Does a customer need to provide his/her birthdate?

Birth date on a customer’s record is one of the required fields in Carl*X and it has several benefits for the customer and our system alike. Not only does a birth date assist with demographic information we can use for statistical analysis for materials and programs, but it also helps protect the customer when and if their library account becomes compromised. For instance, if a minor presents a library card with a birth year of 1958 you know there is a potential problem.

When a customer applies for a library card via our Online Borrow Registration (OBR) the Carl*X system will automatically check for name and birth date duplication. If a duplication record is found, the system will place a note on both the OBR record and the related card’s record so that staff can correct this duplication when the customer comes into the library to convert their online card. REMEMBER: You should always do a PATRON SEARCH prior to the entry of any new library card application to check for duplications.

The employee expectation is to secure an accurate birth date from the customer if one is not provided on the completed library card application. Communicating the value of such information to the customer may be necessary, but failure by the customer to provide a birth date should not prevent the employee from issuing a library card to the customer. Entering a fictitious birth date that most accurately represents the customer’s age range would be appropriate in these rare instances.