Circ Committee Meeting Minutes

November 13, 2014

9:30 am
Melanie began the meeting by asking if the member libraries or their patrons had any problems with Express AV (1, 3 and 7 day). No problems were reported.
Melanie announced that all AV items will eventually be retrofitted with format for Item Category 3. Facets will be smaller for better presentation in the online catalog. This is not showing up yet and will be discussed further at the Cataloging meeting.
Remember to use the Wiki for important information and instructions. How-to instructions for temp. cards, printing lost notices, etc. are available at:
http://forum.westchesterlibraries.org/wiki/index.php/How-to
REMEMBER TO SET YOUR CALENDARS (days closed) for the coming year. Instructions are on the Wiki.
A long discussion ensued about lost cards. There are 36,000+ lost cards in the system. When a Lost Card is created using the Lost Card function, not only is the old number retained on the patron record, but a “dummy” record is created in the system. This record can be accessed as a Lost Card through Sirsi and the online catalog. It may create some confusion for patrons if they find and login with their lost card number. They will find they can login successfully but they won’t see any checkouts, holds, etc. as these are only associated with their active record. This can all be avoided by using Modify Patron to add a new library card number, and deleting the old card information via ID Manager. The pros and cons for either method are summarized below.

LOST CARD FUNCTION

 Pro:
 Bills the patron automatically, leaves a record of payment, preserves prior ID number which may be needed to transfer eHolds, keeps track of 
 old numbers so the library knows how many cards have been lost. Is fast and simple.
 Con:
 Cleaning up lost cards and old numbers after the fact can be time consuming.

MODIFY WITH ID MANAGER

   Pro: 
   No confusing “dummy” record remains in system, database is not bogged down with excess data. ==
   Con: 
   No record of prior card numbers. Creating a record of payment for lost cards is ==
     more time consuming.

Melanie pointed out that if your library feels it is important to keep Lost Card records in the system, the records can be rendered useless by removing the email address and changing the PIN to 8888. This seems like a lot of trouble and we all agreed it would be better if Sirsi could find a fix for the issues described above. The idea of printing a new library card with the same number was discussed. This would preserve eHolds and provide a good solution for patrons who don’t want to give up a number they have memorized. Obviously this is not a good solution if the card has been lost in such a way that it could be used by someone else.
Angela offered a procedure for sending email receipts without printing the receipt. The steps are below:

1. Check out

2. Turn printer off

3. Send email receipt

4. Close out the transaction window

5. Turn printer on

6. Go to the next function (checkout or checkin)

Receipt printing can also be controlled by checking the “Display printer dialog box” under Preference/Peripherals/Receipt printer.
If your library computer layers transactions one upon the other and you wish to change this setting, go to Preference/Desktop Setup and unclick “Multiple windows mode” (at bottom).
The use of Group Cards was brought up and dismissed. Very few libraries use them. They are hard to work with. Unless a record of written permission is kept, there may be a problem with patron confidentiality when two adults (husband/wife) share a card.
The topic of patron abuse of the ILL system was discussed. Most libraries report few problems. Most problems have been handled by discussing the procedure at checkout and charging or limiting privileges for patrons who order items but fail to pick them up. Remember, depending on the price of the item, it may be more cost-effective to purchase an item rather than place an ILL.
Construction is going well at South Salem. They hope to move back in this spring.
Harrison patrons are being served out of West Harrison. Patron registration forms for lost cards can be forwarded to West Harrison and a new card will be mailed to the patron. Harrison is doing what it can to service Harrison patrons without requiring them to visit West Harrison.
The new director of Irvington, Rosemarie Gatzek, introduced herself to the room. Welcome!
Patrons are now being notified when their library card is about to expire. Although some patrons may find this alarming, most libraries find it useful.
Meeting dates for the coming year:

Jan. 8 (minutes by LAR)

March 12 (minutes by OSS)

May 14 (minutes by DOB)

Sept. 10 (minutes by HAS)

Nov. 12 (minutes by CHA)

Respectfully submitted by

Marge Perlin

Head of Circulation

Chappaqua Library