Access Services Minutes - June 13, 2017

Outcomes

To be knowledgeable about changes in member services policies beginning July 1. To provide input into procedures being established for revised policies and to understand the next steps in finalizing these procedures. To establish a plan for meetings in the future.

Member Services Procedures

Kay Bauman explained that the Access Services Managers will play a role in the development and review of policies and procedures that are related to Member Services. The procedures that were in process but not yet completed were postponed until the ASMs are ready to work on them. It was determined that the changes made to the AL 200 Library Accounts policy did not require an immediate change to the library account procedures. The borrowing procedures were reviewed and one minor change recommended. The procedures will be posted on the intranet for staff information.

Implementing New Policies

Time was spent identifying the upcoming changes and ensuring the managers were able to explain to staff and respond to questions about these changes. The emphasis for implementing these policies and procedures is on the relationship between staff and members. It was determined that 'automatic waive period' is a better way to refer to the 'grace period' since it reflects that fines continue to accumulate during that time and are automatically waived after check-in or renewal. The automatic waive period is helpful when discussing fines with a member as a means of member retention but is not a talking point on the new policies and procedures.

Annual Fee Letters

Letters to Annual Fee Account holders are being sent now to advise them of the increase in the annual fee, explain the reasons for increasing the annual fee, and list the benefits members enjoy with this membership. This letter will be shared on the intranet for all staff for talking points regarding the change. The contact information on the letters is for Access Control and the Downtown Circulation Phone, but all staff should be prepared to speak with members about this change.

Internet Access Account

A new account type has been added to the AL200 – Library Accounts policy. The Internet Access account will provide membership for public computer and wi-fi (coming soon) users. The current guest pass is not listed in our policy, nor are we able to garner statistical data from its usage. Starting July 1, we will begin the transition to this account from guest passes which will include staff talking to members and explaining this upcoming change. The transition will be completed by July 31.

Action Items

• Kay Bauman is investigating how we can accept donations in lieu of fine payments for situations where members may want to pay fines that were automatically waived, to donate the change after their transaction, or similar scenarios.
• All managers will communicate the details of the changes to the policies and procedures and help staff implement these changes.
• Access Managers will inform Risa of any processes that need review by this group.

This group decided to meet once per month on a Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon, rotating library locations. Risa will decide when the next meeting will be and will notify group members.