Friday, June 13, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
MCNAUGHTON & MCNAUGHTON EXPRESS BOOKS ARRIVE
June, 2008
HOT TITLES to float...
Branches will see some holds that have been filled using leased, floating ("McNaughton") copies next week...
AND
Branches will see the first shipments of EXPRESS MC.
What's coming?
MCNAUGHTON is the item type for 3-week, circulating, leased, floating bestsellers.
EXPRESS MC is the item type for 7-DAY EXPRESS books that are
1. leased from McNaughton
2. floating
What does this mean?
Here's what stays the same:
We've bought sets of hot new titles for MCPL's collections. These regular circulating copies do not float. When they stop filling holds, they are for you to keep (or discard) as part of your branch's regular collection.
Here is what's different:
We've also leased sets of the same titles to allow us to fill holds on these titles more quickly. The item type for the leased copies is MCNAUGHTON. This is a floating item type. When the holds have all been filled, you may choose to display & circulate the McNaughton copies that land at your branch.
We have also leased 7-day express copies of hot titles. Unlike other 7-day express copies, these will float.
What do we do when these arrive?
Process the holds for pick-up as usual.
Check in the 7-day express copies and put them on the Library Express shelves.
No other processing should be done.
Why is MCPL doing this?
This is a test.
Leasing more copies of bestsellers is a way we believe we can reduce the holds ratio on many high-demand new titles from 4 holds per copy to 3 holds per copy.
The cost savings comes with the end of the holds queues for these titles. As all holds are filled, the McNaughton copies will start showing up on your returns cart.
Instead of deciding whether to keep, or to move from New Books to the regular collection, and instead of keeping and then weeding multiple copies later, you may simply check them out to discard & send them back to Collection Management. We hope this will speed up filling holds but won't glut the FOL booksales.
Do the leased/McNaughton copies look the same?
Not quite, but almost.
They will have barcodes and date due labels so that you can check them out as usual.
The date due labels for the 3-week loan copies will not have branch names on them.
The 7-day express (EXPRESS MC) copies will have branch names on the date due labels to assist us with sorting the initial distribution.
The McNaughton books will have a green band under the clear jacket. The 7-day express leased copies will have 7-day express labeling.
We will post pictures before Monday.
Should we put them in a separate place?
No. Treat these books as part of the regular or 7-day express collections.
Do we check them out differently?
No.
Are the fines the same for overdues?
Yes.
Do we keep them?
You will keep the purchased copies that have been assigned to your branch--and treat and weed these as usual.
When you are tired of the McNaughton copies (when it begins to seem that they sit more than they circulate) we ask that you check them out to discard (no marking out of labels or barcodes is needed) & send them back to Collection Development/Technical Services. You can do this by putting a hold slip for MCNAUGHTON with a pickup location of Collection Management on the books (or you can put them in a box and mark it MCNAUGHTON return/Collection Management.
More questions? Please ask.
HOT TITLES to float...
Branches will see some holds that have been filled using leased, floating ("McNaughton") copies next week...
AND
Branches will see the first shipments of EXPRESS MC.
What's coming?
MCNAUGHTON is the item type for 3-week, circulating, leased, floating bestsellers.
EXPRESS MC is the item type for 7-DAY EXPRESS books that are
1. leased from McNaughton
2. floating
What does this mean?
Here's what stays the same:
We've bought sets of hot new titles for MCPL's collections. These regular circulating copies do not float. When they stop filling holds, they are for you to keep (or discard) as part of your branch's regular collection.
Here is what's different:
We've also leased sets of the same titles to allow us to fill holds on these titles more quickly. The item type for the leased copies is MCNAUGHTON. This is a floating item type. When the holds have all been filled, you may choose to display & circulate the McNaughton copies that land at your branch.
We have also leased 7-day express copies of hot titles. Unlike other 7-day express copies, these will float.
What do we do when these arrive?
Process the holds for pick-up as usual.
Check in the 7-day express copies and put them on the Library Express shelves.
No other processing should be done.
Why is MCPL doing this?
This is a test.
Leasing more copies of bestsellers is a way we believe we can reduce the holds ratio on many high-demand new titles from 4 holds per copy to 3 holds per copy.
The cost savings comes with the end of the holds queues for these titles. As all holds are filled, the McNaughton copies will start showing up on your returns cart.
Instead of deciding whether to keep, or to move from New Books to the regular collection, and instead of keeping and then weeding multiple copies later, you may simply check them out to discard & send them back to Collection Management. We hope this will speed up filling holds but won't glut the FOL booksales.
Do the leased/McNaughton copies look the same?
Not quite, but almost.
They will have barcodes and date due labels so that you can check them out as usual.
The date due labels for the 3-week loan copies will not have branch names on them.
The 7-day express (EXPRESS MC) copies will have branch names on the date due labels to assist us with sorting the initial distribution.
The McNaughton books will have a green band under the clear jacket. The 7-day express leased copies will have 7-day express labeling.
We will post pictures before Monday.
Should we put them in a separate place?
No. Treat these books as part of the regular or 7-day express collections.
Do we check them out differently?
No.
Are the fines the same for overdues?
Yes.
Do we keep them?
You will keep the purchased copies that have been assigned to your branch--and treat and weed these as usual.
When you are tired of the McNaughton copies (when it begins to seem that they sit more than they circulate) we ask that you check them out to discard (no marking out of labels or barcodes is needed) & send them back to Collection Development/Technical Services. You can do this by putting a hold slip for MCNAUGHTON with a pickup location of Collection Management on the books (or you can put them in a box and mark it MCNAUGHTON return/Collection Management.
More questions? Please ask.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Sign up and start sharing
When you're ready to start using the Shared Reads blog to offer or claim floating item overflow, you'll need to have a Google account. Sign up on Blogger, under "Create your blog now." You don't need to do the steps that create a blog (unless you want to!) Or sign up on Google. It's not too scary.You'll see the pattern of postings on Shared Reads.
If you'd like to offer some extras:
OFFER: (subject or general description), for example
OFFER: assorted J Disney VHS
If you want to claim them, click "Post a Comment" on that entry. Tell the offerer what you'd like and who and where you are.
When they're gone, the offerer will post:
TAKEN: (subject or general description)
If you branch needs some materials, post:
SEND: (subject or title or general description)
To send materials on to a claiming or requesting branch, check them out to the newly created user account with User ID or User Name "Float Away." (Actually, there are several user accounts Float Away 1, Float Away 2, etc. Use any of them.) Then box or bundle the items, label them for the receiving branch, and send them off to their new temporary homes.
Feel free to participate in the "poaching collection," as well. You all have permission to poach. No MCPLer will be a rotten aristocratic landowner who gets you deported to Australia. Poaching allows you to place item-level holds on titles your branch needs, when those items have not circulated at their current home branch for at least 6 months. If the item is not one of the floating item-types, be sure to edit the owning branch information.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Floating Q&A part 3
These appeared as comments under an earlier post:
1.) It appears that cancelled holds should be returned to the "former"library and not stay at the branch. Is this true? Do we need to edit the materials?
Here's an example of something that did not work the way we expected.
Cathy G is working on an answer to this. In the meantime I would suggest that if the item is not going to go on to fill another hold that you check it out to a located items shelf and check it back in--thus capturing it for your branch.
2.) Should each branch have rubber stamps that include "Montgomery County Public Library" and the Monroe street address? Or just the state of MD? We had to stamp all of the new Reading List Books and all we have is a stamp that says "Montgomery County Library". Is this sufficient?
We hoped that branches would not add more processing to these items. The date due label and the barcode indicate the owning library system (though some older barcodes don't show the state). We did not find a compelling reason for reading list books to add an additional ownership stamp. Please tell us if you think that we will lose significant numbers of these items to thieves who somehow can peel off these two labels. In a related note, we do realize that Large Print items, especially those with dust jackets, may need an ownership stamp. It would make sense for all branches to have an ownership stamp.
1.) It appears that cancelled holds should be returned to the "former"library and not stay at the branch. Is this true? Do we need to edit the materials?
Here's an example of something that did not work the way we expected.
Cathy G is working on an answer to this. In the meantime I would suggest that if the item is not going to go on to fill another hold that you check it out to a located items shelf and check it back in--thus capturing it for your branch.
2.) Should each branch have rubber stamps that include "Montgomery County Public Library" and the Monroe street address? Or just the state of MD? We had to stamp all of the new Reading List Books and all we have is a stamp that says "Montgomery County Library". Is this sufficient?
We hoped that branches would not add more processing to these items. The date due label and the barcode indicate the owning library system (though some older barcodes don't show the state). We did not find a compelling reason for reading list books to add an additional ownership stamp. Please tell us if you think that we will lose significant numbers of these items to thieves who somehow can peel off these two labels. In a related note, we do realize that Large Print items, especially those with dust jackets, may need an ownership stamp. It would make sense for all branches to have an ownership stamp.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
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
Library Customer
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Floating begins Monday April 21st
Fellow floating adventurers of MCPL,
Monday, April 21st we will begin to float these ten item types:
Monday, April 21st we will begin to float these ten item types:
CD-BOOK, CD-BOOK-J,
DVD, DVD
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.
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