Summary of Reports on Charging Systems
1. What charging system do you use?
Newark system, 12; Brown system, 2; Borrower's record, 2; Single file—Book file under date or class, 4; Double file—Borrower's file and book file, 6.
2. The process of charging.
a.1. Do you issue books on borrowers' cards? 18.
a.2. Do you charge by means of call slips? 4.
a.3. Permanent or temporary book cards? 5.
b. How many cards are issued to one borrower?
One card, 10; two cards, 4; three cards, 1; temporary borrower's cards, 2; temporary book cards and no borrower's cards, 9; borrower's pocket instead of borrower's card, 1.
c. If a borrower presents his own cards and those of others also, do you issue books on all cards presented?
Affirmative, 13; negative, 1 (cards, slips or pocket held at the library, 12).
d. Do you issue privilege or teachers' cards?
Affirmative, 9; negative, 7.
e. How many 2-week books of fiction are charged on one card?
e.1. One book of fiction on a card for 2 weeks—10.
Two books of fiction on a card for 2 weeks—2.
Three books of fiction on a card for 2 weeks—1.
Tulane University—Faculty can withdraw any number at one time; students, only 3.
No discrimination between fiction and non-fiction—3.
No limit—Virginia State.
No exact time limit—2.
e.2. One 7-day book on one card, 11; three 7-day books on one card, 2; unlimited (East Orange), 1; no 7-day books, 2.
e.3. One 4-week book of fiction on one card, 5; two 4-week books of fiction on one card, 2; three 4-week books of fiction on one card, 2; unlimited (East Orange), 1; none issued for 4 weeks, 6.
f. How many pay duplicate books may one borrower draw at a time?
Number unlimited, 8; three at one time, 1; five at one time, 1; as many as cards presented, 1. (Libraries having no pay collection, 16.)
g. Do you issue books and magazines on the same card?
Affirmative, 14; negative, 4; no circulation of magazines, 4.
h. How many books are issued on privilege or teachers' cards?
Unlimited, except for fiction, 5; 12 books, 1; 10 books, 2; 5 books, 3; no special cards issued, 16.
i. Are books stamped on the date of issue—8.
Are books stamped on the date of return—10.
j. Do you use different colored pads for charging and discharging?
Affirmative, 5; negative, 18.
k. Do you use different colored pencils for different dates?
Affirmative, 5; negative, 19.
l. Do you use different sized type for different dates?
Affirmative, 1; negative, 24.
m. Is the assistant at the charging desk required to use a mark or initial of identification on the book card?
Affirmative, 11; negative, 15.
n. n.1. Do you stamp fiction and non-fiction on the same card?
Affirmative, 12; negative, 5; no distinction made, 1.
n.2. Do you stamp fiction and non-fiction on different parts of the same card?
Affirmative, 5.
n.3. In combination? 3.
n.4. Do you use the same colored ink for fiction and non-fiction?
Affirmative, 9; negative, 2.
o. Are the class numbers of non-fiction written on a teacher's or privilege card?
Affirmative, 5; negative, 4.
p. How many places do you stamp—Book card? Borrower's card? Date flap? Book entry? Call slip?
3 stampings, book card, borrower's card, date flap—12.
2 stampings, book card, borrower's card—2.
2 stampings, book card, date flap—3.
2 stampings, call slip, date flap—3.
1 stamping, call slip—4.
1 stamping, temporary book card—1.
1 stamping, borrower's pocket—1.
q. Do you renew books more than once?
Affirmative, 11; negative, 14.
r. Do you renew books issued for 7 days?
Affirmative, 3; negative, 15.
s. Do you renew books issued for two weeks?
Affirmative, 19; negative, 2.
t. Do you renew books issued for four weeks?
Affirmative, 12; negative, 3.
u. Is the process of renewal like original charge?
Affirmative, 19; negative, 2.
3. Counting of Circulation.
a. Do you verify your count by having it checked by a second person?
Affirmative, 3; negative, 21; no count kept, 2.
b. Do you verify your filing in the same way?
Affirmative, 4; negative, 20.
c. Are records kept in different departments combined daily in a single statistics record?
Affirmative, 10; negative, 7; daily and monthly, 4; yearly count, 1.
d. Do you send collections of books for home circulation to places outside the library?
Affirmative, 16; negative, 11.
e.1. Do the custodians of these places furnish circulation figures?
Affirmative, 14; negative, 3.
e.2. How often? Monthly, 6; bi-monthly, 1; yearly, 3; weekly, 1.
f. Is any record kept of the reading (not home circulation) of these collections?
Affirmative, 2; negative, 14.
g. If no circulation figures are obtainable, do you count the original collections sent as books issued?
Affirmative, 13; negative, 4.
h. is omitted.
i. For what periods are such collections sent on deposit? Varied, 16; two months, 2; two weeks, 1.
4. Filing of cards.
a.1. Are fiction and non-fiction cards separated under the day's issue?
Affirmative, 12.
a.2. Or are all cards filed in alphabetical order according to author or otherwise.
Accession number, 1; author, 2; author and accession number, 1; borrower's name, 2; call number on slips, 2; class number, 6; title, 1.
b. Do you use different colored book cards?
Affirmative, 13; negative, 14.
c. Do you have separate files for 7-day cards, or do you file them daily with 2-week books issued one week previously—also 4-week books issued 3 weeks previously?
Separate files, 4; no separate files, 5; filed daily with 2-week books issued one week previously, 8.
d. Do you have separate files for cards issued to teachers? For renewed books? Foreign books?
Teachers—Affirmative, 6; negative, 17; renewed books—Affirmative, 1; negative, 22; foreign books—None.
e. Do you use guide cards to separate the classes of non-fiction or do different classes have different book cards?
Guide cards, 2; guide cards and colored book-cards, 1; colored book cards, 4; neither, 15.
f. Have you separate files for books loaned to staff members, trustees, etc.?
Affirmative, 8; negative, 19.
g. Are special records kept of books in quarantined houses?
Affirmative, 14; negative, 12.
h. Do you keep your file of collections loaned as deposits separate from ordinary circulation?
Affirmative, 18; negative, 4.
5. Discharging of books.
a. Do you stamp on borrower's card or slip the date book is returned?
Affirmative, 15; negative, 2.
b. Do you keep on file at the library all cards of borrowers when in use?
Affirmative, 14; negative, 13.
When not in use?
Affirmative, 16; negative, 5.
c. Do you retain at the library a borrower's card on which there is a fine?
Affirmative, 16; negative, 1.
d. Do you issue receipts for books without cards?
Affirmative, 5; negative, 17.
e. Do you give the receipt to the borrower to be returned with card for cancellation of date or do you keep file of such receipts at the library?
Receipt file kept at library, 4.
f. Do you discharge books before stamping off borrowers' cards?
Affirmative, 5; negative, 10. Discharging and stamping off done at the same time, 9.
g. If not do you look up book cards overdue before you stamp off borrower's card?
Affirmative, 8; negative, 3.
h. Do you inspect book while borrower waits? Affirmative, 15; negative, 11.
i. Are books discharged near your return desk or away from it?
Near or at desk, 28.
j. Do you inspect carefully all books returned?
Affirmative, 18; negative, 8.
k. Is this inspection made when books are discharged or when shelved?
When discharged, 8; before shelved, 8; at both times, 3.
The most interesting thing brought out by this investigation is the fact that it has taken your committee two years to ascertain and tabulate the simple facts regarding methods of procedure, in a very limited number of institutions, in the performance of only two of the many operations that go to make up their current work. From this it may be imagined how long and difficult a task it would be to carry out a really comprehensive survey of all the work of all kinds of libraries as currently performed. And yet such a survey would appear to be a necessary preliminary to a study of the subject whose aims should be definite suggestions toward the improvement of this work in the direction of greater efficiency. It would seem, at present, a task beyond this committee's powers, although we may be prepared to take general advisory charge of such a work if others can be induced to undertake the details. Possibly some of the library schools may regard this as profitable employment for their students.
In the next place we are struck with the complete negative that our results place upon the general impression that the various details of modern library work are becoming—possibly even have already become—thoroughly standardized. No one thinks, of course, that everyone does everything alike; but we are apt to believe that there are now a few generally approved ways of doing each thing, and that each library selects from these the one that suits its own conditions and limitations. On the contrary, we seem to be in an era of free experiment. Nothing in the two sets of operations that we have studied—not even the existence and value of the operations themselves—would appear to be regarded as sacred. Everyone has his own methods and is apparently satisfied, either with them, or with his own ways of departing from them and groping after something better.
We cannot regard this as altogether desirable. Doubtless no one most efficient way of doing any of these things can be settled upon, so long as conditions differ, but we cannot believe that differences so fundamental and complexities so varied as those revealed in this report are due merely to differing conditions, and that each is the best in the place where it is practised. We must conclude, therefore, that many of our libraries are doing these particular things, and by inference others also, in wasteful, inefficient ways.
Having made a survey of the facts, the next step would be to inquire concerning all variations from a method selected as the simplest in each case—possibly accessioning as practised at Pratt Institute Free Library or the Public Library of the District of Columbia and the charging system at Pittsburgh or at East Orange, New Jersey. The cost of these variations in time and money and the skill necessary in carrying them out, should be ascertained and the practical value of each, if it has any, should be found. It may then be possible to select, for a library of a given type, a standard method of procedure, which will be, all things considered, the most efficient for it.
In regard to cost, the report of the sectional committee on the cost of cataloging, to be made at this conference, will doubtless throw some interesting light on the problem.