For happy library materials...

I have spoken with a number of patrons in the past few weeks that were looking for an item they could not find. In a positive case In cold blood was found hanging out beside Capote’s fiction rather than in its home in the 364‘s of true crime.
Some less than favorable results:
*David Sedaris’ Naked has been added to the missing list…both library employees and volunteers who specifically search for items have not had any luck…I suppose I will be replacing this one at a cost of $15.00
*A reference book that has gone AWOL – Warning Symptoms. This was well used by reference staff to answer patron questions. Reference books are non circulating, so this one must have leaped off the shelf and walked right out the door! Since it is gone, I have replaced it with the Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms at a cost of $54.95.
*McBrien’s Lives of the Saints came back so heavily water damaged it was in no condition to circulate…this useful book has been replaced with The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Saints (on order) at a cost of $35.00. (Lives of the saints was no longer available in hardcover, so an exact replacement would have been impossible.)
*Because there are many other Rachael Ray cookbooks, her Guy Food recipes book will not be replaced. It had to be removed from the collection after someone tore out pages 39 & 40.
*Two non-fiction books on jewelry making were discovered to be missing – Jewelry: Fundamentals of metalsmithing and New directions in metal clay. Replacements for these items have not been selected yet. Of course I discovered them missing when a patron was interested in books on just that topic.
*A New England travel guide just landed on my desk. Some creature snacked on this, but the bite marks are not quite moose size. Now this was a 2008 edition, so it will not be replaced. I hope the older (2007) edition is available until the 2010 edition is published in this August.

So what is the moral of the story here? This is a public library operated on state revenues, local taxes, and donations. Why would anyone want to abuse the privilege of borrowing materials at no cost? Even though PCL’s shelves are packed with books, don’t think staff aren’t going to miss a couple. And don’t think 'no one else would want to read this book anyway'; just as I claimed in a previous post - the library isn’t going to waste the tight book budgets we have on items no one uses – we just can’t afford to do that. Why is there no respect for library materials?

Here are a couple quick tips to keep your library materials happy and safe:

• Don’t leave any AV materials in hot cars! Cases warp and cassette and videotapes (yes we still have materials in this format) can melt.
• Protect your library materials from hungry or jealous pets.
• Don’t let library books get wet.
• Library books have stamps and markings. They know where they belong. If you have overdue materials in your possession please return them. Another borrower is waiting.
• If materials are damaged, report it when you return. It can be easier to repair materials sooner than later.
• The library will give you a pass should your library materials be skunked – it has happened. Do not use tomato juice on library materials.

See you and happy library books at the library!