I would like to hear from Public Libraries about their policies on the following: 1. Is there a limit on the number of materials that can be checked out by one person on a library card? 2. Do you have a limit on the number of "reserve requests" that can be placed by a card holder at one time? and 3> Do you have a limit on the number of items you will ILL for a person at one time?
We are faced with customers wanting to place "requests" for 30-40 items at a time. These can be placed by the person through our OPACs. What we have found is that many times at least half of the items are in at the time the request is placed. That we will address separately. However, I feel that 30-40 reserves at one time becomes excessive for our staff to handle. What do you think? I would like to hear what other public libraries do to curtail this. Thanks.
Our policy allows a total of 20 reserves per patron. We have no policy in regards to number placed at one time.
Our policy allows 100 materials checked out on a library card - however, there are limits on magazines (10 per visit), compact discs (10 per visit, no more than 20 total), audio cassettes (10 per visit), video cassettes (5 adult, 2 children per visit, no more than 20 total). A patron is allowed any combination of 100 items checked out on his/her card at any given time.
>I would like to hear from Public Libraries about their policies on the >following: >1. Is there a limit on the number of materials that can be checked out >by one person on a library card? >2. Do you have a limit on the number of "reserve requests" that can be >placed by a card holder at one time? >and >3> Do you have a limit on the number of items you will ILL for a person >at one time?
>We are faced with customers wanting to place "requests" for 30-40 items >at a time. These can be placed by the person through our OPACs. What we >have found is that many times at least half of the items are in at the >time the request is placed. That we will address separately. However, I >feel that 30-40 reserves at one time becomes excessive for our staff to >handle. What do you think? I would like to hear what other public >libraries do to curtail this. Thanks.
........................................................ Kelly Tither Circulation Services Supervisor West Allis Public Library 7421 W. National Avenue West Allis, WI 53214 PHONE (414) 302-8535; FAX (414) 302-8545 ........................................................
On Tue, 1 Apr 1997, Betty Murr wrote: > I would like to hear from Public Libraries about their policies on the > following: > 1. Is there a limit on the number of materials that can be checked out > by one person on a library card?
***No.
> 2. Do you have a limit on the number of "reserve requests" that can be > placed by a card holder at one time?
***No.
> and > 3> Do you have a limit on the number of items you will ILL for a person > at one time?
***We handle ILL requests on a case by case basis if the ILL supervisor thinks a patron is requesting an unreasonable amount at one time, we do a few at a time.
>
> We are faced with customers wanting to place "requests" for 30-40 items > at a time. These can be placed by the person through our OPACs. What we > have found is that many times at least half of the items are in at the > time the request is placed. That we will address separately. However, I > feel that 30-40 reserves at one time becomes excessive for our staff to > handle. What do you think? I would like to hear what other public > libraries do to curtail this. Thanks.
***We try to encourage people to use the library. We block patrons when they have more than 5 overdues, more than 5 unresolved claims returned items, more than 5 lost, one ILL lost or owe us more than $50 in charges. We also don't charge fines. Since we automated in 1992, our return rate has improved and we have been able to trap irresponsible people faster.
Fort Vancouver Regional Library is a 3 county system covering more than 4000 square miles. We have 11 branches and three bookmobiles. Our main branch circulates over 1.2 million items per year. We filled about 120,000 holds last year.
Brenda Cameron Circulation Manager Fort Vancouver Regional Library Vancouver, WA (360) 699-8877
1. Our library limits the use of materials to 15 books (no more than 3 in a certain subject) this tends to leave something on the shelf for the next patron. 2. Regarding reserves-the patron has to make out a reserve card at the desk and we do charge a .35 cent fee per item requested and we haven't experienced any problem with this policy. 3. The ILL reserve card is the same as above and people have been know to fill out as many as 8 cards but these books don't necessarily all come in at once. The ILL librarian tells them that with this many requests depending on where the material is coming from-they might not get it all at the same time.
30-40 reserves does seem excessive-do you have the everyman's catalog on your OPAC's? Our staff attended a workshop on this new catalog about a month ago.
Good luck.
Mary Bernat/Staff Librarian Palmer MA Public Library
it is early morning- I didn't make it clear on the 1st question re: items in addition to the 15 books, the other limits are patrons can check out 4 videos (no more than 4 per family), 5 CD's, 5 books on tape, 5 music cassettes and 10 magazines at one time on their library card. Hope this helps.
At BPL we limit each cardholder to 30 items. There is no restriction as to the amount of any certain type of item. We don't limit reserves of our materials but do limit ILL requests to four per month. We are considering letting patrons place holds electronically since we have the capability so this topic is of interest to me. We still have our "0lder" patrons who will not use OPACs and I am not sure if this would tempt them over to the stations or not. Our problem is space to store reserves and would letting patrons do electronic reserves greatly increase our reserves? How do libraries contact these patrons? How long do you hold reserves?
Carole Rybarczyk Circulation Supervisor Burlington Public Library Burlington, WI
---------- From: Betty Murr[SMTP:bmur...@mail.win.org] Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 1997 7:14 PM To: Multiple recipients of list CIRCPLUS Subject: What is EXCESSIVE?
I would like to hear from Public Libraries about their policies on the following: 1. Is there a limit on the number of materials that can be checked out by one person on a library card? 2. Do you have a limit on the number of "reserve requests" that can be placed by a card holder at one time? and 3> Do you have a limit on the number of items you will ILL for a person at one time?
We are faced with customers wanting to place "requests" for 30-40 items at a time. These can be placed by the person through our OPACs. What we have found is that many times at least half of the items are in at the time the request is placed. That we will address separately. However, I feel that 30-40 reserves at one time becomes excessive for our staff to handle. What do you think? I would like to hear what other public libraries do to curtail this. Thanks.
>I would like to hear from Public Libraries about their policies on the >following: >1. Is there a limit on the number of materials that can be checked out >by one person on a library card?
75 books, 12 audiocassettes, 12 compact discs, 6 videocassettes, 2 art prints and 45 phonorecords
>2. Do you have a limit on the number of "reserve requests" that can be >placed by a card holder at one time? In person and on the phone, a patron
may place three requests due to time constraints; some of our agencies have forms for patrons to fill out for placing at later time and there is no limit for this; we (Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library) have just made patron self-placing of holds available on CLCAT - that limit is now 25, soon to be upped.
>and >3> Do you have a limit on the number of items you will ILL for a person >at one time? 3 total per patron at any one time; material must be returned
before further ILL's taken.
>We are faced with customers wanting to place "requests" for 30-40 items >at a time. These can be placed by the person through our OPACs. What we >have found is that many times at least half of the items are in at the >time the request is placed. That we will address separately. However, I >feel that 30-40 reserves at one time becomes excessive for our staff to >handle. What do you think? I would like to hear what other public >libraries do to curtail this. Thanks.
> I would like to hear from Public Libraries about their policies on the > following: > 1. Is there a limit on the number of materials that can be checked out > by one person on a library card?
100 items at a time. No more than 6 videos. No limit on cd's, bot's and cassetes and books except the 99 total
> 2. Do you have a limit on the number of "reserve requests" that can be > placed by a card holder at one time? > and
10 items on reserve request per patron
3> Do you have a limit on the number of items you will ILL for a pe rson > at one time? 3 a week
Thanks Doug Stout Head of Adult Circulation Newark Public Library Newark, Ohio
On Tue, 1 Apr 1997, Betty Murr wrote: > 1. Is there a limit on the number of materials that can be checked out > by one person on a library card?
We have limits on certain classes of things only: 3 books on a topic per family; 2 videos each from the Adult and Juv collections per family, 5 audiobooks per card; 4 CDs per card. There are temporary limits set for certain school assignments, and summer reading, too. But, in general, cards are to be used.
> 2. Do you have a limit on the number of "reserve requests" that can be > placed by a card holder at one time?
Our (Dynix) system allows for 15 holds per card, if the patron is placing his or her own holds at the PAC or from home. This can be overridden by Circ staff at a staff terminal, although that is not made public. There are only a few patrons who tend to max out, and we take care of them. They are all responsible readers, either of fiction, or so eclectic in their choices that there is no conflict with other limits.
> 3> Do you have a limit on the number of items you will ILL for a person > at one time?
Many of our holds requests are ILLs as we are members of a 24- member (and growing) consortium, so see above. For out-of-system ILLs, I don't believe there is a limit in writing, but I know that a patron would be encouraged to self-limit.
On Tue, 1 Apr 1997, Betty Murr wrote: > I would like to hear from Public Libraries about their policies on the > following: > 1. Is there a limit on the number of materials that can be checked out > by one person on a library card?
---Yes 20 items total at on time including no more that 5 of each format of AV.
> 2. Do you have a limit on the number of "reserve requests" that can be > placed by a card holder at one time?
---Yes, our number is limited to 5 per day.
> and > 3> Do you have a limit on the number of items you will ILL for a person > at one time?
---Yes, also limited to 5 per day. We found students were just ordering every book that even remotely mentioned the topic they were researching. They are much more selective when we tell them there is a limit.
If they truly are serious about requesting more than the limit, they can copy the titles down and call in 5 more the following day.
Chris Olson Head of Circulation and Computer Services Three Rivers Public Library Channahon,IL
The public library in which I work has the following limits:
1. The materials out on a card at one time is 50 items.
2. Limits for reserve requests are four at the circulation desk and twenty at the OPACS. Note: Most of the patrons are shocked when twenty books show all at the same time discouraging future large requests.
3. The rules for ILL are four requests per patron and no more requests until one or books is returned. A total four of books or requests or a combination of some of each totaling four. I know this is redundant, I am just trying to clarify.
