Friday July 23, 2010: Videogame damages
What happens when a patron returns a videogame and says it doesn’t work
Pull up the patron’s record on the screen
Print out a copy of the screen
Discharge the item from the patron’s account
Tell the patron we will test the game and if it does not work they will be entitled to check out another game for free but only after we test the game
Put the game with the screen printout on Zoltan’s desk with a signed note explaining the problem
Someone will test the game and give it back to Zoltan with the results
If the game does not work:
Zoltan will put the following note on the patron’s record
This patron is entitled to check out one free videogame due to a nonworking disk
that was returned on 7/21/10. zb
Pat will call the patron and tell them they are entitled to check out a free game and that they should tell the person at the desk that there is a note on their record about this
When they check out their free game add the following to the original note on their record
Received their free game on 7/22/10. (your initials, i.e. pc)
If the game does work:
Zoltan will put the game on the hold shelf under the patron’s name with a note explaining that the patron can check out the game for free
Pat will call the patron and tell them that they can pick up the game at the circulation desk within the next week
What happens when a patron returns a videogame without the instructions
Pull up the patron’s record on the screen
Print out a copy of the screen
Discharge the item from the patron’s account
Put the game with the screen printout on Zoltan’s desk with a signed note explaining the problem
Wednesday June 30, 2010: Where is everything?
It's summer and books are on the move!
Back issues of newspapers are now kept in the reference area. We will now be keeping only the current month and one month back of daily newspapers. And the current year of weeklies.
Where the newspapers used to be...soon will be back issues of magazines
where the magazines used to be..older audiobooks
where the audiobooks were...DVDs
The Indian language books will be shifted to some empty shelves in the reference area. And additional shelving will be ordered for that area soon.
AND
Ray will soon start moving our fiction section back to make room for the large print books
AND
some new shelving for the CDs and DVDs will be here in the fall.
AND
Really soon new chairs through out the building
Wednesday June 30, 2010: Down Time at the Desk
Work at the Circulation (and Reference) desks is often busy but there are sometimes downtimes. Reading magazines or books while you have downtime looks awful to the public. Sitting there staring off into space looks awful to me. So please do not read magazines or newspapers or books or surf the web if you are having a quiet time. You can instead:
put the cart in order
intershelve ILLs from the cart onto the shelves, make sure these are in alphabetical order
Cut scrap paper
dust
clean and straighten
I am open to other suggestions.
I am going to be honest, I don't believe in busy work and if it was up to me I really think that if you absolutely have nothing to do while you are waiting for patrons then reading a book is fine. BUT...I just got a lot of grief from a patron who said there were five people at the desk last Sunday, every one of them reading a magazine. I don't believe it and told him so but the impression that we do this has got to stop.
Also, if you are backup and it is quiet, please do not hang out at the desk. If you want to "hover" close by, that's fine, just make sure you are doing something useful like shelving and straightening the new book section, the DVD area or the audiobook area.
And librarians, please do not do orders at the desk. Cataloging is fine but if it's quiet, you should wander a bit and see if anyone on the floor needs help. I get lots of questions from people when I'm on the floor who don't want to ask you 'cause you look busy
Ironic isn't it? some patrons want you to look busy and others won't approach you if you do. You just can't win
Monday June 28, 2010: Town & Country Magazine
We are now putting Town and Country magazine in the same place as Architectural Digest and Weird NJ as soon as the next issue comes in.
You will request a library card (any) or a drivers license and keep it until the magazine is returned. The issue will be looked through when it is returned to assure that there are no missing pages. It would problably be a good thing to flip through it before you give it out too to make the same assurance.
Please attempt to politely as possible, (and I know this is going to be tough) flip through the pages while the patron is still standing in front of you and you are still holding on to her card. You can explain that we have a problem with ripped out pages of our magazines and thank them for their understanding.
And please if anyone complains to you about any other magazines this has been happening to, and there are many, let me know so I don't continue to get emails from frustrated patrons who can't understand why I don't do anything about problems they've complained about for months (and this is the first I've heard about them)
Monday June 28, 2010: PINs
From now on we will continue to NOT give PINs over the phone but if we already have an email listed for the patron we will email it OR we can snail mail it.
--------
TO PRINT A RECEIPT: Open the screen you want
to print. Select FILE>Print Screen . A new window will open. Click the
Printer Icon and the receipt will print at the reference desk.
|
