Hi Carl and everyone,
I think the point about a two-tier library
service is very valid. A major reason for Middlesbrough dropping the reservation
if items were in stock or on order was that we consider ours to be a single
stock so why should a person at Branch A have to pay for something ont
he shelves at Branch B. But we are a small unitary authority and transport
costs between branches are not that prohibitive.
Scale it up, and factor in costs such
as British Library forms (can't remember the unit cost but around £9 or
£10 now?), and postage or courier charges round the country and it does
get a lot more expensive. As Graham says in the e-mail following yours,
to do what we want/need to do we would have to be much better funded.
There are some good pieces of work happening
with some of the consortia, in London for example. Shared catalogues, shared
reserve stacks are possible and would make localised interlending much
cheaper. It's all a question of scaling up and sorting costs etc. The technology
is there and at least in the practioners so is the will. I suspect the
way forward would be for more consortia and local agreements, then getting
the consortia together.
What do people think?
Alyson Hogarth
Stock Manager
Middlesbrough Libraries and Information
01642 729420
'Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves,or we know where
we can find information upon it.' Samuel Johnson.
Thanks for your reply. I think that this sort of debate is very useful.
I do think you have misunderstood part of my argument. I am not saying
that librarians won't request certain types of books via ILL. Most libraries
will obtain anything that a reader requests. However it is a two tier system
because if I go into Leeds Library and ask to borrow almost anything by
Jeremy Clarkson I can get it free or, if it is not on the shelves, paying
a 90p reservation fee. If however I want to borrow The Savage Mind by Claude
Lévi-Strauss I will have to pay the £4 British Library fee. At the very
least it is two-tier for generalist as opposed to specialist material.
Some would argue that the library is showing a preference for populist
rubbish at the expense of serious quality works. (That's probably unfair
as you have a good collection of works by Levi-Strauss. I have chosen
a title you don't appear to have).
If this country (and I think it is an issue for the nation rather than
for libraries as such) was really serious about a free library service
it would ensure that everyone could get all material free of charge. Even
a system where everyone paid a small charge for every item would be fairer.
A system in which some people have to pay for some items just because their
library system does not hold them is not fair. The same argument applied
in my recent letter to CILIP Update about articles for SMEs.
Regards
Carl
Any opinions or statements expressed in this e-mail are those of the individual and not
necessarily those of Middlesbrough Council. Internet communications are not secure
and therefore Middlesbrough Council does not accept legal responsibility for the
contents of this message as it has been transmitted over a public network. If you
suspect the message may have been intercepted or amended, please call the sender.
This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential, may be legally privileged,
and are solely for the use of the intended recipient. If you receive this in error, please
do not disclose any information to anyone and notify the sender at the above address.
Any disclosure, copying, distribution or any action taken or omitted, in reliance on the
contents, is prohibited and may be unlawful.
Middlesbrough Council's computer systems and communications may be monitored to
ensure effective operation of the system and for other lawful purposes.
Save energy, money and the environment - is it really necessary to print this message?
** This email has been scanned for viruses, vandals and malicious content. **
