Page 185 - DLIS003_LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

Library Administration and Management

Notes Providing assistance to users in locating and using periodicals, audio-visuals, and AV
equipment.

Maintaining the order of the Library’s print collections.
The three major functions are discussed in detail:

10.2.1 User Registration

An obvious first step in any circulation system is to register the users or borrowers. This is a
time consuming and somewhat expensive procedure but mandatory for several reasons. This
procedure establishes the potential borrower as a legitimate member of the library. Registration
identifies the borrower as a member of the community in the case of public libraries or as an
enrolled student or faculty staff member in a typical academic environment. This identification
is necessary for the accomplishment of the controlling processes like holds, recalls, fines, etc.
Apart from this, it also serves as a useful point for informing the clientele of the library policy
and procedures. It is one of the initial contact points with the user community. Another important
purpose of registration, particularly in the case of public libraries, is that it provides an accurate
statistical description of the user population.

Registration Procedure: The registration procedure is fairly well standardised. The borrower to
be is given an application form to fill. The application form may preferably be in a card form, so
that the same is alphabetically filed to serve as an alphabetical registration record. The information
usually requested is the name, address, telephone number, occupation, business address and
telephone number. If it is a public library, the occupation, name, address and telephone number
of a referee or a guarantor is sought. The signature of the applicant and the guarantor is also
insisted upon.

College and university libraries grant borrowing privileges to all faculty, staff and registered
students. The method of student identification differs among institutions. The student may be
asked to show his/her identification card issued at the time of entry into the current academic
session. Another alternative is to require the borrower to show his/her admission receipt. The
third alternative requires the student to get the head of his institution or Department to countersign
his application and in case of faculty or administrative staff, a copy of the appointment letter.
It is important to establish the bonafides of the student or faculty. Registration enables the user
to make use of the privileges of the library. The form of registration is directly influenced by the
type of circulation system. The borrowing privileges of members are also indicated in the
borrowers’ register. Borrowing privileges refer to the types of documents that can be borrowed,
the length of retention, recall right of the library, etc.

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Caution The staff members should be imbued with the service ideal of the library and
taught the philosophy behind the routine they perform in the library.

10.2.2 Charging and Discharging Functions

Circulation is an activity whereby library materials are lent to borrowers and records of such
loan transactions are kept in an orderly way. We have noted that this is an important basic
activity of a service-library. It is this service that brings users into direct contact with the operating
system of the library. Librarians have, therefore, spared no efforts m designing and developing
efficient and economical charging systems to give borrowers excellent service. Not only it is
necessary to provide efficient service to borrowers, but it is also crucial to maintain a reliable
record of loan transactions to know where a book is at any given point of time. This is essential

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