In the University of Bristol (Ex Libris Aleph system) we send what we
call Courtesy Notices out to borrowers with books on 3 month loan only
(i.e. not UGs or taught PGs). These notices go out two weeks before
the due date and list all loans to which this applies on the same
message.
Heather
----------------------
Heather L.Bailey
User Services Librarian
Arts & Social Sciences Library
Tyndall Avenue
Bristol, BS8 1TJ
Tel: 0117 - 9288277
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On Thu, 20 May 2004 12:42:04 +0100 Cath Morgan
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> We have received a few requests recently for due date reminder emails to be
> send out the day before a loan is due back. These have been primarily from
> a small group of academics. At the moment we send an overdue notice the day
> after the book is due (a vast improvement on previous practice I might
> add).
>
> Although at the time we gave consideration to sending an email out as a
> reminder that books would be due for renewal the following day, we decided
> against it as we felt that the increased number of emails arriving in an
> inbox would lead to borrowers getting irritated by them and possibly
> ignoring the important ones (recalls, invoice warning letters etc). It is,
> after all, possible that an academic might get 30 separate emails if they
> borrowed 30 loans on different days!
>
> There was also a belief that it was ultimately the borrowers responsibility
> to ensure they kept their books in date!
>
> I would be interested to know what other libraries do as we are, as is the
> norm, reviewing our procedures prior to the new academic session.
>
> Do you send pre-emailed reminders or just overdue notifications? If you do
> the former, do you do this for all loans or selected loan types. How far in
> advance do you 'remind' them?
>
> Many thanks in advance,
>
> Cath
>
>
> Cath Morgan
> Reader Services Librarian
> University of Sussex
> Brighton
> BN1 9QL
> Tel: +44(0)1273 873499
> Fax: +44(0)1273 678441
>
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