[padg] RE: Fragile Books: To Lend or not to Lend?

[<Valinda.Carroll@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

We assume that ILL use will entail rough handling by the Postal Service,
not usually a problem when people use the library in person. Our ILL
person has a "when in doubt, don't lend" policy. If something needs
repair, she will take it to me to determine whether it can go out as-is,
or should be repaired first. If something is brittle, then we want to
reduce handling by keeping it at home. 

That said, we rarely circulate anything before 1875, because our
collection is heavy in Civil War/ Reconstruction/ Jim Crow materials. We
recently rejected for ILL a "fragile" book on women in the Civil War,
dated 1878. On the other hand, we have sent out 19th-century books on
Asia and other topics.

It seems to me that you need a set of definitions for what circulates
that includes which fields of study are "essential" to your collection,
in addition to condition considerations. Monetary value and number of
copies in OCLC are only a few of the criteria to consider. You also want
to consider whether the condition is something that can be repaired, or
would require reformatting or replacement (ie brittle). You may even
consider the location of the user. In other words, is it worth the
additional risk of damage to ship a book to someone who is only 20 or 30
miles away, when he/she could visit your library in person?

Valinda Carroll
Preservation Manager 
William R. and Norma B. Harvey Library
Hampton University

-----Original Message-----
From: R.M.G. [mailto:rossaroni_g@xxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Wednesday, April 08, 2009 5:38 PM

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