Books on Reserve

I live in a large U.S. city and use the local branch of the public library. Patrons may reserve books online and I often do. Frequently, however, when I go to the branch to pick up a book which is listed as "ready for pickup" it is not there. The library staff will tell me it is glitch in the system or the book was misplaced.
The reserve section is on the main floor and is freely accessible. Books are wrapped in paper and bound with a rubber band with the name of the person reserving the book on the spine. The honor system applies yet it is not unusual to see people browsing the shelves, removing the wrapping to inspect the books. My suspicion is that when they find what they want, they pocket the wrapping entirely and then check the book out.
The staff will not say that this is happening although I occasionally get a knowing nod when I mention it. So, my question to the librarians here is whether anyone has any experience with such matters.
Thanks, Ithuriel

This is a good question because I had this problem yesterday when I went to pick up a book that said it was ready for pick-up, only to find it wasn't there. The ladies who work there said it was a glitch that instead of saying it was in transit that someone hit ready for pick-up.

We have the exact same thing here at the library I work at, ithuriel. Several fellow circulation department workers and myself fought to keep the holds in the back, but alas, administration overruled us and now we have it open to the public.

We haven't had to many cases of what you're mentioning happening, however. Hopefully it stays that way.

Was the book you had requested a popular one?

To bookmasterjmv:

Yes, it always a popular book that goes missing. Indeed, it is always a book that is either on The New York Times Bestseller list or has been favorably reviewed by Kakutani or Maslin or Grimes. Which leads me to think a single person is responsible and that person reads the Times.

This has been going on for over two years now. Twice during that period I asked if the book was checked out and was told that it was. They know it is happening and they know who is doing it.

Recently, a book I had reserved was checked out by someone and showed up as due on my account. It was returned by the due date. Astonishingly, the library says they have no way to determine who has checked a book out once it has been returned. Is that possible in this computer age?

I am at a loss to understand. I thought I would ask the librarians here. Your comment is helpful as it indicates that is some disagreement as to how these matters should be handled. Whenever I've asked about it, I feel as if I've hit a sore spot.

You also mention that you have had some of these cases. How were they handled? Is there a standard or common way they are dealt with? Also, have you ever noticed people browsing these shelves as I described above?

Thanks, Ithuriel

Y'all are horrifying me! Reserve books out where the public can reach them? Gimme the names of your bosses! I am appalled!
Of course, our computer system would not let them check out a book on hold for someone else. Even if the reserved book was out on a public shelf and a "wrapper" removed, once it was scanned it would become obvious that it was intended for someone else. In order to read it, the shameless scofflaw of a patron would have to simply STEAL it. (Sorry about the split infinitive; poetic license, doncha know.)
Why in the name of the devil's discoteque would reserve books be anywhere but behind the desk?! What possible reason could your upper management give??!! Even books that someone just calls about and are set aside for pick-up that day ARE PUT OUTSIDE THE REACH OF THE PUBLIC so that they will be there when the requestor arrives! It's the whole point of holds and reserves!!!!!!!
As for knowing who checked out a book, I don't know what system your (Ithuriel) library is using, but both systems we have used have a "last patron" function precisely so you know who the last scofflaw was who checked out a book, in case it came back in the bookdrop damaged. Otherwise, the histories of simple (no fines, no damage, etc.) check out are not easily called up. It's no one's business what books so-and-so checked out. Unless it's, you know, national security and then you really have to dig.
Sorry about the caps as well. I'm off my meds.

Astonishingly, the library says they have no way to determine who has checked a book out once it has been returned. Is that possible in this computer age?

Yes, indeed! Many libraries delete that information from their system after a short period of time in order to be able truthfully to tell the government snoops, "Sorry, we have no records of who checked out that book."

It isn't just that libraries delete the information about which patron has taken a particular book out - the integrated library systems are DESIGNED not to keep the information. Although like Marfita's system, ours does keep the last user's barcode number if you know where to look.

I work in a special library and we keep everything behind the desk - but we provide a level of personalized service that a public library can't manage. And we wouldn't last long if someone borrowed a book that a senior manager had on hold before s/he got to it.

My local public library puts hold books out on publically-accessible shelving too. I've never (yet) had a problem with something not being there when I went to pick it up. The library staff do put the books on the shelf in such a way as to make it difficult to browse them (spine down).

I think the problem is one of several possible issues:
1. System doesn't advise the circ staff if the wrong client tries to borrow a hold book.
2. Library policy values possession over the prior claim by the person with the hold. There is a gray period between when the hold is placed and when the book is pulled off the shelf and the hold is "trapped" and the pickup notice sent when I know we give the client holding the book priority, but once the item is on the hold shelf it sits there until the person with the hold comes to get it.
3. Staff are improperly trained (and/or confused about when the gray period mentioned above ends) and have been told the circ override command.
4. The evil client taking other people's hold books has some kind of power over the library staff and they can't say no to him/her. Maybe it's the mayor LOL.

4. The evil client taking other people's hold books has some kind of power over the library staff and they can't say no to him/her. Maybe it's the mayor LOL.

Hmm, since I'm unlikely to be elected mayor, is there some other way I can acquire this power? ;-))

I do recall one time going to my library to find a book, but, despite the fact that it was showing "not checked out" on the computer, I couldn't find it on the shelf. So I asked the librarian about it. Rather sheepishly, she reached for her bag and said, "here it is"! She'd been planning to check it out herself, but was kind enough to pass it on to me. I made sure to read it quickly and return it promptly.

Most libraries haven't kept borrowing records since circulation was automated. The record of the last checkout is as close as it gets--and that is in case someone leaves an envelope of cash in a book :), but it has happened. Now, with the possibility of retaining reading histories in some library systems, education on the issue is coming up again. Patron privacy has been protected by state statute (in quite a few states) many years before the Patriot Act.

Why would holds/reserves be accesible to the public? As others have said, this completely negates the reason for such things. As for the gray area, why is there one at all? Why not just immediately take the book out of circulation when it is reserved instead of waiting for the notice to be sent. If there is a gray area where someone can check a book out, this negates the purpose of holds/reserves just as effectively as having them accesible by the public. Why bother reserving something when you aren't going to be able to get to the library for a day or two, when someone else can just come and check it out before its put on the reserve shelf?

Oh, and to reply to Marfita's query about why libraries would not keep reserve books behind the desk out of patron reach? Ours said it was because:
a) they didn't have room behind the desk because patrons LOVE the online request system soooo much (I am not sure about this one - may apply in some branches) and I have to admit I am an offender here - binge requester, me.
b) staff shortages require more patron self-service.

As an aside, they do keep hold CDs and DVDs behind the desk (probably a $$ issue), but VHS tapes are out on the open shelf with the books.

I have to admit I am an offender here - binge requester, me.

Ha. Me, too, at least I was when I lived in a library district that had the "reserve via computer" option. One day, I was notified tht a book had come in, so I went to the library and told the staffer at the desk, "You have a book on reserve for me." And she said, "We always have a book on reserve for you!" She was exaggerating, but only barely.

Libraries are short-staffed. Some put reserves on open shelves so patrons can find their own books and check them out at the self-check machine. Some libraries avoid holds from being browsed by placing them on open shelves beside a monitor (self-check assistant, security guard). The certainty of theft and replacement costs of CDs and DVDs (not to mention, delay to obtain) still protect those.

There are many gray areas in reserve processing, not to mention differences in local policies. Though reserves can be placed in real time, notification of staff is often done through batches that are run overnight. Processing is done the next day.

"Self-service," my left cheek. Our libraries are all about Personal Service: service, service, service, and when all that is done, MORE service. Otherwise places like amazon.com have our sweet patooties beat from here to Mars and back. “Self-service” is for people who have no fines, no overdues, no holds, nothing but books-in-hand to check out. There is no excuse for bad service, and that’s what is going on here. Oh, excuse me, it’s GOOD service for the opportunist who helps himself to books on hold for others. I recommend you record these instances as if they were office harassments, plus the lame excuses, and put it all in writing to the Director, copying the Board, all relevant governmental agencies that provide funds, and Santa Claus. Remind them of how supportive you may or may not be the next time appropriations are brought up.
“No room behind the desk,” Balderdash! I’ll show you a library with no room and staff shortages, yet our library is renowned for its service. The fact that reserving books is so popular is an indication of where money and space need to be concentrated. You don’t just throw up your hands in defeat. “Sorry! We only have time/space for throwing all the reserve books IN A TROUGH to be pawed over by every Tom, Dick, and Harriet who waltzes by.” I don’t think so.
But ... I might be a minority.

I feel as if I've hit a sore spot
You have. Staff at public service desks in the library are aware of these problems, have probably tried to correct it and have been met with deaf ears. They can't change it and they can't say that to you.

You can. Contact the administrators and supervisors who set up procedures that aren't working. Discuss the process, the difficulties, give specifics. Don't blame the circulation staff or make any assumptions.

put it all in writing to the Director, copying the Board, all relevant governmental agencies that provide funds
Request the service that has been offered. The library started the service. It needs to be fulfilled. And staff will be grateful. They will be able to provide the kind of service that's expected.

This is an interesting topic. I work for a UK academic library and all our reservations are kept behind the desk. We don't have self issue, so there's no point them being anywhere else. Competition for books is so high that if we left reservations out, people would nick them.

When our local public library revamped, it had self issue, and reservations out in public. I was horrified. However I can truthfully say I've never had a problem. You can only issue the book to yourself if it has been reserved for you, so no-one else gets my reservations.
On one occasion I saw, via my online account, that a reservation was waiting for me so I went to collect it. It wasn't there. It turned out that this library system records reservations as being available as soon as they have been discharged from the previous borrower's record, and therefore my book was in the self-discharge bin still and hadn't yet got to the reservation shelf, so they went to get it for me, apologising for not having emptied the bin yet. Now I know this, I will suggest it if my reservation is missing again.

With regard to loan histories, we keep these for the period the borrower is active, and once they've left their history is anonymised. We very occasionally have students who are arrested as suspected terrorists, so their loan histories are occasionally requested by the police. If they asked after this period they'd be inaccessible.

Well, Marfita, I didn't say they were GOOD reasons - just the reasons I was given.

I know at least one person who filed a complaint about having reserve books on publically-accessible shelves because she felt it was a violation of her privacy for anyone to be able to see what books she was requesting. I never asked if she got a response.

I totally agree that if we lose our personal service focus we're dead, but I manage a special library and we're even more vulnerable than the public library.

Ooo, thanks tardis, I'd completely forgotten the privacy issue! That's a strong one! At our library we cannot tell just anyone that answers the phone which book is on hold, only that "the book requested" is available (we are still calling people although sometimes they request the mailing) because of the privacy issue. Of course, we can tell the actual person if they answer the phone. I suppose that wrapping the book up or putting them spine down is supposed to help that privacy issue, but it still leaves them available for public scrutiny, say, by a soon-to-be-ex-spouse who wonders what that Be Your Own Divorce Attorney book is all about.
And I wasn't yelling at you, of course. I just need to yell at someone and idiotic librarians are handy.

Books requested on ILL and reserve are kept behind the circulation desk at my university library.

I work at a public library where the hold/reserve items were moved out from behind the desk at the same time that the self-checkout machine was installed. Most of us staff had mixed feelings about this move, and I personally was worried about the 2 issues others above mentioned- privacy and poaching. So far (about 2 months), we haven't had any problems. The majority of the patrons love it because they can quickly scoot in, grab their items, and bop them through the self-checkout without ever getting in line. If they do want help, or just to chat with us librarians, the hold shelf is located right next to the desk.
No one can poach a book that's on the reserve shelf for another, because the self-checkout machine won't allow reserved items to be checked out on any card but the proper one. If they're cheeky enough to bring it to the desk, we also get an error message that the item's on hold for another (this usually happens when someone picks up their family members' holds, but presents their own card). If anyone tried to steal an item on hold for another, the door alarm would ring just as if they swiped it from the open stacks. The offender would quickly be subdued by Library Ninjas who drop from the ceiling on ropes.
It is true that if a patron finds an item in the stacks that's been reserved for another person, before it's been picked up by the reserve-fetching genie, the patron in possession gets to check it out. But, in that case, the reserver hasn't been notified that the item is ready for pickup, because it isn't. The computer will then route the reserver the next available copy, from our branch or another.
As for privacy, the books on the reserve shelf are turned spine-in, and the patron's library card and telephone numbers are blacked out on the reserve slip. The shelf is 5 steps away in plain view of the desk, and if anyone starts taking things off the shelf to look at them, one of the staff quickly goes over to ask if they need help finding their items. It's almost always someone who isn't quite sure how the hold shelf works, or who forgot their reading glasses and can't read the reserve slips to find their name!

Oh, and when the decision came down to put the holds out in public, we did discuss the issue of sensitive material like the "Be Your Own Divorce Attorney" example marfita mentioned, or something like "101 Home Remedies For Genital Warts." The staff decided that anyone who asks when they place a reserve can have the items held behind the desk, and if the staff member doing the day's reserves sees something that they think the patron might not want on the public shelf, that staff member can stick it behind the desk, too. The patron will come to the desk to ask when they don't find it on the public hold shelf.

The offender would quickly be subdued by Library Ninjas who drop from the ceiling on ropes.

LOL - your library mustn't have too many budget concerns if you keep highly-trained mercenaries huddled in the ceiling vents in case of emergency! ;-)

Hahahahahahahahaaa (Laughter of sheer delight) ! "101 Home Remedies for Genital Warts"! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! That has cheered me up to no end. Thanks, jibble421.
I was at the point of recanting my catholicism on this point when it occurred to me that the unfortunate who puts the "101 Remedies" book (hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!) on hold is probably the one who would prefer to get it off a self-serve shelf and then take it to a self-checkout station.
Perhaps there is another way to run a self-serve shelf other than putting someone's name on it. How about, "Place my book on Genital Warts under the green lounge chair in the adult reference area in a brown paper bag"? I notice that some of the new libraries I have visited have fancy magazine racks where the most recent copy is on a display shelf that lifts up to show the rest. My first reaction to seeing one of those was to think what a great "drop" that would be for spies and drug dealers. But instead, it could be one in a series of places to pick up embarrassing books - like that "Seven Days to a Better Sexlife" book that embarrassed a friend of mine when I stopped to say hello to him.
If you don't have self-checkout (I won't even get into the ninjas), I don't think there's any point to self-serve holds. And the computer should be able to handle the poachers.
Thanks for this dialog, guys - I feel soooo much better.

Lilithcat #12 -- Yes, this is me too! My library used to allow a maximum of 25 holds but has recently reduced that to 15. That kills me. But a strange thing my library also does is give the requester 10 days to pick up the book after the email is sent. That's great if I still have a large number of books checked out and unread but that long a hold is a real disservice to other patrons who want to reserve/read the same books.

I have a friend whose last name follows mine alphabetically. She's a librarian herself so she can see the reserves that are held behind the desk. She always laughs when she sees the pile with my name on them.

My library runs pretty much like Jibble has outlined above. Books are shown with first three letters of last name and first initial only, so Mrs. Ermintrude Jones' copy of "Straight Spouses/Gay Partners" (for example) would show only JON E as the identifier, along with the last 4 digits of card#.

I've never been poached, so not sure if the library serial number on book is linked to work only for the hold patron. I.L.L.'s must be requested from behind the counter; the patron gets an empty "dummy" VHS box with notice label attached in those cases. I love pickup and self checkout, with very little patience for waiting behind someone s-l-o-w-l-y getting their money together for an overdue fine, etc. Worst problem is that self checkout here doesn't always turn off the security tag, so it has to be done manually by the staff after waiting on line.

I plead guilty to nabbing a book here and there off the shelf knowing that it's slated to be pulled for a hold any minutre now. But, hey ... I got there first!

Originally, one needed to enter the PIN# to check books out, but patrons got so befuddled by that extra step, it was quickly dropped as 99% zap barcodes on their actual cards anyway, so it's likely to be the correct person (or their agent). I know my number by heart though, and surprise nearby clerks when I enter it directly automatically onscreen.

Wow. Our county libraries also put the reserve books out in public but their computer system knows it's a reserved book and won't check it out to you unless your library card number matches the one in the computer, even if you use the self-checkout units.

25> Believe it or not, I don't know my library card number but the librarian whose line I always use does -- and it's a larger county library.