Dear Library Customer

Dear Library Customer,

Your comments below were submitted to MCPL Ask a Librarian and have been referred to me for a response.

You mention your concerns about our libraries’ decision to have some A/V materials as well as large print books and reading list titles stay at the branch where they are checked in.

Montgomery County Public Libraries’ decision to do this was made in an effort to provide a wider range of browsing choices for our customers, and to reduce time that these particular items are unavailable to library users during transit from one branch to another.

You are concerned that our catalog will show that an item is at one library when it has been checked in and shelved at another. This certainly would be confusing.

Fortunately, our catalog will always indicate the current branch for an available item. You then have the option of calling or visiting that branch, or of placing a hold on the item.

Our county and our library collections are too large to have every item available in a single branch at a given time—placing holds offers you a way to get the books and other materials you want or need if they are not at your home library. This can be especially important for those students who require multiple resources for a research paper.

Our library staff can instruct you on how to place a hold from home, and our staff can also explain to you how to use the catalog to determine the location of an item—please do not hesitate to ask for help.

You may also contact our Ask a Librarian staff at 240-777-0001 for assistance.

Thank you for your interest in Montgomery County Public Libraries.

Montgomery County Public Libraries

From: Amie

Sent: Mon 4/28/2008 8:55 PM

To: MCPL Ask A Librarian

Subject: MCPL Website

Comments Montgomery County Public Libraries

Message submitted: 4/28/2008 8:55:29 PM

The following message was sent:

To whom it may concern,

I think the offerings available from the MCPL system is lovely.

However, I must protest the new circulation policy that leaves materials in the branch where they are returned, regardless of place of origin. It's LUDICROUS. Also, it makes a liar of your catalog system. For example: I am at home and look online for a book via the MCPL web site. The site tells me that the item is being reshelved at the Bethesda branch. I take myself over to the Bethesda branch only to find that, no, the item ISN'T at the Bethesda branch, it's being reshelved wherever it was returned, even though it CAME FROM Bethesda. My item is not only not at the library your web site claims it to be at, but has no reasonable hope of returning there unless I place a hold and request it - a process that can take upwards of of a week.

This can really suck for someone, say, trying to complete a research paper.

This change in the circulation policy was poorly considered and is a disservice to library patrons.

Contact information is:
Library Customer

Floating Q & A part 2

1. Hello! I had a question about what to do with media snags on floating media items that come to our branch that used to belong to another library. Should we handle them at our own branch or should we send it to the original library? Thanks!
Please handle the media snags at your own branch--they now belong to you. Notes on a customer's account should have the branch name where an incomplete item was returned. If you check out snags to a media snags shelf your media snags shelf should have your branch name (e.g. CLARKSBURG MEDIA SNAGS).

2. Why should we write the barcodes on CD discs and DVDs? How many numbers should we write?
Writing 10 digits (3+ nine digits) of the barcode on discs is the most time and money saving way to help identify discs that get separated from their sets. [I realized this in a flash yesterday after I'd (mistakenly, sorry) mentioned that it's efficient to write just the last 4 digits of the barcode]. It really is most efficient to have an entire barcode number, because that takes you directly to the item in question. When we had just one or two copies of an audio book in our branches, we could easily match up separated parts. Now we are looking at dozens of copies in the system, and our collection is well-served by this local processing practice.

3. We are seeing items that we expected to float not floating (and vice versa). What gives—and what should we do about it?
Since items float by their item type, this is an indication that we’ve got erroneous, old or mixed item types in the database.
Possible ways of dealing with these items include:
1. sending items back to their original owner with a note
2. changing the item type: from KIT to CD-BOOK or CD-BOOK-J, for instance

4. Why are we seeing 3-week loan, entertainment VHS videos that don’t float?
When MCPL converted the loan period from one week express to 3 weeks for all VHS titles, the item type did not change from EXPRESS VIDEO to VIDEO.

5. We are seeing items without (labels, barcodes, call numbers) float to us. What should we do?
Please follow the processing guidelines below, and add the appropriate label, barcode, call number, just as if the item in question were yours. Because it is yours, now.

6. Can we still weed the parts of the collection that are now floating?
Yes, yes, yes.

7. Why do we get this message: “Item discharged; needs to be transferred to current library?” What is the current library?
This message appears when a floating item type that has incurred a fine has been checked in—it’s meant to reassure you that the fine did not prevent the item from floating, and the current location is now, in fact, your branch.

Floating begins Monday April 21st

Fellow floating adventurers of MCPL,

Monday, April 21st we will begin to float these ten item types:

CD-BOOK, CD-BOOK-J,
DVD, DVD-J,
LARGETYPE
READLIST
TAPED-BK, TAPED-BK-J
VIDEO, VIDEO-J

When these items are checked in at your branch they will show as "on shelf" and will show as belonging to your branch.

Floating Q&A, part 1 (from April HOS meeting)

1. How will the way that media are labeled in different branches affect the ability of the branches to shelve items? (i.e. what to do with items with labels/stickers that are not used in that branch?)
This will be one of the biggest challenges in handling the "alien" items. The range of local processing is wide. However, because we are floating only a few fairly recognizable formats, it should be possible to identify these items and their intended location without too much confusion.

2. I had a concern over uniform labeling for floating items, but after seeing your most recent email I assume that is an issue being decided soon.
New processing standards

3. When a patron calls to say they returned something that's still on their record, where do we look for it? Just in the branch they say they returned it to, or all branches?
The floating should make this easier, as the place where the item was returned and the owning branch are now the same.

4. Can branches "gift" floating items to another branch if our shelves are overcrowded?
5. Floating Collection: Will there be a way in place to relieve shelf overcrowding and send the items back to their owners?
6. What happens when a customer or staff member orders multiple copies of a book for a book club? When they all are returned to the branch, will it be easy to return them to various branches or will we have to deal with shelving them all on our shelves?
Redistribution can be made via the MCPL Shared Reads blog: http://mcplsharedreads.blogspot.com/

7. Another concern is how floating collection items will be weeded.
Evaluate for condition and weed according to established standards.

8. Will there be talking points for staff - especially for Circ -- I imagine they will get a lot of questions and comments. Perhaps we would like a log to collect reactions so potential problems can be addressed.
The most frequent comments from the public may be surprise that “other branches’” books are on “our” shelves. Talking points include our hope of reducing time in the delivery & making our materials more available to our customers.

9. Do we weed floating collections as if they are part of the Branch collections?
Yes—these items are now part of your branch’s collection.

10. How will some balance in the collection be maintained, will items be weeded at their host libraries (other than for unusable condition), or will some thought be given to the numbers at the owing branch?
MCPL Shared Reads.
We will also be monitoring item stock by branch for these item types, and listening to your observations.

11. How will the likely increase in holds be handled?
Other systems have “turned on” customer placed holds at the same time as floating—we already have an active holds system in place.

12. When the RL starts to "float" are we still going to order our own or will it be ordered centrally?
We will continue to need your expertise in developing the collection & choosing titles for RL

13. Why are the NF DVDs treated differently than the NF books (as far as floating goes)?
Floating is by item type, and we want to test this approach. DVDs gave us a smaller collection to test.

14. How much of the collection will float? These item types account for about 15% of what is in the delivery.

Processing of floating item types

Collection & Item type	Systemwide processing* standard:
	All items: Barcode label Date due label (with or without branch name) New items should be CHECKED IN on arrival at branch Media (CDs & DVDs) also have: Address label MC doughnut label on each disc Pink “LOOK FOR” label for multiple item sets Item barcodes should be added to all discs and inserts at first CHECK IN branch
Reading List READLIST	Alpha label at base of spine
Large Print LARGETYPE	Call number label
Audio Books CD-BOOK	Call number label
Audio Books CD-BOOK-J	Call number label Black on yellow J label just above call number
Non-express DVDs DVD	Call number label
Children’s DVDs DVD-J	Call number label Black on yellow J label at top of spine
High Demand Leased Print (3-week loans) MCNAUGHTON	Call number label on McNaughton band
High Demand Leased Print (7 Day loans) EXPRESS-MC	Call number label on McNaughton band 7 Day Express label
Audio Books TAPED-BK TAPED-BK-J	No new processing
Videos VIDEO VIDEO-J	No new processing
*Before April 21, 2008, local variations in processing for any of these formats might have included: DEMCO genre labels, colored tape (opaque or transparent), alpha or numeric labels. Items with these processing variations will circulate “as is.”

Floating In

Pristine paperbacks recently requested by branches for the Reading List collection have been spotted floating into the warehouse. These early arrivals foretell some 5000 more of their kind.

"The weather was delightful, and our flight wasn't cancelled. Our wiring is just fine, thank you.

"We feel very spiffy in our new MCPL-supplied labels. Our wardrobe is simple, yet it boldly makes the necessary statement. When you see us, we'll be wearing:

1. Our precious MCPL barcodes: 36098


2. Our date-due strips have no branch name stamped on them. We are proud to be in the forefront of the shared collection.


3. And an initial on the bottom of the spine, or, if we're elegantly thin, on the bottom left of our front covers. These initials help the shelvers. Run-of-the-mill paperbacks wear their initials at the top of the spine. Our low-lying initials indicate we're Reading List titles. Always glad to be of help. We're library folks."
   
   
   

Will it float? Will it float?

This post updates the list of floating items categories.

Audio books (in J, in A, in YA, on tape, on CD): yes
Large print: yes
Videos in A & J: yes
Non-express DVDs: yes
J DVDs: yes
Reading List (new item type!): yes

_____________

Book tub: ??

Music CDs: not at this time

Express DVDs: not at this time

Other paperbacks: no (don't try them in the bath*)

Rest of the print collection: not at this time

COMFD printer: no

*Archimedes, we've put a note on your account.

It's a Wonderful Shared Collection

James Stewart as George Bailey:

You're thinking of this place all wrong. As if I had the money[1] back in a safe[2]. The money's[3] not here. Your money's[4] in Joe's house[5]...right next to yours[6]. And in the Kennedy house[7], and Mrs. Macklin's house[8], and a hundred[9] others. Why, you're lending them the money[10] to build[11] and then, they're going to pay it back to you as best they can[12].

1. materials
2. closed stack
3. audio books and large print titles you want [are]
4. requested item
5. Twinbrook Library
6. Rockville Library
7. Fairland Library
8. Damascus Library
9. 20
10. materials they want
11. to read or listen to
12 take care of them until the next person wants to borrow them