Hi all
Here in Lincolnshire we looked at doing away with fixed dates due back and moving to a model of customer bringing items back when they have finished with them.
Advantages:
- Customer no longer has anxiety about remembering dates due back which deters many people.
- This is the Love Film model - borrow and return when you no longer need. To prevent people hoarding and keeping reduce the number of items which can be borrowed at any one time e.g. 5 items. Incentive to return is that you can borrow something new that you need.
Challenges
Fines income - you retain your unrealistic inc targets but no longer have an inc stream!
Issues - your performance likely to decline in bean counter terms despite providing better customer service. Not sure if auto renewals can be counted in CIPFA terms.
I often think that when libraries intro computer systems back in the 1980s we essentially automated the old brown issue system i.e. 3 or 4 week loan periods rather than rethinking the whole lending model. Time for some business process re-engineering ? Text and email make it cheap and easy to contact customers of course should you need to ask people to return requested items.
Regards
Gary
-----Original Message-----
From: lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ken Chad
Sent: 03 February 2010 11:54
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Overdue notifications
Not quite an answer to your question but a university I was talking to the other day *automatically* renews item if they are not requested, recalled etc. As a much fined public library user I think that is *great* (proactive) customer service... I'd love it if my public library did that for me
Ken
CEO, Ken Chad Consulting Ltd
Tel +44 (0)7788 727 845. Email: [log in to unmask] www.kenchadconsulting.com
Skype: kenchadconsulting
Get a pre-launch preview of the 'Local Government Library IT' Wiki http://lglibtech.wikispaces.com/ See my recent presentations on slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/kenchad
-----Original Message-----
From: lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Helen Dew
Sent: 02 February 2010 13:25
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Overdue notifications
Hello
Has any authority stopped sending pre-overdue or overdue notifications of any sort (paper, email, SMS etc)? If so, what was level of customer reaction?
What kind of impact has it had on the level of stock that gets returned?
Many thanks. Will summarise for the list.
Helen Dew
Customer Development Officer
Libraries & Information
Gloucestershire County Council
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