CHAPTER XXIV

THE REGISTRATION OF BORROWERS

=366. General.=--By a tradition now firmly implanted in the mind of the public, and nourished by journalists, the lending department is the most prominent feature of the public library. The average public criticism, favourable or otherwise, is almost invariably based upon lending library statistics. This is probably because the average person knows the library as a place from which he may “take out” books. In a treatise for librarians the inadequacy of this view need not be stressed, although, as in many matters connected with their calling, librarians are not unanimous as to the relative value of their departments, some exalting one or other at the expense of the rest. There are, however, clear principles which have a fairly general acceptation. The main one is that in libraries which are in fairly close proximity to much greater libraries, it is wise to place more emphasis on the lending than on the reference department. It would be an unjustifiable duplicating of expense for a library, for example, within a mile or two of the British Museum, to attempt the hopeless task of rivalling it in the provision of expensive reference works; while on the other hand it would be justified abundantly in providing the finest possible lending library. Even here dogmatism is to be avoided, because the habits of populations in what appear to be exactly similar localities may differ greatly. Where, for example, a city working population living in a large suburb returns rarely or not at all to the city in the evenings, there may be a real demand for a reference library. Only experience, which bears in mind the general principles stated, can resolve which policy it is best to follow.

On account of its prominence and the numerous opportunities for good work it affords, the lending library deserves the utmost care in its planning and administration, and the simplest and freest methods compatible with reasonable care for the safety of the books are the best. All the considerations we have described as to book-selection and weeding-out, etc., apply with particular force in this department; and a careful study should be made of the various methods of issue described in the next chapter before one is chosen, as a wrong choice may inflict much hardship on readers and later involve changes which will be most expensive; in fact, the converting of a lending library from one system to another is probably the most costly operation in which it can be involved. The staffing of the department requires just as much consideration as that of any other, and the all too frequent and often unavoidable practice of employing the youngest boys and girls at the charging counters or desks is much to be deprecated even when it cannot be altogether avoided.

=367. Voucher Forms.=--There are all kinds of voucher forms in use in the municipal libraries of the United Kingdom, ranging in size from foolscap folio to post-card. These vouchers are the forms on which borrowers apply for tickets entitling them to use the library, and they are the basis of the necessary registration of borrowers which all libraries must perform. It is not needful to describe more than one form, because it is gradually being adopted, with variations to suit different localities, as the standard system of the country. The legal questions connected with the validity of certain forms of guarantee are also beyond the scope of this section, because judicial rulings have been obtained on all kinds of forms, and the only point requiring consideration, that of the amount of the guarantor’s liability, has already been discussed.

A form of voucher which can be used as a movable card (5 in. by 3 in.) is preferable to a large slip, which requires binding in volumes, or other special means of preservation; and the style of cards given in Figs. 133-136 will be found satisfactory.

These voucher cards should be printed on a stout material, which may be of a different colour for each type of reader--burgess, non-burgess, student, etc.--and handed free to any person entitled to borrow books. When returned filled up, they are duly examined to ascertain if the applicant is duly qualified, and when this is done the card is filed, after it has been numbered from the number book, and the borrower’s card made out. The space in the top left-hand corner is to hold the borrower’s name, boldly written in as a catch-word for alphabetical arrangement. The No. . . . space at the top right-hand corner is for the borrower’s progressive number. The Date. . . space at the bottom left-hand corner is the date of application, which also becomes the date of expiry two years later. The Elector’s Roll. . . space at the bottom right-hand corner is for the number on the current electors’ roll. It is a useful thing to mark this roll with the numbers of the cards of any borrowers for whom a ratepayer may be guarantor, in all cases where a limit is put to the number whom one person may guarantee. There is generally plenty of marginal space for this purpose.

+----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | ........................................ _No._ ..................... | | | | LIBERTON PUBLIC LIBRARIES. | | | | _This voucher, properly filled in, entitles the reader to a_ GENERAL | | TICKET, _and, if desired, a_ NON-FICTION TICKET, _which are valid | | for two years from date of issue._ | | | | I, the undersigned, being a Burgess of the Borough of Liberton, | | hereby make application to the Public Libraries Committee for a | | Ticket, entitling me to Borrow Books from a Lending Library, and I | | hereby undertake to replace, or pay the value of any Book belonging | | to the Corporation of Liberton, which shall be lost or injured by | | me, also to pay all Fines, and all expenses of recovering same, in | | accordance with the Rules, by which I agree to be bound. | | | | _Name in full_ ..................................................... | | If a Lady, state if Mrs or Miss. | | | | _Residence_ ........................................................ | | | | _Date_ .................... _No. on Electors’ Roll_ .............. | | | | _If the Applicant requires the second Ticket (on which only works | | that are not Fiction may be drawn), the following should be | | signed:_: | | | | I desire to receive a Non-Fiction Ticket ........................... | | _Signature._ | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+

FIG. 133.--Voucher for a Ratepayer Applicant (Section 367).

=368.= The following are satisfactory examples of vouchers for non-ratepayers and non-resident students and employees (see Figs. 134-6):

+----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | ......................................... _No._ .................... | | | | LIBERTON PUBLIC LIBRARIES. | | | | _This voucher, properly filled in, entitles the reader to a_ GENERAL | | TICKET, _and, if desired, a_ NON-FICTION TICKET, _which are valid | | for two years from date of issue_. | | | | I, the undersigned, residing in the Borough of Liberton, hereby | | apply to the Public Libraries Committee for a Ticket (or Tickets), | | entitling me to borrow books from a Lending Library, in accordance | | with the Rules, by which I agree to be bound. | | | | _Name in full_ ..................................................... | | Ladies please state if Mrs or Miss. | | | | _Residence_ ........................................................ | | | | _Occupation_ .................. _Age_ ........ _Date_ .......... | | | | _If the Applicant requires the second Ticket (on which only works | | that are not Fiction may be drawn), the following should be signed_: | | | | I desire to receive a Non-Fiction Ticket ........................... | | _Signature._ P.T.O. | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+

FIG. 134.--Front of Voucher for Non-Ratepayer Applicant (Section 368).

In some libraries the guarantee form has been entirely abandoned in favour of a recommendation which carries with it no explicit liability for losses.

The vouchers for non-ratepayer applicants should be dealt with in the same way as those for ratepayers, viz., checked with registers and filed in the alphabetical order of surnames, after tickets have been made out and an entry made in the number book.

=369.= It will be seen that the vouchers illustrated permit any borrower who desires it to acquire a non-fiction or duplicate ticket in addition to a general ticket. The more general practice has been to require a separate voucher to be filled up (and guaranteed in the case of non-burgesses) for every such ticket. In this case the voucher requires no separate wording, but the word “Duplicate” or “Non-Fiction” stamped boldly across the ordinary voucher is sufficient to indicate the difference. But there seems no special advantage in making the applicant go through this double process. The same holds good with regard to vouchers for those who make a deposit in lieu of obtaining a written guarantee, or who subscribe in terms of Rule 18. The words DEPOSITOR OF . . . . . . or SUBSCRIBER OF . . . . . . and the date can be written or stamped on the back of the card. Of course there is no reason, beyond avoiding a multiplicity of cards, why a library should not provide separate forms for every class of applicant, with differently coloured cards, etc., but it seems unnecessary, unless there are special local circumstances to be considered.

+----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | I, the undersigned, being a Burgess of the Borough of Liberton, | | that I believe the Applicant named over to be a person to whom Books | | may be safely entrusted for perusal; and I hereby undertake to re- | | place or pay the value of any Book belonging to the Corporation of | | Liberton, which shall be lost or injured by the said Borrower; as | | also to pay all Fines incurred under the Rules, and all expenses of | | recovering the same. | | | | _Name in full_ ..................................................... | | Ladies please state if Mrs or Miss. | | | | | | RESIDENCE .......................................................... | | _Write legibly in ink._ | | | | | | _Occupation_ .............................. _Do not fold this Card._ | | | | The Guarantor’s name must appear on the current Burgess Roll, | | failing which, the production of the last receipt for payment of | | Poor Rate, or a lease showing the occupancy of a whole premises, or | | a rent book showing the occupancy of a whole premises, will suffice. | | The guarantee lasts two years, unless previously withdrawn in | | writing by the Guarantor. | | | | _Ward_ .................... _No. on Burgess Roll_ .............. | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+

FIG. 135.--Back of Voucher for Non-Ratepayer Applicant (Section 368).

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | N | | O | | N | | - ............................................ _No._ ......... | | R | | E LIBERTON PUBLIC LIBRARIES. | | S | | I _This voucher, properly filled in, entitles the reader to a_ | | D GENERAL TICKET, _and, if desired, a_ NON-FICTION TICKET, _which | | E are valid for two years from date of issue_. | | N | | T I, the undersigned, being a scholar/employee in the Borough of | | Liberton, hereby apply to the Public Libraries Committee for a | | S Ticket (or Tickets), entitling me to borrow books from a | | T Lending Library, in accordance with the Rules, by which I agree | | U to be bound. | | D | | E _Name in full_ .................................... _Age_ ..... | | N Ladies please state if Mrs or Miss. | | T | | _Residence_ ................................................... | | O | | R _School or place_} | | _of Employment_ }............................ _Date_ ......... | | E | | M _If the Applicant requires the second Ticket (on which only | | P works_ _that are not Fiction may be drawn), the following | | L should be signed_: | | O | | Y I desire to receive a Non-Fiction Ticket ...................... | | E _Signature._ | | E | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+

FIG. 136.--Front of Voucher for Non-Resident Student or Employee; the back is the same as in Fig. 135.

=370. Tickets.=--Various forms of borrowers’ tickets are used with indicators and card charging, but only the kinds most commonly used need be described. One form is shown below (Fig. 137) for libraries in which borrowers retain their tickets when they have no books on loan. They are made with cloth backs to fold across, and the one with the clipped corner is a good form to adopt for students’ or extra tickets available for non-fictional works only. The variety shown is not ruled to hold a record of the numbers of books which are borrowed upon it, as it does not seem necessary to keep such a record. To keep it involves a great deal of work, and the information it affords, being practically confined to what type of book an individual reads, is rarely wanted. As a check on lost books it may have some value, but that has no relation to the cost of keeping it.

This ticket can be used with any kind of issue method, and it is therefore noted here and not with other cards among the charging systems.

+-----------------------+ | 1 | +-----------------------+ | H. C. RHODES, | +-----------------------+ | 3 MAFEKING AVENUE. | +-----------------------+ | =Borrower’s Card.= | +-----------------------+ Fold > |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| +-----------------------+ | LIBERTON | | PUBLIC LIBRARY. | | ---- | | This Card to be given | | up when a Book is | | borrowed. | | ---- | | TO BE RENEWED BEFORE | | _6th June, 1921._ | +-----------------------+

Ordinary Ticket. Blue-lined Cloth.

+---------------------+ | 81 \ +-----------------------+ | H. C. RHODES, | +-----------------------+ | 3 MAFEKING AVENUE. | +-----------------------+ | =Borrower’s Card.= | +-----------------------+ Fold > |~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| +-----------------------+ | LIBERTON | | PUBLIC LIBRARY. | | ---- | | This Card to be given | | up when a Book is | | borrowed. | | ---- | | TO BE RENEWED BEFORE | | _6th June, 1921._ | +-----------------------+

Extra Ticket. Yellow-lined Cloth.

FIG. 137.--Borrower’s Card (Section 370).

=371.= The plan which we have assumed to exist of issuing DUPLICATE or STUDENTS’ tickets available for non-fiction works only, in addition to an ordinary ticket available for all classes of literature, first became popular in Britain in 1893, and arose out of a suggestion made by Mr J. Y. W. MacAlister at the Library Association Conference at Aberdeen. In America this is generally known as the “Two-Book System,” and it became very widely adopted after 1894. Indeed, American libraries are most generous in their lending; many libraries lend as many as ten books at a time; and one or two have recently (1919) invited borrowers to take at any one time “as many as they like.” The advantage of this indiscriminate freedom is not quite obvious, and, owing to their more limited stocks, it would be impossible in most British libraries. There are decided advantages in the plan of allowing borrowers to have two books at a time, and there is no doubt it greatly enhances the value of the public library to many people. As indicated by Rule 19, Section 360, special privileges are recommended to be extended to school teachers, who ought to be allowed any number of books, within reason, required for their special and important work of education. There is no objection to allowing special privileges to all earnest students engaged on special lines of research, provided no injustice is done to the general work of the library or to students similarly engaged. Certainly it is better to lend a real student half a dozen or more books at a time than to have these books lying idle at the library. Of course, in libraries with more readers than books, if there are any, extra tickets will require to be issued with caution, but in all large libraries the privilege can be extended without fear or hesitation.

=372. Registration.=--All borrowers’ tickets should be numbered in a progressive series, and the same number should be given to the same borrower as long as he or she remains connected with the library. This prevents overlapping and the clumsy method of numbering continuously up to a certain limit and counting off the early numbers; a doubtful way of ascertaining the total number of actual borrowers at any given time. The ruling of a number register in book form is shown in Fig. 138.

+---++------------+------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ |No.|| 1901. | 1902. |1903.|1904.|1905.|1906.|1907.| +---++------------+------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+ | 1 ||H. C. Rhodes|H. C. Rhodes| | | | | | | || June 4 | June 6 | | | | | | | 2 ||P. Krüger✓ |J. Burns | | | | | | | || June 4 | July 10 | | | | | | | 3 || | | | | | | | | 4 || | | | | | | | | 5 || | | | | | | | | 6 || | | | | | | | | 7 || | | | | | | | | 8 || | | | | | | | | 9 || | | | | | | |

FIG. 138.--Borrowers’ Number Register (Section 372).

In this each borrower is entered as he joins, receiving the first vacant number, which is also carried on to his voucher and ticket. The column is chosen which represents the year in which his ticket expires, and against the number is written the borrower’s name, and under it the month and day when the ticket expires. The holder of a given ticket can be ascertained very rapidly by this method, and time-expired or dead ticket-holders can be counted off without trouble. But it is necessary to mark or qualify the entries in order to do this. An easy way to indicate an expired ticket is to mark the register with a blue tick (✓) as shown in Fig. 138 (No. 2). These expired numbers should be given to new borrowers, so as to keep the register filled up and complete, and at the end of a given period, when it is time to ascertain the number of “live” or actual ticket-holders, it is only necessary to count the blue ticks, and deduct their total from the last number of the series, in order to obtain the exact number of current borrowers. A number register book ruled as shown in Fig. 138 will last for many years. It is not necessary to print the progressive numbers or years, and it will facilitate counting operations if fifty numbers are allowed for every page. Duplicate or special ticket-holders numbered in a separate series should be entered in a special book, and juvenile ticket-holders can be treated in a similar fashion.

=373.= To prevent the possibility of a number of tickets being obtained by the same individuals, all tickets should be registered and made out at one library of a town, but, of course, issued from the library at which the application was made, and such tickets should be made interchangeable. There does not seem to be any advantage attached to separate branch registration, and certainly there is much loss of good service when residents are confined to the use of a particular branch. The residents in a town are entitled to use any of the libraries, and a central registration of borrowers is therefore essential.

=374.= When the borrowers’ vouchers have been duly checked, numbered, and the tickets have been written out, they should be filed in alphabetical order of the borrowers’ surnames in properly guided trays (or, better, card cabinets), supplied with all necessary angle blocks, etc., as in the case of charging and card-catalogue trays and cabinets. These form the alphabetical index to the borrowers, while the borrowers’ number register supplies the numerical side. Thus any question regarding borrowers can be answered without delay. It is not necessary to keep an alphabetical index of guarantors if the electors’ roll is marked as previously suggested.

=375.= BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dana, J. C. (_Ed._). The Work of the Registration Desk. _In_ Mod. American Lib. Econ., 1908.

Stewart, J. D., and Others. Open Access Libraries, 1915.

For articles see Cannons, E 111, Registration of Borrowers.