{InfoBar} Thanksgiving Break Hours / When a Patron Can't Find a Book...

[Suzanne Karanikis]

Hello Everyone, 

THANKSGIVING BREAK SCHEDULE 

Thanksgiving break is nearly here, so I want to remind you of our hours
for that week.   PLEASE POST FOR SUBS IF YOU ARE LEAVING CAMPUS BEFORE
THE LIBRARY CLOSES FOR BREAK, OR IF YOU ARE SCHEDULED TO WORK AFTER
BREAK ENDS AND YOU WILL NOT BE BACK ON CAMPUS YET. 

We will be open regular hours  through Sunday, 11/21, then: 

Monday & Tuesday, 11/22 & 11/23:  Open 8:30am-5pm.  The students
scheduled from 3-6pm will work one hour less, and the 6pm-midnight
students will not work at all. 

Wednesday, 11/24: Open 8:30am - Noon.  WORK IS OPTIONAL ON THE 24TH, YOU
DO NOT HAVE TO WORK YOUR REGULAR SHIFTS.  Let me know if  you want to
work that morning, as we will still need someone to pull books for 5C
delivery. 

_Thursday - Saturday, 11/25 - 11/27: CLOSED_ 

SUNDAY, 11/28:  OPEN REGULAR HOURS, YOU ARE EXPECTED TO WORK YOUR
REGULAR SHIFTS, OR GET SUBS! 

WHEN A PATRON CAN'T FIND A BOOK... 

At some point Monday night a student left a note on the staff desk
indicating that someone couldn't find the book Some New Light on
Chaucer.  On checking the catalog, I discovered that Hampshire did not
own this book, but every other library in 5C did.  The student worker
who accepted this note could have done more to resolve this situation,
so here is a review of what you should do when a patron reports that
they cannot find a book in the stacks: 

1.  Use Aleph to confirm that Hampshire owns the book (search using the
binoculars icon, then click the Circulation button when you find the
right item.   

2.  After you know for sure that Hampshire owns it, confirm that the
patron is searching the right call number, and in the right collection. 
By this I mean check if the book should be in the regular stacks, or if
it is part of the Kael, Seydel, or Wright collections, or if it is
shelved with the oversize books. 

3.  Check the last return date in Aleph.  If the item was returned in
the last week or two it may still be on one of the reshelving carts. 
Check to make sure the book is not on one of the carts. 

4.  Ask the patron if they would like you to go up and doublecheck the
call number.  When I take patrons up to the stacks I often find that
they don't understand how to read the stack range markers.  Some patrons
will accept your help, others will say no.  That's fine. 

5  Check the catalog to see if any of the 5C own it.  If you see that
one of the other schools owns it, tell the patron to limit their catalog
search to the institution that owns it.  If you request a book in the
All 5C view, the request will automatically land on the Hampshire copy
(if we own one).  Requesting the book from a specific school bypasses
the Hampshire holdings.  Do leave a note on the staff desk indicating
that the Hampshire copy is missing and the patron has requested a
different copy.  Also sign the note so we know who to follow up with if
we have questions about your note. 

6.  If no other library in 5C owns the book, tell the patron that a
staff member will doublecheck for the book.  Take the patron's name so
that we can notify them if we find the book.   Sam, Matt, or I will
doublecheck the stacks.  If we cannot find the item, we will reach out
to the patron to tell them that if they really need this item, it can be
requested via Interlibrary Loan [1] (ILL). 

Please ask any of us supervisors if any of this material is unclear.  We
want to do as much as we can in the moment to get patrons what they
need. 

Thank you, 

Suzanne

-- 
Suzanne Karanikis
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Access Services Supervisor
Harold F. Johnson Library
Hampshire College
893 West Street 
Amherst, MA 01002
phone: 413-559-5762
fax: 413-559-5419 

Links:
------
[1] https://www.hampshire.edu/library/interlibrary-loan
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