Any Press is Good Press?

The New City Library was in The Journal News today, July 20, 2009 in the “Letters to the Editor section. The customer was complaining that the Library would not accept a replacement copy of a fiction book published in 2005 that she admitted losing. For an on-line copy of the letter you can go to:

http://www.lohud.com/article/20090720/OPINION/907200305/1016/OPINION02/Libraries-must-look-at-ways-to-save-on-books

At issue is that the lost book is not something that the library would want to replace. The book has lived a good life and was popular at a time, but it is not something that we would purchase today. The library collection is not stagnate and is constantly changing in adding and removing materials to provide the best and latest materials to its customers. The library in its fiduciary responsibility to tax payers needs the replacement fund to purchase current materials that are in demand over an older book that is no longer a bestseller.

The largest misconception of the letter is that the library pays retail price for materials. We annually negotiate a substantial discounts with our material providers, and yes we purchase books online sometimes at ridiculously low prices. However, unlike retail book stores where the item is unboxed and put on the shelf, libraries spend significant time and money in cataloging the book, creating the unique book barcode number, wrapping the jacket in its protective sleeve and applying stickers. These are all value added costs in making the book ready for the customer in an organized fashion. When a book is lost there is also time and money in removing entries from the catalog.

The existing policy takes into consideration the above elements. Our policies are constantly under review and it is agreed that the policy may need to be adjusted, but I believe the concepts are sound in collecting funds for lost materials and the time and money it takes to process them.

The other item of interest is that on the same day, I received and email from a different customer, that said,

“Thank you, thank you so very much for looking into this! You have relieved me from a great worry while I am away, and I greatly appreciate your efforts and flexibility!!!…There is certainly no reason for you to apologize for any inconvenience, as it is I who am so sorry that I caused an inconvenience by forgetting that there were materials borrowed on both cards and only checking my own e-mail alerts. Thank you again for your time and understanding. Have a wonderful rest of the week …Thank you again and again!!!!!!”

Unfortunately, this is an email that is not likely to appear on the editorial page. The New City Library prides itself on providing quality customer service and I believe it is achieved 99% of the time. We will seek improvements in communicating with the other 1%; and by the way…try not to lose your books.