Library charges to reserve books!

[essnce629]

After reading the thread about taking a 2 year old to the library (and trying to take Conner once) I decided the easiest way would to have our books reserved first so I can just pick them up. Well I just went on my library's website (San Diego) and it said to reserve a book online you have to pay a $1 for each reserve OR you can do the reserve over the phone for free. Is this normal? I would much rather do everything online on my own time rather than having to write out a list and call up the library. Am I doing something wrong? Does anyone else have to pay to reserve online?

***Latia
Conner 8/19/03
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/aug2003angel
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif 22 months & counting! http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/9870.gif

[JLiebCamm]

My library charges to place a book on hold no matter how you do it. Are they treating your reservation the same as a hold?

[amp]

Nope, ours is free. I didn't know about it until I started that thread, so I didn't know we even had it, but I just did it last week, and no charge.

[Twin Mom]

My library does not charge to reserve books online. The online system does make it very easy to reserve books. I would think it would cost more to have an actual person help you then do it online but maybe they are trying to recoup some costs for setting up their online system and this is only temporary or maybe the phone reservation is automated so you only leave a message and don't talk to an actual person?

Paying to reserve books online would definitely bother me. You're already paying taxes for the library so why should you have to pay more to use it.

ETC - typo

[August Mom]

It's free here - to reserve on-line or by phone.

[essnce629]

Ok, so I decided to go ahead and make up a list of recommended books so I could call and reserve them (since there's no way I'm going to pay to hold them). So I have 11 books on my list and when I call them up she tells me I can only reserve 3! WTH! So I guess I'll just have to search for the other 8 on my own (hopefully Conner won't want to run wild through the aisles like last time!) And to top it off, it took me 10 minutes to get through to someone on the phone-- it was busy! I guess our system is not as up to date as some of yours :(.

***Latia
Conner 8/19/03
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/aug2003angel
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif 22 months & counting! http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/9870.gif

[pritchettzoo]

I'm sure it depends on the funding the library gets from the county/state. If they don't have enough staff to process the holds, they have to either charge for the service or limit it/not offer it. I'd find out who controls the library budget and lobby them for more money to the libraries!

Anna
Mama to Gracie (Sept '03)
and a BOY! (coming July '05)

[ett]

It's free at our library to put books on hold. There is a limit of 20 holds at one time. That's too bad about the $1 charge/book. You would think that it's easier on their part for people to do it online.

I agree with Anna that it probably has to do with funding for the library and this is one way to make up some of the money.

[tiapam]

Many libraries charge a fee to prevent people from abusing the system by reserving items and then never picking them up. Items on hold are just as good as checked out - which means they are not available for anyone else to check out. Some libraries charge and some do not, some place a limit on the number you can do at a time. A dollar seems high to me.

As far as the limit of three by phone, we do five at my library, so I think three is kind of crummy. Unfortunately, getting the info from you on the phone and then looking for them can be kind of time consuming. Librarians are also serving people in person, so it is kind of like a retail environment in that regard. You might try calling at a quiet time and see if you can get a sympathetic ear. Except for before and after storytimes, mornings tend to be the quietest.

HTH.

-Pam

Charlotte born October 2004

[lukkykatt]

I would call them to make sure there isn't another option - that seems high. Our library used to charge .25 for each reserve and that was because they would mail a postcard saying that your book was in. About a year ago, they changed that so that if you do your reservation online, they email your notification. When they made that change, they stopped charging the fee altogether if you did the online notice.

I would have willingly continued the .25 fee - it enabled us to all go to the library together, without me dragging around two complaining boys while I attempted to look for a book. But for $1 each, that seems a little high. And it is weird that they are charging more for the phone than for the computer - seems like it should be the reverse. Next time you are at the library, why don't you ask them about it to make sure?

[dr mom]

Ours is free, and can be done online or (I assume) over the phone - I do everything online at night after DS goes to bed, so have never tried to call and get a librarian on the phone.

I'm not aware of any maximum, but I only reserve 3-4 books at a time. Holds expire after 7 days if the book is not picked up.

Our online card catalogue allows you to create a "wish list" of books; I usually have between 30-40 books on my wish list. Every week I add a few of them to my "reserve" list - some are available immediately, some have a 1-2 day transit time from other branches, and some (Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, for example) are so popular that it takes months for your name to get to the top of the list. (Finally I'm #1 and I'm picking it up tomorrow, woo hoo!)

[dr mom]

oops, got overly excited with the mouse. double post.

[darby24]

Your system sounds familiar. It's free to put things on hold here (I'm not aware of a maximum), but $0.50 a hold that you don't pick up in time.

[kensjen]

I have never been charged for any of those services, but it does really depend on the library and its funding. Unfortunately things like that often get the budget cuts.

$1 seems really high, though. That could add up quick. It almost sounds like want to deter you from using the online service. Must have been expensive for them to offer this, and they want to recoup costs.

I guess I would do it over the phone, and save the money. It may be a bit more of a pain, but if you find a good time to call it should be OK. Sorry you have to deal with that!

[kijip]

No charge here in Seattle. But instead of making up the funding loss in fees they make it up in closures- the libraries are open more limited hours and they all close for a week at a time 1-2 times per year (without pay to the workers). More of a political game than anything else IMO to increase public support for more library funding without dealing with aggry folks over fees.

[jubilee]

At my library (which serves all of the Portland, OR area) it is free to place a hold. However, if you want your hold mailed to you- it costs $2 a book. I always pick up my own books, so I've never had a fee. And once the book is available for me, they will email or call me to let me know. I think I have a fabulous library, except I wish they had longer hours!

[slknight]

We don't have a fee here, but we can't do it online.

[steph2003]

no fee to reserve here but there is a $2 rental fee for "bestsellers" There is a whole section when you first walk in of "hot" titles/rentals. Those you can only check out for for 2 weeks instead of 3 & pay $2 for each rental. When I first moved here I was thinking WTH? I pay tax dollars. But I admit I have paid the rental fee for certain books I'm dying to read.

[tarahsolazy]

I loved the Portland Library system! Even when they closed all the libraries on Mondays for a year or so.

Online holds are free here in Iowa, for both city libraries I have a card for. (2 towns, right next to each other, but separate systems, for some reason)

[eb1]

To speak really generally, library systems have been dealing with major funding issues in the past few years. Obviously, this depends on the county/state, but is a widespread problem. Some libraries deal with this by cutting services, some by reducing hours, and some by reducing employees. Don't take it out on your library, which is surely trying to minimize any negative impact on the public! Go ahead and pester your county government if it bugs you. My guess is that your library is making a small effort to generate some income, based on offering you a convenience, but there's a chance that "income" does go to support the online/computer system and it might even get funneled directly back to your county rather than to the library (overdue fees in my county library go back to the county, not directly into the library operating budget--it stinks for the libraries!).

$1/reserve does not seem like price-gouging to me, particularly since what you are talking about is a convenience for you and particularly since you can pick up the phone and do it for free if the price bugs you. Just because libraries are supported by tax dollars doesn't mean that libraries can offer every service for free and doesn't mean libraries receive enough funding to operate the way they'd like. Libraries often limit how many items you can have on hold, just as they can limit how many items you can check out at a time.

Not to sound snippy about this. :)

Incidentally, my library system does not charge for reserves by phone or computer.