2/25/2003 BOARD OF LIBRARY TRUSTEES Minutes

Home Browse Search

i i i I I I Reasons for filling the position: Circulation AsSistant position: . t the circulation desk. %V position are HI-time and one is l, ' � g hours f std'coverage 19 hours. We are open 1 hours per week, including evenings and Satrd �° . '`�'�� -on1y� . ��} covering > ran of hours ars public safety*dgwrtnients. Staff got a day off`du'rig departments co. g the week hen working Saturdays. s coverage for that has to be f�ctOrCd ill. We are on track to circulate over 120,000 items this yca.r. Workload is actually double that 2. a because item going out are returned and rnitst be checked in y thecirc staff. � 3. Last 'car, over 60,000 patronsto the library.That figure doesn't include the an. patrons who recei ved ser0ces � r the phone. al registers patrons for library cards and ansa rs incoming pl►ox� calls. Most . `rreutat��n staff calls requirc soweral minutes to resolve a problem, took up a title or renew items the pgtron has at home. Meanwhile. there is a stead'stream of patrons checking out or requiring other assistance. -5. T Itis position handles overdue notices for iteins not returned on tine. Overdue iiellis generate about$10.000 in fines per year. 6. Position was vacated t step 5. Positionwill be filled at step 1. T"he�r %,--li be a savings of apprffoximately$3,400 between what%ve paid the step 5 person and-tviiat we'd pay a new hire. Problems%Nitil not filling the position: time of year,we generate lines f people waiting to cheek out. We use twO circ staffto ell de l, �en at this t� - out and ke tines t a minillim .Not having this position would be like going to the Stop&Shop ata buse time and there's only one register open. filling tis position cuts our circ staff`by 40%. The person Ali€n the position�vauld be hired at .... Not f r hour. We Nvo d tri-to have other staff pitch in, but w would be►tsilig the lime of higher paid 11.00 p ire disk. The tasks assigned to i�igl�er� and more skilled staff(515.00 to$24.00 an hour staff to run the c g l staff�%ill t backlo ed and here%%ill be no way to make this time up. W have one cataloger,one lei g � c hildr n's librarian and one administrator. We are so tightly staffed that we don't have people to do their tasks if they-are filling in at the circ desk. This Nvould be similar to paying Joyce and Jinn as administrators and then havre them sell loch sticker to save hiring someone for that job. . p ��erdue not ill not get proc e sed onzlar basis because tie •scant positio coTcrs this tisk. Patrons wi11 be u sct because they wItI keep p ac s:niulating late fees because they didn't know their books i � r late Some items . not cone back at all b c us a timely-notice was trot scat. 't patron may leave the area-without returning i t items. Fine colievior�will probably b less be ruse the patron didn't get a reminder that items were late and fines w rc accruing, 4.Usual ly one circ person checks out and the other chce-k s in returns. If a line forms.both circ assistants check patrons out until the me ends. If only one position is staffed. returns Nvi11 pidly pile up. have,I very limited area to stack up items Nvaiting to be discharged. T"h circ des1% will boverrun with itcnis needing to discharged. We usually clack ire fate items belie the patron brings rye ° i�teriais to the desk. We are able to collect ovcrduc fines when the patron checks out ne v materials. This is dependent o bcIng able to discharge iterns before the patron leav s.