7.5 Lending
Lending allows users to read or view materials in their own
time. It is especially useful for users who are based some distance
from the resource centre.
There is, however, a problem with lending - the failure to
return materials. For this reason, some resource centres only
lend materials to staff in the same organisation, or to users
in the same town as the resource centre. If materials are to
be lent to people who are based further away, there will need
to be a system to prevent materials from becoming lost. For
example, a deposit could be charged for borrowing materials
-- a sum of money that would be returned to the borrower when
they stop being a member of the resource centre, or kept if
they fail to return the materials.
If the postal system is unreliable, registered post could be
used for any materials that need to be posted to or from the
resource centre. Registered post is expensive, and the cost
would need to be covered by, for example, charging an extra
fee for materials supplied through the post.
Health Information Project loans policy and procedures
1. The following people may borrow materials:
Tutors, students and other Ministry of Health personnel.
2. The number of items that may be borrowed
varies, depending on the type of user: Tutors are allowed six
items and students three items.
3. Materials may be borrowed for up to two
weeks. They may be borrowed again if not required by another
user.
4. All materials may be borrowed.
5. If an item is overdue and a reminder has
been sent, a fine of [small amount] per day will be charged.
6. If an item is lost or damaged, the user
will be required to pay the cost of replacing or repairing it.
7. When lending an item, either
- the name and membership number should be written in the
loans book and the date when the item is due back should be
written or stamped on the due date label inside the book,
or
- the loan card should be placed inside the user's loan pocket
and filed by the date the item is due back, and the same date
written or stamped on the due date label (loan slip) inside
the book.
8. To check for outstanding loans, a check
should be made once a week (on the same day each week) to see
what items are overdue, and a reminder should be sent to the
member who borrowed the item(s).
If many users borrow materials, a card system is better than
an exercise book. Each material will need the following:
- a ‘loan slip’ - a small piece of paper pasted
onto the first right-hand page of a book, or inside a video
box. The piece of paper shows details of the author, title,
classification number and accession number, and has spaces
marked out for the borrower’s name and date to be returned
- a ‘loan card’ - a card containing details of
the accession number, classification number, author and title
- kept in a pocket attached inside the cover of the book or
video.
Each user is issued with a number of ‘loan pockets’
giving details of their name, department and organisation. The
number of pockets that they are given depends on how many materials
they may borrow at the same time. Loan pockets can be kept either
by the user or the resource centre, depending on which is felt
to be more practical.
When someone borrows a material, the loan slip is stamped with
the date the material is due back, the loan card is put into
a loan pocket, and the loan pocket is then filed according to
the date that the material is due to be returned.
It is also useful to have a standard letter or form to send
to people who have borrowed materials that are overdue (see
Section 7.5.4).
Loan slip, and loan pocket and loan card
7.5.3 Sample membership form
| Health
Information Project resource centre membership form
Membership
no.
_____________________________________________________________
Name
_____________________________________________________________
Place
of work
_____________________________________________________________
Address
of work
____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Telephone
number
_____________________________________________________________
Proof
of identify (e.g. student card, letter from workplace
if from another organisation)
_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
I
agree to the rules of the resource centre which are stated
at the bottom of this form.
Signed
________________________Date _______________________
Rules
1.
I agree to take care of materials in the resource centre
or borrowed by me,
and agree to return them in the same condition in which
they were borrowed.
2.
I agree to return materials on the date due or, if any
difficulties arise, to advise the
resource centre staff immediately.
3.
If an item that I have borrowed is lost or damaged in
a way that makes it unusable, I agree to pay the replacement
cost of the item.
|
7.5.4 Sample overdue books reminder
Health
Information Project
Capital City
PO Box 111
Ghana
Reference number
__________________________________________________________________
Date
________________________
Dear
_________________________
Resource materials
This
is to remind you that the following materials are now
overdue. Please return the
materials as soon as you receive this reminder.
The
items are:
Author
_____________________________________________________________
Title
_____________________________________________________________
Accession
no.
_____________________________________________________________
Author
_____________________________________________________________
Title
_____________________________________________________________
Accession
no.
_____________________________________________________________
Author
_____________________________________________________________
Title
_____________________________________________________________
Accession
no.
_____________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely
I
C Books
Resource Centre Officer
|
7.5.5 Reservation
If a user needs material that is on loan, staff might offer
to reserve it for them once it is returned. If a user needs
materials that are not held in the resource centre, staff might
offer to include it in the next batch of orders, or borrow it
from another resource centre, and notify them when it has been
received.
7.5.6 Inter-library lending
Inter-library lending means one library or resource centre lending
materials to another. It can enable users to obtain materials
that are not in their local resource centre. Inter-library lending
is often organised by networks (see Section 8.3: Networks and
networking), although some national libraries will lend to resource
centres for a membership fee or deposit, intended to cover loss
or damage to materials.
It can be very useful to borrow materials through a network.
If the network requires materials to be lent in return, and
there is a worry about what might happen to them, materials
could be lent on the basis that they must only be used in the
borrower's resource centre, and not taken away.
next: 7.6 Photocopying
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