Message

Checking up on staff with reports and penalising people seems to me excessive and a waste of managerial time and insulting to staff. The real issue is making sure staff are all trained and appreciate the reasoning for this.

In my current workplace we have never had any serious problems with staff hogging the new books before the customers can get to them because the workplace culture means that no-one would ever think about it. If a newer member of staff asks about a new book, other staff explain that this is inappropriate till it has been around for a few months, no-one needs to be trained about it. In the past we have also been advised that while we can have free issues of 3 month old DVDs and CDs, anything more recent than that should be paid for and we’ve found that this works very well. We also have been told we can only have 1 interlibrary loan per month for free which everyone feels is acceptable.

However, when I worked elsewhere in London I was shocked to find frontline staff COULD NOT understand why they shouldn’t borrow the latest Harry Potter the moment it arrives for some random second cousin once removed before the public got to them. They felt that they were a part of the public and therefore had the same rights. I couldn’t manage to convey to them that they had privileged access and they should give first borrowing rights to the public.

Training and education is key to this.

However, apart from that I totally agree with everyone’s comments. If morale got any lower there would be mass walk outs of library staff, staff privileges are a very tiny and costless way of giving joy to people who work in libraries and as an added bonus helps them to have better stock knowledge. People who work in clothes shops have discounts for similar reasons.

best wishes

Gaby Koenig

Librarian for Children and Young People

Slough Library

Slough Borough Council

Tel 01753 787524 / 01753 787514

Fax 01753 825050

www.slough.gov.uk

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From: lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jen Beardsmore
Sent: 01 July 2010 10:38
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Staff Concessions

Absolutely. Reports are monitored to keep an eye on 'grabbers'.

Jen Beardsmore
Head of Service-Library Operations
Dudley Libraries

01384 815551
07824543502

-----Original Message-----
From: lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Liz Dubber
Sent: 01 July 2010 09:57
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Staff Concessions

I don’t think anyone has mentioned the potentially damaging effect staff concessions can have on the currency of the display of titles offered to the public.

Staff get first sight of the new stock and it’s worth checking out how much of that new stock is actually visible to users, and how much goes straight into staff loans where it can’t be seen by the general public.

Free loans for staff in order to encourage stock knowledge are fine as long as they don’t have a bad effect on the quality of the stock offered to the public.

Liz Dubber

From: lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Wylie, Alan
Sent: 29 June 2010 15:20
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Staff Concessions

I agree Laura, this is just a mean spirited swipe at staff with no real cost savings, I am sure that we could all think of better ways of working more efficiently and cost effectively without cutting staff benefits and ultimately jobs?

In Islington they produce 'Hot News and Gossip' a staff newsletter that is supposed to lift morale but is in fact a total waste of time and money and is actually seen by many staff to be a 'dumbing down' exercise, prime for cutting i would say?

Also there are many ways in which we can utilise existing library facilities to maximise income generation, rooms and halls hired out for meetings etc, reference and information expertise used in a fee per enquiry arrangement (especially business info, research, statiscs etc), interesting library spaces used for art exhibitions etc

Alan Wylie

Asst Librarian

From: lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries on behalf of Laura Swaffield
Sent: Tue 29/06/2010 14:25
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Staff Concessions

It does seem extraordinarily mean, as these perks don't actually cost
any money - just some small & mythical lost earning potential.
As you say, the cost in lost morale would be much higher.

Might this list start swapping some money-saving ideas that are not
rubbish??

Laura Swaffield
CILIP reporter

On 28 Jun 2010, at 18:28, Wylie, Alan wrote:

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> Oh dear I knew this would happen! Yes we still get these at
> Islington =
> but for how long one asks? Surely its important for staff to get
> some =
> perks, morale is already at an all time low.
> =20
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> <DIV dir=3Dltr>Oh dear I =
> knew this would happen! Yes we still get these at Islington but for
> how =
> long one asks? Surely its important for staff to get some perks,
> morale =
> is already at an all time low.</DIV>
> <DIV dir=3Dltr> </DIV>
> <DIV dir=3Dltr>Alan Wylie</DIV>
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> From: lis-pub-libs: UK Public =
> Libraries on behalf of David Lloyd Sent: Mon 28/06/2010 =
> 17:18 To: [log in to unmask] Subject:
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> <DIV>
> Have been asked by our Finance Department to
> review =
> our offering of concessions to staff.  Do other Library
> Services =
> still provide staff concessions e.g. no charges for the borrowing of =
> CD's and DVD's, free reservations and no fines for the late return
> of =
> items?  David Lloyd Operations Manager:
> West Coventry =
> Libraries and Information Service Floor 2, West Orchards =
> House 28-34 Corporation Street Coventry CV1
> 1GF Tel: 024 =
> 7683 2086 Mob: 07985 816 575 Fax: 024 7683 2470 Visit
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