OWWLAC Meeting, September 25, 2012

Attendees

Excused

Old Business / Updates from Previous Action Items

• Candidates for age protection
  • Adult Fiction (All libraries)
    • Books
    • Audiobooks
  • Children's Picture Books (GPL)
  • New music
• Customization of error message "All available copies are temporarily unavailable at your pickup library. Placing this hold could result in longer wait times."
  • Revised message candidates:
    • "Copies are temporarily unavailable at your pickup library. Placing this hold could result in longer wait times (hint: consider changing pickup library)."
    • "Copies are temporarily unavailable at your pickup library. Placing this hold could result in longer wait times (hint: changing pickup library to one that owns the item may reduce wait)."
    • "Copies are temporarily unavailable at your pickup library (hint: changing pickup library to one that owns the item may reduce wait)."
    • This is a new item which may result in longer wait times.
    • others? . . .
  • Requires customization of OPAC file on ILS server
• Method of applying hold age-protection
  • assign age-protect status directly to individual items
    • modify templates
    • apply on individual item basis
• Policies guiding implemention of hold age-protection
  • Age-protect periods
    • 1 month (Allows item to be captured for holds locally until demand lapses. After age-hold protection expires Evergreen's opportunistic hold feature will keep items in-house; however, checked-out items returned to another library also will be subject to opportunistic holds elsewhere.)
    • 2 month (current available period in LIVE system established for new videos)
• Candidate policies as proposed in previous meetings:
  • All new items, only high demand items, no new items --
  • Purchase of multiple copies with one or more NOT age-protected
• Test site(s) and scenarios

• Evergreen does not provide a means to prevent patrons from accruing funds on their accounts.
• A patch may be available in the future to prevent patrons from returning lost/paid items for a refund.
• Policy implications/recommendations?
  • Keep accounts balanced. Do not allow patrons to carry surplus funds.

New Business

• Email notification: patron account expiring
  • daily notification of patrons whose accounts are expiring
  • single email sent 30 days prior to expiration
  • patron must have valid email account
  • patrons whose account is past expiration will receive no automated notification

Actions

• PLS will:
  • formalize existing policy concerning age-protection of non-video items
  • investigate changing the message presented to patrons who are placing a hold affected by age-protect rules
  • investigate methods to perform a restrospective email notification of patrons whose library accounts have already expired.

Outcomes

• Several libraries were selected to implement optional copy-hold age-protection on Adult and YA fiction (books, audiobooks) and new music as part of a test scenario. Application of age-protect to GPL's children's picture books was dropped from consideration. Candidate libraries include RJ, WIL, GPL, CAS, ONT, AVON, and CS. Application of age-protection will be applied at the discretion of the director and staff and must be applied at the item level: either through the use of templates or by updating individual item records. Staff may add 2-month age-protection to all new Adult/YA fiction and music, selected / high-demand items, or no items at all depending on local library policy. The hold-protected message presented by Evergreen to the patron should be modified to read "This is a new item which may result in longer wait times." In the spirit of sharing materials, it is recommended that libraries consider purchasing multiple copies of high-demand items, age-protecting one or more and leaving some available for immediate circulation outside the owning library (as non-age-protected items).
• Credits on Patron Accounts: do not allow patrons to carry surplus funds on their accounts. If an item is lost and the patron pays for it, delete the item from the catalog immediately to ensure that it cannot be checked-in for a refund.
• Email notification of account expiration is imminent. PLS will investigate methods to perform a restrospective notification of patrons whose accounts have already expired. Once patrons are notified, expired cards will no longer be allowed to access OWWL2Go materials. The committee recommended that the message to patrons not include terminology such as "expiring" which is considered too dire. The message should be phrased such as "It's time to update your account information in order to ensure continued access to library resources including books, DVDs, CDs, OWWL2GO downloadable audio and electronic books -- and even wireless network access."