Re: patrons placed REQUESTS - increased workload

[May Anstee <m-anstee@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Sue:  We are a single building, medium sized public library.  We do not 
allow patron initiated requests for items on the shelf.  Even so, (brace 
yourself) our reserves went from 100 a month to 1000 a month the first 
month.  It now sits at about 1300 a month.

Your patrons will LOVE it!
May

At 10:21 AM 1/9/2003, you wrote:

>         Greetings:
>         The Chester County Library System plans to turn on patron placed 
> REQUESTS for the first time on 2/1/03.
>         To date, staff are still placing holds for the public. We plan to 
> do a "soft" start,  and not publicize the new feature until we have 
> worked out any "kinks"
>         in the first few weeks.
>
>         One of our concerns is trying to plan for the anticipated 
> increase in volume of work for staff (shelf-checking for the increase in 
> volume of paging slip items, etc.) in the
>         seventeen libraries in the county which vary greatly in size. We 
> also realize we will need a larger area for keeping the hold materials to 
> be picked up by patrons.
>
>         We would appreciate any information you have on the increased 
> workload you experienced after you first turned on patron placed REQUESTS.
>         (What was the percentage of increase in holds placed? How did it 
> impact workload of staff?  Did you need to hire more staff?)
>
>         Thank you in advance for sharing your experience.
>         Sue Ricedorf
>         Computer Services Department
>         Chester County Library
>         PH: 610-280-2661
>         email: sricedorf@xxxxxxxxxx
>
>
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May Anstee                                      Helen M. Plum Memorial Library
Head, Technical Processing                      110 W. Maple St.
Automation Coordinator                  Lombard, IL 60148

                 email   m-anstee@xxxxxxxxxx
                 Phone   (630) 627-0316
                 Fax     (630) 627-0336
                 <http://plum.lib.il.us>