I agree with Susan at Wabash. The hardest part about dealing with missing DVDs is that when they go missing you don't know they've gone missing until someone else wants it. This is also true of course with books, but usually there is at least some approximate book that can be provided to a patron to fill an information need, or, if not, then interlibrary loan can play a part. Putting the DVD cases out on open shelves and keeping the disks behind the desk allows for increased security and provides the browsing that patrons really want.
mb On Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 10:33 AM, Susan Albrecht <[email protected]>wrote: > I guess I disagree somewhat. It's not the value of the DVD being somehow > higher than other materials; it's the likelihood of theft, frankly. > > I love our setup. Original cases in stacks for easy browsing; discs kept in > thin cases in cabinets behind circ. It has reduced theft for us. > > Susan at Wabash > ________________________________________ > From: [email protected] [ > [email protected]] on behalf of Jacqueline Protka [ > [email protected]] > Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2011 10:18 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Videolib] Where to Keep the DVDs > > I also agree with Christine and Dorcas. We are a small art and design > school. We circulate out-of-print art and design books worth hundreds of > dollars, so the security of our mostly replaceable DVDs does not worry me > too much. When I first arrived here a handful of our more expensive DVD > titles ($350 and up) were housed in the reference area. The result was that > they were never used, even by faculty. I considered that more of a waste of > money than the risk of theft or loss, so I moved them to the circulating > open stacks. We did an inventory last summer, and had about 1% loss. What > loss we had was almost entirely the result of items that had been checked > out but never returned. > > -- > Jacqueline L. Protka > Digital Assets and Media Librarian > Corcoran Library, Corcoran Gallery/College of Art + Design > 500 Seventeenth St., NW > Washington, DC 20006 > t. 202-639-1765/f. 202-628-7908 > e. [email protected] > www.corcoran.org/library > www.facebook.com/corcoranlibrary > www.twitter.com/corcoranlibrary > > > > From: [email protected] [mailto: > [email protected]] On Behalf Of Haller, Dorcas W. > Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 4:16 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Videolib] Where to Keep the DVDs > > I’m with Christine on this. We keep our DVDs in their cases, on open > shelves. They used to be near the Circulation desk, but were moved to > accommodate a new shelving configuration. They are now shelved in the back > of the library. We have about 1500 films. Our collection includes > documentary/educational films, feature films in both English and foreign > languages, a Shakespeare collection, and some children’s/family films. Video > tapes (which we are phasing out slowly) are kept in my office, only because > we no longer have room for them on the shelves, and they don’t go out as > much anymore. We have nothing that is really valuable or that can’t be > replaced (perhaps a video or two no longer in print). > I would say we’ve almost NEVER had anyone steal our DVDs. Why would they? > They can check them out, and they can renew them – exactly as they can with > our circulating books. We lend to students, faculty, and staff, as well as > to community residents. Our DVDs have tattle strips concealed in the cases, > so the gate alarm will sound if someone does try to walk off with them. > Dorcas Haller > Librarian/ Professor/ Department Chair > Community College of Rhode Island Library > One Hilton Street, Providence, RI 02909 > Phone: 401-455-6085 Fax: 401-455-6087 > [email protected] > > From: [email protected] [mailto: > [email protected]] On Behalf Of CROWLEY, CHRISTINE > Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 3:46 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Videolib] Question > > Ours are all on open shelves, nothing is stored “in back”. The notion that > DVDs are somehow more valuable than our freely accessible books bothers me > a bit. Now, I am not talking about any special collections of rare or ultra > expensive materials. My motto has been “We buy this stuff for people to use” > and I mean it. > That said, store your most valuable items in a place where they can be > monitored and put everything else out. If you care about circulation and > usage statistics, you will be amazed at what folks will borrow and/or view > if they find it by serendipity. Browsing the real thing, instead of browsing > through the online catalog will prove to be more popular and your community > of borrowers will appreciate it. > > Christine Crowley > Dean of Learning Resources > Northwest Vista College > 3535 N. Ellison Dr. > San Antonio, TX 78251 > 210.486.4572 voice | 210.486.4504 fax > The Alamo Colleges are on a four-day work week for June and July. We are > closed on Fridays. > > PLEASE NOTE: I AM RETIRING AS OF AUG. 19, 2011 > NEW LIBRARY CONTACT INFO UPON REQUEST > > > > > > > From: [email protected] [mailto: > [email protected]] On Behalf Of John Streepy > Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 2:32 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [Videolib] Question > > > Hello all, > > Sadly this is the summer of my discontent and I have to essentially shut my > department down in the name of streamlining services and fiscal whatevers. > All I know is my department is on the chopping block and I have to help > move the collection to the circulation department. The head of circ is > brainstorming and on of the things she brought up is making the collection > browsable. We lack the funding to make the collection secure, so the > thought is to go the empty case on the shelf and DVD kept behind a counter. > So I am asking those libraries that have this kind of model, how are you > storing your DVDs? Do you have them in sleeves, and if so how are they > stored? Any help you can provide would be nice. > > thanks > > jhs > > John H. Streepy > Media Services Supervisor > Library-Media Circulation > James E. Brooks Library > Central Washington University > 400 East University Way > Ellensburg, WA 98926-7548 > > (509) 963-2861 > http://www.lib.cwu.edu/media > > "Hand to hand combat just goes with the territory. > All part of being a librarian" -- James Turner "Rex Libris" > > Transitus profusum est nocens! > > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues > relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, > preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and > related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective > working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication > between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and > distributors. > -- Mary Beth Lock Director, Access Services Z. Smith Reynolds Library Wake Forest University 336.758.6140
VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
