Don't forget that the DCMS draft Public Library Standard PLS 8 states that
"A library authority's normal issue period for books will be not less than 3
weeks and the loan entitlement will be not less than 8 books. The DCMS
intervention point will be 3 weeks and 8 books respectively."
Duncan Westlake (London Borough of Hillingdon)
-----Original Message-----
From: Goddard, Chris [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 11 July 2000 08:43
To: 'John Sumsion'; George Kerr
Cc: [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE: Bestsellers
John Sumsion wrote:
> However, there is another option with potential to improve the stock
> performance without inequitable features - namely to limit
> the loan period for bestsellers.
We inherited the practice of a two week loan for waiting list items from
Devon, of which Plymouth was part until 1998 - though I suspect this may
have been something that Devon took from Plymouth in 1974. The two week loan
was originally half the normal loan period of four weeks, but when that was
reduced to three a number of years ago the two week loan became slightly
anomalous.
As Plymouth, we've reviewed changing the two week loan a number of times but
have kept it as it is. Options included a 10 day loan (too complicated for
our customers) and a full three week loan (waiting lists would grow). My
solution to waiting lists has been to order as much as possible
prepublication. For 10 years this was restricted to adult hardback fiction,
but we are now engaged in a supplier selection trial for ANF with reduced
waiting lists as one of the objectives.
I'd be interested to know if we are unusual in having a reduced loan period
- it's not something I've been able to find in any of the published
statistics.
--
Chris Goddard
Resources & Technical Services Librarian
Plymouth Library Services
Tel/fax: (01752) 305900
Visit us on the Web:
www.plymouth.gov.uk/star/library.htm
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