[PADG:1383] Following up on patron damage to circulating materials

[Patricia Morris <Patricia.Morris@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

We are involved in a discussion of how to deal with patrons who damage materials
from the circulating collections.  To protect the privacy of patrons' records,
the last borrower's identifying information is removed from the item record of
a book within a week.  Often the damaged item does not get through the queue in
book repair for more than a week, and by then there is no record of who probably
damaged the book.  If the book has to be replaced, the patron can't be charged. 
One can't record a note of the damage in the patron's record (thus tracking a
possible record of repeated vandalism).

We have discussed possible solutions to this problem, but they involve extra
work for circulation or additional pressure on book repair personnel.  We'd
like to know how other libraries handle the issue of patron damage.  Is it
simply the cost of doing business?  Have you found a successful way to educate
patrons to be more careful with their books?  (We continue to work at this, of
course.)

Please reply off list.  Thanks.
Pat

Patricia Morris
Faculty Director, Preservation
Libraries
University of Colorado at Boulder
303-492-3849