Changes in library circulation policy

[magenta]

I finally wrote to the Library Board. I decided to send emails to each member, because there is another Board meeting this Wednesday, and I hope to perhaps have a tiny bit of influence.

This is the text I sent.

I am very upset about the recent changes to the Hennepin County Library Circulation Policies. While 100 books checked out to one person at a time is rather generous, cutting it to less than a third of that, 30 books, all at once, seems drastic and unfair. Patrons already have to return an item after three weeks if there is a request for that particular book. Why not let people keep materials checked out if no one has requested them? This will be, I’m sure, especially a hardship for people who can’t get to the library frequently, and parents of children too young to check out their own books.

I am especially concerned about this policy change in light of the fact that returned books do not seem to be taken off patron records in a timely fashion. Several times recently, books I have returned have still shown as checked out to me until the next day or even later. I gather there is not enough staff to check in books immediately. What will be done when patrons cannot check out books because items have been physically returned to the library, but not checked in? Or those which have been returned to another MELSA library and have not yet reached Hennepin County?

I am also quite upset by the new limitation on the number of requests an individual may place. I think this is an especially poor idea. Requests inform the acquisitions department what books are in demand, and should have a priority for orders. Since many books are ordered months before publication, this leaves the library with less information about demand in the future. I see no benefit to this change and a large disadvantage

I think limiting Interlibrary Loan Requests to 10 just shows how drastic the loss of books at the library has become. If you bought the books people wanted, people wouldn’t need to use ILL so frequently. I seldom used it until a few years ago. Now, I use it because the Hennepin County Library does not buy, or does not retain, the books I need for my research as a professional writer.

In the past, before major changes have occurred, there were surveys of some sort, online and on paper in branches, to ask patrons what their preferences were. There were announcements that it would be discussed at the Library Board meeting. This time, there was no request for preferences, no warning, just this draconian imposition.

I think the Hennepin County Library is serving its patrons poorly with these changes.

I also sent it to Peter McLaughlin, my Hennepin County Commissioner, and added:

I think these changes will cause a drop in circulation because people will not be able to check out as many books. That could be used as an excuse for cutting the budget and services even more. People who can, will use other library systems. But the disadvantaged populations of Minneapolis will have fewer options.

I just received my property tax estimate for 2012, and my taxes have actually gone down. I’m not complaining, but I would much prefer to see the public libraries - and other public services - properly funded.

Comments

[polyranger.livejournal.com]

Your taxes went down? Wow! The St. Paul house went up 13.7%! That sucked! Inver Grove went up 6.5%.

I hope you get your desired results and not just a bunch of form letters in return.

[magentamn.livejournal.com]

My assessment went down $30k, and my taxes were $30 less than last year, instead of hundreds more. I understand this is not uncommon, as assessments went up a great deal during the housing boom.

[ckd]

I hope this helps.

I'm mightily spoiled; my home library system (Cambridge) has a beautiful part-new/part-renovated main building and is also part of the incredibly good Minuteman Library Network; book requests automatically go network-wide, so if Dover has 3 available copies of That Book I Want, it will arrive in a few days even if Cambridge doesn't have it (or has it but is all out of copies). In addition, the Boston Public Library is the "library of last resort" for all of Massachusetts, so I can use that whenever I want/need to.

I really don't begrudge them my property tax money.

[naomikritzer]

I have almost entirely given up on the Minneapolis libraries and do all my library stuff in St. Paul. The Hillcrest Library has a good selection, better hours, easier parking, and a much less miserable staff than Lake Street. And it isn't any further from my house.

(I try to give the Lake Street staff the benefit of the doubt in terms of the misery of their setup, but they're also pretty routinely awful to the people who come in. I think the worst ever was when they were difficult and grudging about giving a card to a family that was living in town temporarily at the Ronald McDonald House. Their child, who was very very obviously seriously ill, was with them.)

[naomikritzer]

And just to be clear, they were going to be living in Hennepin County for months and they had a fixed address and I believe they even had mail that they'd received at the Ronald McDonald house though it wasn't a utility bill. Giving them a library card should not have been a hassle. They were obviously not lying about being in town for medical treatment: their kid had no hair and was wearing a germ-filter mask.

[jenett]

Oh, ugh on the above.

When I was there, I did most of my library stuff via holds (because my reading is a combo of "stuff I want to read that is immensely popular and/or not out yet" or "not in this library.") The new policies would have made me quite miserable (and had me start working from St. Paul's libraries, probably, too.)

My problem with East Lake - besides the parking, which I agree is amazingly poor and badly designed - was that if I was in there without an obvious winter coat on, even for about 5 minutes (basically anything longer than 'walk to hold shelf, remove books, check them out, walk back out the door'), I'd get asked if I was a librarian. Which does suggest the less than approachable nature of the i-desk staff.

(My answer was "Yes, but not in this library." and then if I was a thing I could help with, showing them, and if it was a thing that needed an actual employee, pointing them at the right place.)

The new (very small town) public library here has a very limited holds policy, and limited hours, but y'know, small town rural area public library. I can in fact get anything in the state of Maine that circulates at all via work at the university (and so can our community patrons). But of course, being work, it limits what I request to things I'm willing to have my co-workers know I requested, which puts a damper on certain topics.

(Ok, it'd also help if I actually got around to putting a barcode on my ID card and setting myself in the system. I keep forgetting to do it when I'm working on that desk, and I have not run out of other things to read yet.)

[faunhaert.livejournal.com]

wonder if it would be good to do a self check in?
have a scanner by the front , like the self scanner at walmart or target
you scan in your card then hit return and scan your books in?

not getting things scanned in in time has cost me fines.

[theperfumer.livejournal.com]

Also, the Hennepin County library is taking applications for new members again. I didn't get through last year (though I was invited to apply again) but it might be worth doing/trying/spreading the word about.