Overdues!
At the main branch I check the shelves which have books to be shelved, and then, I check the circulating shelves. There are a few bags at the main branch I might have to check. These are ones which may have come from the bookmobile/warehouse, and are awaiting processing. If I don't find the book in any of these places, I'll be fairly sure that the patron still has the item --sure enough to send a notice.
To send an overdue notice, since the bookmobile circulation is not computerized, I have to type each one at the computer at the main branch. When the notice is all officially signed, I address the envelope, put in the notice, apply postage, and take a trip to the post office to send it out.
Granted, I don't do all this over and over again for each item. I'll finish searching for my list of books at one location before proceeding to the next, and I'll type the notices all at one sitting. The whole thing takes several hours. The book-search takes paid time. Add the cost of postage, and you might begin to see that overdue books can be a costly affair.
Here's how nice we are at our library. We don't charge fines! We don't send you a notice if you've forgotten to turn a book in the first time. We send you a second notice, saying that we'd either like the book back, or if you've really lost it, that we'd like you to pay for the book. We even send a third notice asking for payment or return of the book before terminating library check-out priviledges. A policy I'd like to see changed is that we actually charge purchase-price for the books, and not replacement prices!
The thing which gets truly frustrating is having to process second and third notices. Yes, I look for the books a second and third time! It can actually get angering, when I picture them hiding under someone's bed, or on their coffee table, or under a couch cushion, totally out of the library's realm of responsibility. It really wastes my time. Don't get me wrong, I like the pay, but I could be doing other things like finding requested books for patrons, or even servicing my bookmobile. If we've sent you a notice, and you're having trouble finding the stuff, let us know! We're people, too. Despite the tone
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