The FE college where I work issues invoices for the replacement cost of
library books which are not returned (after several reminders have
failed to prompt the borrower to return the book/s).
Usually a proportion of these invoices remains unpaid and it has been
the college habit to write off these bad debts.
Last week the Finance Committee of the Governors refused to write off
(immediately) the bad debts which in aggregate came to over one thousand
pounds.
I have been asked to find out how our losses compare to those of other
colleges.
Can any colleagues furnish relevant information to help? I would
appreciate it if you could let me know in financial terms how much is
written off against such book loss every year and what proportion of the
library book-fund it represents.
If colleagues have found a better way of dealing with it I would also
appreciate any advice. I have to admit however, that we must be one of
the last few college libraries to be automated - we still work with the
old Brown issue system, not a PC in sight. I have suggested many many
times to senior management that an automated system would solve many of
these problems - at least with respect to active borrowers who could be
"trapped" much more easily with a system and prevented from borrowing
other items.
Until such time as we have achieved automation however, it remains
impractical to identify transgressors at the issue desk.
Maybe colleagues will tell me that automation will not solve our
problems - well, any feedback is welcome!
--
Nickie Roome, Rother Valley College, Doe Quarry Lane, Dinnington, S25
2NF. Tel. 01909 550550 x2144. (but emailing from a home account!)
"Say not, "I have found the truth," but rather, "I have found a truth."
Gibran, The Prophet, 1923.
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