HIT:Circulation Software: Part One-B

[Marti Anderson <marti@inwave.com>]

Some more responses to my question about circulation software:

from Phyllis Sigmond:

I suppose it would be helpful if you could give some information
about your knowledge of intellectual freedom before I launch into a
lengthy tirade about those issues.  I really think you should be
thinking of exciting students to books, not set limits on their
dreams.  Our rule with Grade 1 only is:  find one book you can read.
We actually sit and listen to them.  After that rule is satisfied,
they are welcome to traverse the LMC and get any thing they want.
***Exception:  First graders' parents must check out the GooseBumps
books with or for their children.  When they are in second grade, no
problem.
***Exception:  We are a K-8 school.  I encourage 7th and 8th graders
(and start book talking some Young Adult books in 6th grade) to select
books in our YA section.  I encourage younger students who choose YA
books to think about what interested them in that book.  Then I try
to match up their interests with a book at their reading/interest
level.  I encourage them to sit with all the books and read the
jacket covers or the blurbs, then check out the one(s) they want.

I put a paragraph about book selection in our student/parent handbook
reflecting student's interests and reading levels and  parents' needs
in a K-8 building.  I stressed reading guidance.  Once I have gone
through the procedures listed above, I feel I have done my
professional responsibility.

If parents do not want their students to read certain subjects,
authors, etc., simply make a note on their library card or computer
automation program.  In Unison, it is available in patron
maintenance.  This note will beep everytime the student wants to
check out a book.  I have never had to use this in this way.  I
always encourage parents to look at all the books their children
bring home and to discuss them and values at the same time.

Hope this helps.  Come and see our LMC some time.

        from Becky Smith:

Our circulation system allows me to enter comments about a student and
these comments show up in red along with a "buzzer" noise when the
student's name comes up on the circulation screen.  If for some reason a
student is restricted, I put the message there.  My aides at the
elementary and primary schools use this to note any restrictions that
parents request, but they really don't get many such requests.  A note
from the parent is required and is kept on file.

Hope this helps

        from Linda Slacum

For the past 5 years I have run Follette Circ+ software.  I kept a
rolodex of student barcodes at my circulation desk.  I would write
parent flags on the rolodex cards and then whoever was checking out the
materials (myself or my adult aide) would screen for materials as per
parental requests.  I did not publicize thie procedure to students or
parents.  In the 5 years, I have had only 6 families contact me in
writing or via phone with such a request.  Also, I have never had any
materials challenged in my 19+ years of experience.  I hope my luck
continues!

Currently, I am converting to Alexandria software and it is my
understanding that it has a built in flag for use just as you inquired
about. It is not yet up and running or I would run a test for you.
--
Good Luck

        from Mary Helen Fischer:

I am currently shopping for a new automation system to replace an
inadequate
one and have been looking hard at Winnebago.  I believe you could do
something like this with Winnebago--You can attach a message to a
student's
name which you can get into each time his or her name comes up.  I'm
sure
some Winnebago users will tell you more.

Good luck

        from Anne Akers:

Unison has an "Important Message" feature for each patron which we use
on
occasion to alert the circulation staff to situations such as a student
with
a book fee or a kindergarten or first grader who is reading above grade
level or other such instructions.  This feature could be used for what
you
suggest except that it would be extremely labor intensive.  Parents
would
have to screen books or give us a list of forbidden subjects or titles
to
type in and then, of course, we would have to enter all the data by
hand.
This is the only thing I am aware of that would work for that purpose
but it
would be highly labor intensive.  I think the best way is to involve
parents
on your media advisory committee to help design your selection policy.


        from Dana McDougald:

Don't be such a prude! With librarians like you want around, how would I
ever have been able to read "Lady Chatterly's Lover" in the ninth grade?

        from Melissa Davis:

I don't know of any specific software that does what you are looking
for but there are workarounds.
   Our Winnebago circulation system (and I suspect others will do
something similar) allows you to place a "message" on a patron's record.
You can type anything that you can fit on the message screen (about 5
lines long). You can also create a special patron type (mine is called
"Parent Restricted" with various restrictions for length of checkout on
it.
   So if I were instituting a system like you described I would:
        - Set my "parent restricted" patron type to no checkouts. That
way when
that student tried to check out anything a red box would come up on the
screen asking for a password to override the 'no checkout' restriction.
        - Put a "message" on the student's record specifying what the
parent
restricted access to. The word "Message" appears on the screen when you
enter the patron's name.
        - Train my staff (student aides) to get either me or my adult
aide when
they see the red box on the screen. One of the adults in charge would
then make the decision on whether the student could check out what he
had chosen.

   In practical application, I have never (in 23 years) had a parent ask
to restrict specific types of information. I have had parents, who were
tired of paying fines and for lost books, say "I don't want Johnny/Jane
checking out any more books until _____" (fill in the blank with: next
year; next semester; etc). That's why I already have a 'Parent
Restricted' patron type set up.

   I hope this clears things up a bit. If you have any further
questions, please ask.

        from Reina Nuernberger:

Dear Marti...you'll get a lot of replies like this, but I had
to add my 2 cents...I really don't like the idea of parents
having such a strangle hold on their kids' reading choices.
The ALA stands behind student rights, privacy rights for
students, etc. If students K-5 want to take books which are
on adult fiction shelves, we ask for a letter from their
parents that it's OK with them (they soon forget the whole
thing), but that's as far as we go. We do more in trying to
guide kids to what we know are books within their reading
level range, with the help of their teachers, introduce and
talk up the good and new stuff. We firmly feel kids should be
able to explore and test and try all sorts of books and
magazines. I'd rather have 100% freedom of choice than 50%
control.

        from Jean Nebel:

If you are already planning to become a censor don't become a librarian.
 This the profession does not need!!!!!!  I certainly hope I never see
this
kind of software.

        from Martha Clement:

I'm using "Athena" and there is a field to determine the "status" of
the patron.  I keep it extremely simple - S for students; F for faculty
(our
school is pretty small - 200 students) but I believe there is room for
other
info which I simply do not use.  But it that field you could input a *
or an
X or whatever you wanted simply to alert you that there is a
consideration,
then simply check a hand-written file where you put a list of names with
considerations for circulation or devise a clever way to alert you and
your
staff to know what the status means when it shows on the screen. Know
what I
mean?  good luck!

***********************************************************************

:-)     Marti Anderson
mailto:marti@inwave.com