Annette,
I've just phoned the BL about all this. Their Renewals department said that
they would allow 5 days' grace between sending out the DUE/Automatic Renewal
Pending message and actually performing the renewal.
Here, we're considering reducing the loan period we allow our borrowers by
one week, i.e. giving them 3 wks + 2 wks extension, rather than the 3 wks
extension they're currently given, to allow more time for items to get back
to the BL. Even so, we're going to have to be stricter with borrowers not
returning items on time, maybe even passing the renewal charge on to them as
an overdue fine.
We'll also have to reconsider using HAYS for the bulk return of items
because of this change.
I suppose a lot of libraries, ourselves included, have been unintentionally
taking advantage of the BL not imposing overdue fines until very late in the
day, by being a little lax in ensuring items reach them by the date due.
Louise Allum
Falmer Library
University of Brighton
-----Original Message-----
From: Annette Moore [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 16 September 2002 12:41
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: BL - New automatic renewals procedure
I have just been reading the British Library's customer update for
September regarding a change in procedure for renewals of items on loan
from BL. As from 1 October a new automatic renewal procedure will be
in place such that at the end of the standard loan period and extensions
(3 weeks + 3 weeks) a DUE Automatic Renewal Pending code will be sent.
At this point the item must be returned immediately or it will
automatically be renewed and £2.50 will be billed to our account.
Although this system will make it easier to renew when a user actually
comes and asks to renew an item and in our case, pays for the renewal,
for items that are just returned late from our users, it is the library
that will effectively be fined £2.50 for a late return of an item. In
terms of returning items, it can take 10 days from the time a reader
returns a book to us to the time it arrives at the BL, taking in to
account the packing of items, waiting for collection from HAYS DX
delivery van, and unpacking at BL. What do other libraries think about
this change to procedure just before the beginning of a new term?
Annette Moore
Annette Moore
Interlibrary Requests
University of Sussex Library
University of Sussex
Brighton, BN1 9QL
Email: [log in to unmask]
Telephone: 01273 678162
Fax: 01273 678441
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