Access Services Updates - July 05, 2018
In an effort to involve more perspectives before we try implementing a new procedure, we will be periodically posting proposed process changes to this page. This month, we are posting about the process for handling Damaged Materials. We invite Access Staff to provide comments below about the proposed change. We especially want to know if there are any hurdles to implementing the process as proposed that we do not appear to have considered. By sharing it with you here, we hope to work out some of the kinks in the process before asking hundreds of Access Staff to make several changes as we try to get it right.
The Problem(s)
- Damaged material is currently notated on an account via a Standard Note. Material stays checked out on the account with no other distinction.
- If staff forget to check the notes and a customer states they have returned the material, it is likely that the material will be marked CNH to resolve the issue.
- By leaving damaged material checked out to an account, it is possible that a customer could take up to 6 months to take care of the issue before their account is blocked and the material is removed from the catalog.
The Proposal
- When it’s time to pay, add a Manual fee instead of “go Lost”
- Fine Amount
- Description = damage reason (see below)
- Item Number
- Check in the item, change status to Damaged, give the item to the customer
- This is better than Lost or CNH: Accurate location code for us to see if we need to reorder, and staff aren’t searching for an item that we know a customer paid for.
- Draw a line through the barcode and stamp with Friends discard/sold
- If we want to waive, they can waive the manual fee so we can see the history of the damage for x-amount of time and can see the reasoning of waiving.
Damage Reasons for Manual Fee (16 characters maximum)
- Pest
- Mold
- Liquid
- Missing Piece (disc or page)
- Heavy Markings
- Animal Dmg (includes chew and urine)
- Cracked Disc
- Cracked Screen
- Biohazard
- Severe Damage
- Burns
- Odors
Additional information:
Manual fees do not show damage reason in POS or in the catalog. When we add the manual fee, it includes the staff member, damage information, item number, date, and location. Manual fees are treated like fines when it comes to blocking accounts and fine history retention. If the total fine charges add up to $25 or more, they will block the account.
However, if we are only charging the customers when the damage is severe, why are we waiting for them to pay? We recommend performing steps #1-3 as soon as the item is returned. We will send the damage letter at this point to notify the customer. This will reduce the time damaged materials are on the shelf, and education to our customers happens sooner. Often, the item is left on the card and the damage note is placed. Staff will ignore the notes and CNH the material or it will go A9/missing in the system instead of staying on the customer's card. Customers would still be able to check out the first time with the override, then they would need to pay for the damaged material on their next visit.
Additionally, if we trust our staff to charge when the damage is severe enough, then CIS can see the amount and damage reason via phone so they facilitate payment via the catalog then. They would need to ask the customer if they want the item and can pick it up at x-location, or if the customer does not want it, they can notify the branch to send to the Friends with a note saying it was paid for due to damage.
Once x-amount has passed and we are sending it to the Friends, we will not take pictures of the damage. This could be stored for longer than it’s intended, therefore, holding customers accountable for past damage. Additionally, the LT minutes from May 16, 2018, encourage limiting the number of photos stored locally. The amount of time a manual fee stays on the card, both as an active fee and in the history, is sufficient time to notify staff of past damage.
Additional Recommendation: Add a line in the damage letter they have x-months to pick up the item before it is discarded.
Any feedback provided here or to your Access Manager before the next AM meeting on July 17th will be considered in our discussion at that meeting.
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Comments
I think these changes would help clear up confusion for both customers and staff. After a card is scanned, the replacement cost would pop right up in the red box along with the manual fee note about how the item was damaged. We wouldn't have to go back and forth between the customer summary page and the notes page to tell the customer which item was damaged and how much it costs to replace. Additionally, if we could give back a damaged book after they are educated about it instead of after they pay, we could clear up our damage shelves much faster. Since damaged items aren't resold by the Friends, it doesn't really benefit the library to hold on to these items until after they have paid. Additionally, I think it would help remind customers to take care of damaged items sooner.
This is just like the procedure we use for damaged items that have remained on our damage shelf for over six months, so implementing this procedure would essentially streamline the process.
I also like how the location code would be more accurate, and it would be easier to figure out if we need to order replacements.
Thanks for your comment! Just to clarify for those who don't know - when the customer is scanned into the Charge screen, you'll see on the Charge Exception screen that there is a Manual Fine and the amount. Then, when Negotiate is selected it will show the item title information and the note regarding the damage reason.
I'm just curious - manual fines can be easily waived along with other fines. Summer reading fine waivers also apply to manual fines.
Will customers then be allowed to use the summer reading waivers towards damaged items? If not, how will that be prevented?
Hi Katie,
Thanks for your comment! Annual fee charges are also added to accounts as manual fines, so staff will want to be careful not to use fine waivers against manual fines. I realize as I write this that this is not specified on the Summer Reading Fine Waiver section, so we'll be looking to update that as well for clarity.
Staff can uncheck the boxes for Manual Fines and Lost items in the Negotiate screen to be sure that fine waivers are not applied to these types of charges.
Thanks for bringing this up!
What will be done with damaged or missing materials that have and continue to persist on customers frozen cards? I.E., customers who only use their cards to get on the internet, but have outstanding items or fines on their accounts.
Thank you.
It is my understanding that customers have access to the internet no matter the status on their card. I have had customers with special stops still be able to have computer access before.
Pat and Sarah,
You are correct. This is currently the way that the system functions. There are no settings within CARL.X or on a customer's account that will block someone with an account from getting on the public computers. One way to think about this is that if the customer owes us money and they need the internet to search for a job to help them get the money, we don't want to place a barrier that will keep them from the resources they need to find employment or other social services.
Thank you both for your comments!
I think we need a specific subject heading for bedbugs. This will give us an extra reminder to educate the customer about the problem. I also feel that it is pointless and could be hazardous to send severely damaged items to the friends when they should be placed in the trash bin. Items that have mold, are wet, or are contaminated by pests, etc. can transfer that contamination to other items. Mold can grow on other the other books in the friends bin, wet items can make other items wet and cause mold growth, and the transfer of pests from one item to another can ruin other donations. These should just be thrown in the trash bin. It is also pointless to send scratched up cds and dvds. We shouldn't want to sell unusable items.
Thank you for raising this, Denise! We follow standard guidelines for disposing of bloodborne pathogen material for hazardous items with pest infestation, water damage/mold, or bodily fluids. These could be our items returned to us damaged or book donations. You're exactly right, we don't want to send hazardous items to the Friends, and they are completely fine with not receiving them.
1. Seal affected item(s) in a closable container to prevent any possible leakage or escape of pests during handling, storage, and transport (e.g., double bag the items using re-sealable zipper storage bags).
2. Label it as "hazardous" or color code it in red according to the standard and dispose of it discreetly.
3. If you have a lot of materials needing disposal, you can route in a box or red tote to MTC--Curtiss to be disposed of in a secure trash area at the Service Center.
Additional note for donations: If we receive a larger donation that we have to dispose of according to the reasons and procedures above, it's also a good idea to email Heidi Port saying "XX library received a damaged donation of XX boxes on XX date." This is for just in case the donor calls the Friends for some reason about it later.
Denesa,
Thanks for your comments! Having a separate identifier for bedbugs as opposed to just a general 'pest' description may be an important distinction, especially as libraries see more of this type of damage.
One thing many people are not aware of is that all withdrawn library materials are legally the property of the Friends, so we are required to send them to the Friends for consideration to be sold at the annual booksale. Any materials that the Friends review and determine are not sellable (like scratched discs) are disposed of in a secure dumpster (not accessible to the public) at that site. We want to be sure that we are not disposing of library materials (other than hazardous materials as Meghan mentioned) in a standard library dumpster. This can lead to the public questioning why we are throwing away what may look like perfectly good materials.
I appreciate your concern for the Friends and the customers at the booksale. The Friends share this desire to sell only usable materials and so they do review the materials that come to them (and are happy to do so!) before they add them to the materials to be sold. They expect to receive a high volume of well-loved materials. They recycle/reuse materials that otherwise cannot be sold. For example, some of the discs they received in poor condition were recently repurposed for a library crafting program.
Thanks again for your concern and comments!
Is it possible to have an email or text generated with a link to pay for it when the item is marked damaged? It seems that would speed the process up.
Hi Darin,
Thanks for commenting! This is a great question. We currently do send fine notices via email. The fine notices go out 15 days (first notice) and 29 days (second notice) after the fine is posted to the account. The email also has a link to My Account in the catalog. The reason that they do not go out immediately after the fine is posted is that the threshold for fines to block the account is $25 and that most fines are for amounts less than that. We don't want to spam our customers with repeated notices about fines when they're not blocking the account. As a side note, we do not send paper notices if a customer only has fines on their account.
I imagine that this is a setting that may be revisited down the road depending on how the manual fines work out with deleting old magazine issues (which means fines and Lost charges for those items are replaced with a manual fine) and this process.
Thanks for bringing it up!
Risa