Tom Poston wrote:
> [...]doesn't the automation of
> return services abstract ( no pun intended) some of the human
> element of interaction within the library - thus further distancing
> Librarians from the end users
You say this like it's a bad thing - you obviously haven't met our end
users ;-D
> Does it not also mean that job 'revalidation' and cuts are more
> likely if significant proportions of the service function can be
> re-assigned to machines.
>
> Just a thought.
But seriously though, automated returns sorting, where I've seen it,
significantly improves the service for the end users as it reduces the
possibility of human error. On our busier days, where we have over 250
reserved books coming back at our main desk, up to a dozen reserved
items will accidentally be put onto to the normal returns trollies,
necessitating at least an hour of searching every day, in trying to
retreive them before the reserver comes to the library to collect their
reserved book.
And sorting books from a trolley onto interim sorting shelves, then
again onto a trolley for reshelving, is a job which many people would be
only to happy to give up if a machine could do some of this preliminary
sorting. Especially if it meant they could spend more time guiding
library users, maintaining shelf order, answering enquiries etc? We're
certainly not going to have any redundancies.
Lesha
> -----Original Message----- From: A general Library and Information
> Science list for news and discussion.
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Lesha Fossey Sent: 27
> February 2007 10:01 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: self-checkin
> / self-return machines - problems?
>
>
> We're looking to increase our self-service facilities and
> specifically to introduce self-return machines
>
> As far as I can see there are 2 options:
>
> 1) self-return machines (usually switchable issue/return machines)
> where the student is alerted via the screen which bin to put the
> returned book in (i.e. one bin for normal checkins, and one bin for
> books with holds and other "problem" books)
>
> 2) self-return machines which physically take the books from the
> students, and sort them automatically (i.e. out of the students'
> reach) via a conveyor belt system or similar into one of a number of
> library-configurable bins (e.g. by classmark/floor/location etc as
> well as sorting holds)
>
> Now machines of variety 2 (i.e. automatic returns sorting machines)
> seem to cost at least 3x the cost of machines of variety 1. And of
> course a strong business case would need to be made for that levek of
> spending!
>
> I've seen automatic returns sorting machines in use, and thought they
> were great. In that particular case, they'd started with
> student-sorted machines, but found that owing to the resulting
> problems and workload for staff they just couldn't cope, and they had
> therefore got the money for automatic returns sorting machines.
> Problems they (and a couple of other colleagues from difrerent
> libraries) have specifically mentioned/experienced are;
>
> - students realising that once hold books have been scanned (i.e.
> checked in from their user record), there's nothing to make them
> actually put the book in the correct bin, and therefore hold books
> were being hidden within the library, causing daily problems when the
> reserver came in to collect the book, which then couldn't be found.
> (This has resulted in at least one library having its machines
> reconfigured so that they won't check in items with holds at all, and
> students are instead told to return these books to the Lending Desk
> staff directly.)
>
> - students putting books in the bins without checking them in at all,
> and the books then being reshelved while still checked out and not
> resensitised. (This type of problem has meant that in some libraries
> *all* books in the returns bins are re-returned by library staff to
> make sure that all are checked in on the LMS)
>
> Of course, this level of extra work by library staff would count
> against the cheaper cost of these "student-sorted" machines as
> opposed to automatic sorting machines. So in my mind a pertinent
> question is, how long would it take for a more expensive machine to
> pay for itself in staff time savings?!
>
> Therefore, in order to help me decide whether to make a case for an
> automatic returns sorting machine, I'd like any feedback you can give
> me on problems experienced by student-sorted self-returns machines
> (and staff time implications), and/or benefits given by automatic
> returns sorting machines.
>
> I can summarise for the list if there's interest?
>
> Thanks
>
> Lesha
>
--
Lesha Fossey MA MCLIP
Assistant Librarian, Circulation Services
University of Exeter
Stocker Road TEL: 01392 263878
Exeter FAX: 01392 263871
EX4 4PT E-MAIL: [log in to unmask]
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