Check with other libraries in the area to see what their theft rate is
("monitor the shrinkage" - really! The items don't decrease in size,
they get stolen.).
Work up an estimate on what it will cost to replace that percentage of
the collection - or do a range, of 5% - 10% - 25%.
Present this to The Powers That Be, and thank them for the increase in
your media purchasing budget, which they must perforce immediately
authorize to replace the items that will be stolen. You will handle
the complaints from faculty and students about class disruption and
information lost - unless they ask to speak to a higher authority.
It's an idea, anyway.
Brigid Duffy
Media Acquisitions
Academic Technology
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA 94132-4200
E-mail: [email protected]
On Dec 21, 2011, at 8:18 AM, Seay, Jared Alexander wrote:
Media Collections Colleagues,
I send this out at least in part as a plea for support – moral
support at the very least. Last week from out of the blue my
library director announced that we were to move our media collection
(about 4000 VHS videos and DVDs) from the media room (with closed
stacks) downstairs to open stacks around the circulation desk.
Although some of the titles known to be heavily used by faculty for
teaching are to be put “behind the desk” in a limited teaching
collection, most of the titles are to be placed in an “outer ring”
of shelving around the circulation desk open to patrons and the
public.
Though we had been told that we would be investigating and planning
for such a potential move sometime in the new year, this directive
came without warning and certainly without any significant planning
or forethought. The titles are to be put on open shelving. There
are no locked cases involved and none of the titles are tattle-
taped. In the media room patrons had to check-out titles even if
they wanted to view them in the media room. We could track
circulation statistics as well as maintain a high level of
security. As of the beginning of 2012, no such control will be in
place. In short, the entire collection will be unsecure and exposed
to whomever deans pull a title off the shelf - to view or otherwise.
I have expressed my deep concerns, but the answer I have gotten back
is that we “will put things out on the shelves and monitor the
shrinkage.” Not the most effective way to manage the collection I
have noted. Seems akin to putting pamphlets on a display that says
“take one.” Seems to me this gets to the basic issue of what a
library media collection is for, and how should it be used and
managed?
For the record, my concerns have been echoed by other collages
including several higher up my chain of command. But, top level
administration is un-swayed by such arguments, though I intend to
continue to make them even as I am compelled to move the
collection. I suspect there are backroom politics involving space
issues ownership (of the media room) that I will not go into here.
My biggest concern, apart from the sheer suddenness of it all, is
the future security and integrity of the collection. To go from a
closed room (with check-out viewing only) to completely open stacks
with no security control virtually overnight is not a good thing in
my opinion. I fear that my circulating collection is about to be
decimated and devalued at the very least.
I suppose that in my shock at what I have been asked to do, I need
some input from those on this list. My big question to my media
colleagues on this list is this: Does anyone out there have their
media collection on completely open stacks with no security? I’ll
take any input (advisory or consoling) I can get.
Thanks in advance and happy holidays.
jared
Jared Alexander Seay
Reference Librarian
Head, Media Collections
Addlestone Library
College of Charleston
Charleston SC 29424
Main Office: 843-953-1428 blogs.cofc.edu/seayj/
Media Collections: 843-953-8040 blogs.cofc.edu/media collections
Addlestone Report: blogs.cofc.edu/addlestonereport
Reference Services: blogs.cofc.edu/refblog
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.
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.
