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Disappearing Magazine Dilemma

Wow! Again , I'm in awe. Whenever I'm feeling like I need advice and a =
listening ear, this group comes through! Our problems seem similar  and =
our answers diverse. Received ideas to implement next year.
Thanks!
Sincerely,
Lynda Bell
Teacher-Librarian
Chesaning Schools
Chesaning, MI
lmc@chesaning.k12.mi.us


My magazines are all barcoded and in the plastic containers.=20
 I have only lost one magazine all year.=20
.
I did place them in binders with security strips in them.=20
This became a major job and I decided it wasn't=20
worth it. We had about 120 titles.
Now, in my current smaller school,we only get about 30 titles and=20
they are kept behind the circ desk. A student must leave an ID=20
card to use them. Back issues are in a back room. I do put out=20
freebies, magazines I get from missionaries, Corvette News,=20
Leatherneck,etc.
=20
As the students dont have study halls, magazine use is very very=20
limited - and rarely are used for research as well.

I have to laugh at this common problem otherwise I'd cry.    We're a small =
school but out of our 33 magazines 10 we keep in the office and students =
have to ask for them (Rolling Stone, Teen, YM, etc.) and 4 have been =
missing for a long time.  The remaining 19 are the standard ones that no =
one reads unless given an assignment (Time, Newsweek, etc.).  We start off =
the year with trying to keep most of the mags on the browsing shelf but =
within the first month we are to the situation stated above.  If we catch =
the perpetrators they are given a discipline.  The 10 mags we keep in the =
office have to be checked out at the time we give them.  It still doesn't =
prevent the mutilation or problems you stated but it does help! =20

We've struggled with this too. We tried keeping the popular ones at circ
desk & making them leave their ID cards to use them. Then they just =
weren't
getting used. I don't want to spend the money to put detection tags in
magazines for 1 wk or 1 mo plus the kids tear them out. So we finally
decided the paper magazines we subscribe to are mostly leisure reading
anyway. If they steal them, they steal them.  We catch them if we can, but
we aren't worrying about it anymore.

        In my old school I had the magazines in the locking plastic =
binders.  It
seemed to help some, I also stopped subscribing to those magazines that =
were
constantly stolen.  I just decided why should I pay for someone else's
subscriptions.

We had a problem with this for several years.  A few years ago we  printed =
labels to be affixed to each magazine each month which read, "If you steal =
this magazine, we will drop the subscription."  We have had very little =
problem since then.

I have given up.  I canceled my subscription to People, Entertainment
Weekly, Car & Driver, Motor Trend, Sports Ill, Sport - because they were
always disappearing, sometimes they were taken from the workbasket before =
I
could even get them in the system. Now, the ones that are left are being
read- but not taken from the room.



I think you should put things in perspective in your library.  I'll tell =
you=20
what I did here, and my stress level went way down.I am the only person =
in=20
here for 650 K-12 students. My magazine budget is about 10% of my total=20
library budget. Of that 10% about 10-15% are magazines that seem to=20
disappear.  In real dollars that's about $150-$200, not very much of my=20
total budget.  What disappears?  Magazines whose only reason for being =
in=20
the library is for kids' leisure reading.  I tell all the kids early =
and=20
often that taking magazines is costing their parents money, and hurting=20
their friends, etc.  But, I don't worry about it any more.  I also don't =
buy=20
leisure magazines that cost over $10-$15 for a subscription--I'm not =
trying=20
to supply some student with his/her personal high cost subscription.  I =
also=20
have had the experience of having magazines disappear for awhile, and =
then=20
find their way back. And I've tried plastic covers, signing them out, =
all=20
that stuff.  The fact is that if a student wants to steal one, he will. =
I=20
have too many other important things to do to worry about where the =
latest=20
issue of Road & Track is.  I also don't keep track of which issues are =
here,=20
for any magazine.  I order my whole list from two services, call them if =
I=20
notice a problem, and just put the new ones out when they come in.  I'm =
not=20
a clerk, and some of the "shoulds" regarding library jobs are not =
really=20
necessary if you are short handed.  No one has ever asked me to produce=20
records about which issues are missing, or anything else related to =
that=20
sort of thing.  Call me radical if you want, but, for my sanity, I had =
to=20
decide what was important to do, and what was important for show.  Good=20
luck.


We triedcirculating magazines here at the middle school for several years, =
and I
finally through my hands up and halted it due to the very reasons you are
stating.

The plastic magazine covers don't help since the kids
will take the magazines out of them and steal the
magazine anyway!  What we have done is purchase a
magazine holder and left it behind the desk. THe most
popular (stolen) magazines are kept behind the desk.=20
They have to ask to get them.  This reduces theft.=20
The back issues go back out on the magazine shelves,
when they are usually stolen, but not always.  I think
they are only interested in the current issue most of
the time.  On the magazine racks, I have a sign that
says "current issue is behind the circ desk."  I let
most of the kids go back and help themselves.  I find
that the act of my seeing them take the magazine makes
then bring them back most of the time.


Don't know if this will help you but if a magazine disappears, the next
several issues go in my desk and are not available for checkout OR checked
out only from me. I used  to stress alot also about lost issues but with
most magazines doing archives, I feel the internet is now my backup. Last
resort don't purchase the magazine next year as most of the lost magazines
are leisure reading magazines and not research magazines (I never have a
Time or Newsweek walk like I do with Car Craft, Dirt Bike, or YM.)

Don't bother to put them in the plastic magazine covers.  The nice thieves
manage to take them out before they steal them.  The regular thieves just
take the whole thing, costing you more money.  This is a huge problem for =
me
too.

Our magazines circulate in plastic covers. They are due the same day
they are checked out, and we charge 20=A2 per HOUR overdue. No problems
getting the back for the most part, and the popular titles do get checked
out fairly often. Alas, not for research, though.


I charge students who lose magazines $8. That's the cost to replace from =
the=20
publisher. If it gets to the point that certain ones start to disappear, =
I=20
post a note on my magazine rack that that magazine must be checked out =
at=20
the circulation desk. My magazine rack is directly to the left of my=20
circulation desk, so I can see it pretty well. I still have some disappear.=
=20
I tried the holders, and the ones who want to take them will just =
remove=20
them from the holder. I do allow checkout of current magazines, one =
class=20
period at a time. This has helped to keep losses down because kids can =
check=20
them out, but then at the end of the hour they have to be returned. The =
fine=20
is 25 cents per hour late. Back issues circulate and they get back=20
surprising well. We are a small high school, which probably helps a lot. =
I=20
charge $1.50 minimum for damaging magazines and if it is bad, they pay =
$8=20
for the magazine. I would say that 90% of the magazine reading in our=20
library is for pleasure because we have access to statewide online =
databases=20
for research. Even though they are returned with wear, dogears, etc. I =
would=20
rather that they be read than sit in the back room taking up space and=20
collecting dust. I tell the kids that if there is something in the =
magazine=20
that they just can't live without, come and talk to me. If it is =
something=20
that can be removed (advertisement, sample, etc.), then I do it and =
that=20
helps to maintain the integrity of the magazine. This I do on a one to =
one=20
basis though.


We've had the same problem...especially the popular car magazines, teen
fashion, etc.  For the "disappearing titles", we copy the cover, file the
copies in see-thru notebook pockets, and keep the actual magazines behind
the desk!  Students can select a magazine in the display notebook, give
librarian or student assistant their student ID card (or other valuable =
ID!)
which is placed in the notebook pocket, and then student may borrow =
magazine
while in the library.  Student has to return magazine to get back their ID
card.  This only works if your library helpers follow through and check =
for
ID's before the end of the class period.  We did have to move the actual
magazines back into the library office area to cut down on "help myself"
customers!!!  We also keep a box of old magazines for "picture projects" =
for
those posters and art classes.


But before I would cancel these over-appreciated titles, I would try =
having
a magazine sign out sheet for just those popular titles.
I did use to have those plastic covers, and they are a pain. But again I
would use those for a year or the sign out system before I gave up =
entirely.
I think hard copies of magazines are soooooooo important to offer =
students.


.

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