, patron email addresses become more useful and important. MaryLou is currently working to add more email addresses from CURRENT patrons (and getting good response!).

When signing people up for NEW cards, please be sure to ask for email addresses. As most people now have and use email, asking for it "as a matter of course" is the best way to get the info. In other words, don't ask IF they have an email address, just ask for their email address. If someone asks why we want it, let them know that having the info means that they will get hold and overdue notices via email. Let them know that we DO NOT SELL OR SHARE their email address with anyone. Certainly a patron can decide that they don't want to give us the email (or they may not have one or they may prefer a phone call on a holds notice), but if we are consistent with asking, we'll get more response.

Also, if working with a current patron, if you think of it, look at their record. If they do not show an email address, ask for it - the more email addresses we have, the less time we spend on the phone, and the easier it is for the patron to receive important info such as overdue notices.

THANKS!