ACCESS ANSWERS: A DIGEST OF LISTSERVS OF INTEREST TO ACCESS SERVICES

摘要

Among the access services lists monitored in this column, CIRCPLUS has many of the longest threads of discussion. CIRCPLUS can be depended upon for advice on details and daily issues that make up so much of what access services staff and managers do. Even little things can yield interesting comments. For example, one person posted a query for ideas on alternatives to date stamping to provide patrons with ways of keeping track of their due dates. Repetitive stamping can be a health issue. There were several creative suggestions. One library has bookmarks with the days of the year printed on them, so the person checking out the material simply circles the correct due date. The bookmark also provides other pertinent information about the library, such as its hours and phone numbers. Another library solved the problem of having staff do repetitive stamping by asking the patrons to stamp their own books. A very simple but workable alternative was to have different staff members pre-stamp a number of cards, so that no one person has to stamp them all. Some libraries that give printed receipts also give refrigerator magnets, so patrons can put their due date receipts in a highly visible place.