Page 186 - DLIS003_LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

Unit 10: Circulation Section

in all types of libraries but more so in academic libraries where certain titles are in constant Notes
demand.
An ideal charging system should therefore have the following capabilities:

To identify the books that are charged, i.e., be able to ascertain whether a book is in the
library or out;

To identify the borrower of a particular book;
To identify when a book is due back in the library;
Measure the extent of use of books, i.e., provide a permanent record of the number of
times a certain book has been circulated;

Indicate the extent to which a reader is making use of the library’s borrowing facility, i.e.,
indicate the number and type of book a user has borrowed, etc.; and
Indicate the number of books circulated per day and also other subject wise circulation
statistics.
There are three categories of records on which circulation control is based. These include:
Items of documents that are on loan;

Borrower’s list with all details including books borrowed;
Time record linking the above two records.
The quality of operational competence is evaluated with reference to:
Speed, i.e., the issuing and returning of books should be earned out with speed without
sacrificing efficiency;
Economy, i.e., the system should economise on staff, time, money, materials, plant and
stationery;

It’s being fool-proof, i.e., versatile in terms of identifying the whereabouts of a book;
The smooth flow of traffic, i.e., no congestion at the counter at any time,
A minimum backlog, i.e., all the filing should be done on the same day; and
A minimum need for preparatory work.
A minimal circulation model is a set of procedures of record keeping with respect to only their
category, i.e., records of the materials held by a borrower. A total or complete system is one that
provides for all three categories of records. The earliest system, the ‘day book’ met the minimal
circulation requirements of recording the transactions. The ‘ledger’ system was an improvement
in that was a more orderly control of charges as opposed to the former. However this also did
not provide for identifying the books borrowed: It was the `dummy’ system which provided for
complete inventory control. Most of the later systems like Browne, Newark have incorporated
features which meet most of the requirements directly but the rest only indirectly. It is only the
computer based system that can meet all requirements.

10.2.3 Controlling Processes

The controlling processes further regulate the circulation of library materials. These functions
include:
Renewals
Holds or reserves

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