29 November 2018

Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Library book management system

Enquiry

What has caused the letters that some library members are receiving? Has this problem has been caused by the new library system?

How much did this new system cost ratepayers?

Are there any expected costs to fix the system?

How long have these letters been making an issue for library members?

How many of these letters have been issued?

How many have come back incorrect?

What is the library doing to remedy this?

What can members of the library do to ensure they are not receiving letters?

Would you like to say anything to library members that may have gotten a unjustified letter?

Has this problem has been caused by the new library system?

Response

From Rotorua Library Kaihautū (Director), Jane Gilbert:

Just to clarify, there is no new library management system in place. Kōtui is the name of the Library Management System we have subscribed to for three years (since 2015). It is provided by the National Library of New Zealand and is subscribed to by many public libraries across Aotearoa.

The annual fee for the system is about $50,000 a year which provides us with regular updates, expertise to manage the technology and training opportunities for our staff. As all the libraries in the Bay of Plenty are Kōtui subscribers, Rotorua District Library members are also able to use these other libraries.

The library management system itself is not broken. The returns equipment we have installed, i.e. the returns slots, comes highly recommended and is used by many public libraries throughout the country, but, unfortunately, no system is completely foolproof. We have had some issues with books not being returned correctly through the return slots, for example when:

there is unusual materials in covers

books are pushed through the slot too quickly; or

more than one item is pushed through at a time.

Letters are sent out every day reminding people via email and the post to return items including books so it's difficult to accurately quantify how many letters are sent out. What we do know that more than 7,000 items are returned to the library each week, and of those we estimate that we receive questions from customers about the return of 5 - 6 items each week.

We encourage anyone who's received a letter for an item they believe they have returned to get in touch with the library on 07 348 4177 so we can work with them to address the problem.