Library Polices/Self Issue Stations/Fines

Without wanting to sound authoritarian, we'd love it if you'd take a look at DBS library rules and regulations, which are available here.

Something else that we'd like is for the very small minority of you with books on loan who leave books on the self-issue stations' book return trolley, without actually using the self-issue stations, to return your books on the self-issue station first. If you don't, the books will stay on your account and may lead to fines accruing. Thanks.

Thirdly, we impose fines on overdue library loans not out of punishment, but rather to encourage you to return material on time, thus trying to ensure fair and equitable access to library material for all students. Fines can easily be avoided by returning books on time, or renewing them. Contact the library for a PIN to enable you to manage your library account online. Loans can be renewed by phone, by using the self-service stations, or even through Ask-A-Librarian

Library changes

We are making a few changes to operational procedures in the Aungier St library. As you are aware, we have two desks. One desk, the main desk is an Information desk, and the other desk is for issuing and returning books. We are increasing the separation of function between the two desks, so that the main desk will be purely for information only. Thus:

• All financial transactions will be done at the Issue Desk. That is, all fine payments, cash, and credit card, and all purchases of printing tokens will be done here. If you want to pay by phone, the number of the Issue Desk is 01 417 7594
  
• The Restricted Access collection will be moved into the Short Loan section. As the Issue Desk will be manned permanently, we ask that any book you want to take from the short loan area be issued on your account first.
• A colour printer will shortly be available to students. The printer that will be set up thus is the printer that currently resides behind the Information Desk. This printer will not be replaced. Therefore, there will be no more printing at the Information Desk. We're setting up a print station, next to our newspaper stand, where you can go to print exactly what you need in colour, and I say "exactly what you need in colour" because printing from the colour printer will cost 25 cent a sheet, even if you print in black and white. Only use the colour printer for pages that you want to print in colour.
  

We're not doing this because we hate you or anything, we're doing this because we think it will help provide a more efficient service to our patrons, i.e. you guys. Change sometimes needs a little time to adjust to, but please bear with us. Any feedback will be appreciated

Lending policy

To clarify some points about lending at DBS:

• Books reserved by other students cannot be renewed
• Overdue books may not be renewed. Overdue books must be returned to the library and any fines cleared before books can be reissued.
• Short loan and week loan books cannot be renewed.

Students should make them themselves familiar with the rules and regulations of the library. You can find copies of these in the display racks near the issue desk.

Due dates and overdues

Some students don't think it's fair that they get charged for overdue books when they don't receive reminders that their books are due back or indeed email notice that their books are overdue. Life is, at times, very unfair.

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that they know when their books are due back and also the student's responsibility to return their books on their due date.

There are a number of steps you can take to discover the due date of your loans:

1) There is a date sheet near the front of the book (or rarely, at the back of the book), on which the return date is stamped. You should check that the efficient and enthusiastic library staff member who issued your books has stamped the return date here. If you have renewed your books by phone, or online, you should write the new due date on the date sheet

2) If you are using the self-issuing station, if you actively end your session, a receipt will appear. If you merely walk off with your books, your session will time out and no receipts will be issued. If, in the unusual event of no receipt being issued, you should ask a member of library staff to stamp the book for you. If you request a receipt by email and don't receive a receipt by email, please don't wait until your books are overdue before telling us that you didn't receive a receipt.

3) On, or near, the date sheet, the name, address and telephone number of the library is stamped. You can telephone the library issue desk and ask when your books are due back. For Aungier St. the issue desk telephone number is 01 417 7572. You may also ring 01 417 7594. For Dame St., the issue desk number is 01 417 8745.

4) If you have a PIN, you can look at your reader record via the online library catalogue. To acquire a PIN, contact the library, via telephone above, or by e-mail (there's an 'email the library' option on the online catalogue. With a PIN, you can see what books you have on loan, their due dates. If permissible there's even the option to renew loans

At the time of writing, DBS students have 4986 items on loan. Do you honestly expect us to check the due dates of every single item? Please try to be a little more proactive about this. Many thanks

Issue Desk Relocation

Much of the issue desk traffic in the main library in Aungier Street consists of queries. It's true, honest. Queries take longer to process than simple book issues or returns. At peak times, this causes queues to build up. Queues can make students (and staff) frustrated. Frustrated students and staff don't make for a happy library environment for either.

In order to better deal with queries, and prevent queues from building up, from Monday, we will be relocating book issues and returns to the smaller issue desk in the short loan section. Turn left as you enter the library and left again. You can't miss it.

The main issue desk will be devoted to enquiries and all staff-student transactions that do not involve issuing or returning books. For example, if you are returning books and want to pay a fine, go to the short loan issue desk. If you are paying a fine for books previously returned, go to the main issue desk.

If you are short of time, why not use the self-issuing station and the book return box? Regarding the book return box however, I feel compelled to mention to a few (and only a few) of you that the book return box is a big box that you put books into, which is emptied by staff at regular intervals. We do not have a pixie in there who magically takes books off your account (we did, but he quit after being flattened by textbooks once too often ). Hence if you are returning books and want to borrow more, please use the issue desk! If you don't, you will cause delays while staff retrieve your books from the box.

We will be interested in any feedback that you may have concerning this change. Let us know if you think it works, or not.

Reservations Policy

A new term has started and queries by e-mail have shot through the roof. A subset of e-mail traffic that we receive could be described as book reservation queries and go something like this:

"Hi,

I'd like to reserve the following books... I will collect them on... Ta!"

Sorry,we'd love to comply but we simply cannot do this. Books in DBS libraries can only be reserved if there are no standard loan copies available on the shelves. We understand that it may be frustrating for you if it's difficult to get to the library on a regular basis to access essential materia. However it would be equally frustrating for other students who are looking for the same material, but would be told "sorry, you can't have those books, we're keeping them for Jane Smith who's going to collect them on Friday".

Once you have a PIN, you can reserve book from the online library catalogue To do so:
Click on 'Enter online library'
Click on 'Login', and enter your student number and PIN in the appropriate boxes on the right of the screen.
Search for a book, and go into the detailed display. Click on the box labelled 'Reserve'. If standard loan copies are available (coloured in green), you will not be able to proceed with the reservation.