#Library Patrons

[thedrarrylibrarian]

Hey just so you know on the card catalog the “Jealousy List” link takes you to the list for “Long case fics”.

Hello!

Thank you so much for letting me know about the problem with the card catalog! I can't fix what I don't know about, so I really appreciate that you took the time to send an ask and let me know.

I have updated the card catalog so that the Jealousy link now takes you to the Jealousy list, as it should!

Some links you might find helpful:

Card Catalog

Jealousy List

Thanks so much for being a patron of the Library!

❤️ Lots of Love and Happy Reading! ❤️

[historyhermann]

Kaisa's defense: Are patrons who borrow books, liable to return them?

Kaisa gets annoyed with the committee of Three Witches

Happy Book Lovers' Day! On December 16, 2020, I submitted a post to I Love Libraries about Kaisa, the recurring librarian in the animated series, Hilda, titled "Witches, patrons, and the value of libraries in Netflix's Hilda," and included a section, where Kaisa argues that the "person who borrowed the book is liable for its return," with the obligation passed from the librarian to the patron, while the witches say SHE is the one responsible. While this was included in the final article, which was published on January 8, 2021, and re-titled "The Mysterious Librarian in Netflix's "Hilda" Finally Gets a Name," it was worded differently, [1] and I didn't explore it in-depth. So I'll re-examine that part of the episode and note its implications more broadly in terms of relations between librarians and patrons, and the ever-present problem of missing books from libraries.

This post is reprinted from Pop Culture Library Review and Wayback Machine.

In the episode "Chapter 3: The Witch," Kaisa comes before three witches who govern the tower and they tell her that she must return a book missing from the library for almost 30 years! She challenges this, saying that the person who borrowed the book is liable for its return, passing off the obligation from the librarian to the patron. The witches remind her of her responsibilities and say that if she does not find the book, she will be cast into the void! While librarians obviously are not cast into the void for misplaced books, the episode is right to highlight the problem of missing books and how librarians solve this problem. Later, Kaisa reveals why she had not tried to return the book until now: she was embarrassed that she could not use the right spell to find the book. They later return with the book and Tildy pleads with the witches to not punish them, the void of no return is unintentionally opened, trapping Kaisa, Hilda, and Frida.

The question at the title of this post still itches my brain: Are patrons who borrow books, liable to return them? Some on /r/Libraries and /r/librarians have shared that they give students who fail to return a book a warning, the terrible condition of returned books(which is kinda funny to read), stolen/lost book, and lending to the wrong person. Others shared the return of missing items, horrible patrons, weird sense of guilt when checking out books, getting patrons to return their books, presenting photo IDs to check out books, and libraries that give anyone a library card. [2] One of the most interesting discussions was one on /r/asklibrarians where librarians responded as to how a librarian could cover up a theft:

...Books disappear all the time. Depends on if the library uses any security measures like RFID tags...Here are a few ideas: Checking the book out to another user. Marking it as lost under that other users identity. Checking the book in but just taking it. Makes it appear lost in the shelves. Simply taking the book through an employee entrance with no security gates. Or simply desensitizing the security strip and walking the book out the front door. Or you can purge the user from the system making them not exist. Assuming a modern library, the librarian could alter the records if they had the right circulation authorizations. In most cases, there is likely to be an audit trail, but no one is likely to be looking for that unless alerted to the possibility that someone did that. Someone with the right IT privileges for the circulation software, could probably alter those audit trails as well.

In some ways, Kaisa may have done this when not getting the book back from Tildy. She probably as had to deal with those who return books with "illegal drugs, water damage, urine odors, cigarette burns, coffee stains, fecal matter, roaches, or peanut butter globs," those who have tried to argue that they don't need to pay library fines, while dealing with account issues, checking out books, and other tasks. [3] As one librarian put it, not only can the length of a loan period " have a big impact on staff workload and patron satisfaction with a library," but overdue materials are an issue "because they are not available to other library users" while fines lead to the perception that overdue fines allows the library to function and buy materials.

In fact, many libraries spend a lot of money and time "attempting to retrieve overdue materials and collect various fines," meaning these fines represent "a drop in the bucket for library revenues" and saying that while overdue fines may "provide some incentive for returning materials" some studies have shown they are "not a significant deterrent to the ultimate return of items. Libraries can also collect fines on lost and damaged materials or lost library identification cards, which are meant to " replace or repair the material...plus a processing fee," while it was said that there "should be some flexibility with overdue policies." It has also been said that if a book is lost, then a fine should be collected, while for a missing book, "the library does not know where the item is." [4]

The same librarian urged library personnel to be "familiar with registration procedures and be prepared to answer questions about the library’s services and resources," and to have specific "procedures for dealing with security and medical emergencies and all staff should be thoroughly familiar with them." This connects with the mission of a librarian to not only handling books, but books themselves serving a vital function, and the responsibility of the library to "adjust the time allotted for the patron to have the item to ensure it reaches the originating library on time." It was also said that librarians should take into account copyright, freedom of information, privacy, duty of care, censorship, and confidentiality which assisting a patron. [5]

Committee of Witches annoyed with Kaisa

When it comes to actual libraries, there appears to be agreement with the idea that patrons who borrow books are liable to return them. In fact, of library policies I read, there was a consensus that patrons are responsible for book replacement, returning books on time (late books hinder ability of other patrons to use book), have to pay for damaged or lost materials, and responsible for books they have checked out under their name. [6] Some librarians even said that those who abuse privileges may be banned from interlibrary loan, holds placed on their student accounts, suspension of borrowing privileges, or being reported to a collection agency. [7]

There were libraries which laid out their responsibilities even more clearly. Some said they had the "responsibility of ensuring the availability of materials for the use of the community," but that the person who borrows materials is responsible for materials borrowed and "agrees to return them in good condition and by the date they are due." Others absolved the library from "liability, damages, or expense" from misuse of library devices, library materials, and asserted that librarians are responsible for renewing and returning items, with fees imposed if items are not returned. However, in some cases, librarians had the discretion to stop or restrict loans of materials or the ability to waive fines, charges, or fees in cases of hardship. [8]

Kaisa stands by her view that patrons who borrow books are liable to return them, while the witches say it should be the library's responsibility after a book is overdue for 30 years. If this was the real world, the responsibility of the patron would likely still be emphasized, but at that point, the library would have declared the book "lost" and probably charged the patron a fee for the lost book. Kaisa does not do that as she knows exactly who has the book, but she doesn't want to take responsibility for getting the book back, not at first.

The answer to the question, are patrons who borrow books, liable to return them, is generally yes, but that does not justify patrons being treated in such a way that they are heavily penalized with fines which discourage them from borrowing from a library. It is certainly a "wonderful surprise" that Kaisa is the keeper of the books, i.e. the librarian who, with the help of Hilda and Frida, was able to convince an old lady to return a book. An impressive feat, you could say.

© 2022 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] Worded as "the person who borrowed the book is responsible for it and the witches threaten to cast her into a void if she cannot locate the lost item."

[2] See the "checking out books" (Nov. 2018), "Librarians: What's the worst condition someone has returned a book?" (Apr. 2014), "Most stolen book at your library" (Jul. 2018),"I (accudentally) lent a book to someone who is NOT authorized to use the library. What to do?" (Jun. 2020), "Lots of (probably) missing items were returned!" (Nov. 2020), "Horrible Patrons: CoVid Edition" (Feb. 2021), "I'm struggling with a weird sense of guilt when checking books out now, it's very irrational" (Sept. 2021), "Academic librarians: strategies for getting checked out books back from faculty?" (Mar. 2017), "Violating the spirit of the policy but not the letter of it..." (May 2017), "I think one of our patrons is a hoarder, and he isn't returning our books." (Aug. 2018), "Borrowing Policy Inquiry" (Dec. 2016), "Borrowing Out of Town" (Jun. 2016).

[3] See K.W. Colyard, "How To Piss Off Your Local Librarian," Bustle, Jul. 16, 2015; Oleg Kagan, "Day in the Life: Reference Librarian at a Public Library," Every Library, Nov. 29, 2017.

[4] "Basic library procedures: Circulation functions," Living in the Library World, Dec. 18, 2008; "Basic library procedures: Library inventory," Living in the Library World, Jan. 18, 2009.

[5] See "Circulation of nonbook materials," Living in the Library World, Dec. 28, 2008; "Circulation's role in security," Living in the Library World, Dec. 28, 2008; "Basic library procedures: Processing library materials," Living in the Library World, Jan. 7, 2009; "Library co-operation, interlibrary loan and document delivery," Living in the Library World,  Jan. 25, 2010; "Ethics," Living in the Library World, Nov. 22, 2010.

[6] "Library Policies," Galveston College, accessed October 3, 2021; "Loan Periods," Richard E. Bjork Library at Stockton University, accessed October 3, 2021; "Overdue Materials," Richard E. Bjork Library at Stockton University, accessed October 3, 2021; "Lost/Damaged Item," Richard E. Bjork Library at Stockton University, accessed October 3, 2021; "Outside Borrowers," University Libraries of University of Georgia, accessed October 3, 2021; "Circulation Policies," Princeton University Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "Borrow," Pitts Theology Library at Emory University, accessed October 3, 2021;

"Library," Caswell County, NC, accessed October 3, 2021; "Interlibrary Loan Borrowing and Document Delivery Services," University of North Texas University Libraries, accessed October 3, 2021; "Library Fines and Fees," New York Public Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "Library Policies, Guidelines and Procedures: Lost or Damaged Materials," Calvin T. Ryan Library, University of Nebraska Kearney, accessed October 3, 2021; "Step by Step – Billing Patrons and Libraries for Lost Books in Horizon," Clinton-Essex-Franklin Library System, accessed October 3, 2021; "Loan Periods and Fines," Pasadena Public Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "Studio Use Policy," Pikes Peak Library District, Sept. 2019; "Interlibrary Loan (ILL)," SRSU Library & Archives, accessed October 3, 2021;

"Policies," Proctor Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "Borrow Materials," E.H. Butler Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "InterLibrary Loan (ILL)," Osceola Library System, accessed October 3, 2021; "Borrowing/Circulation," SCSU Research Guides at Southern Connecticut State University, accessed October 3, 2021; "Library Policies," Orange Coast College, accessed October 3, 2021; "Borrowing and Renewals," Marriott Library, University of Utah, accessed October 3, 2021; "Borrow," UC Berkeley Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "Borrowing," Hawai'i Pacific University, accessed October 3, 2021; "Fine Free Library," San Francisco Public Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "FAQ : Interlibrary Loan," Smithsonian Libraries, accessed October 3, 2021; "Checkout Periods and Protocols," Fulton Library, Utah Valley University, accessed October 3, 2021 (discussed secondary borrowers); "Borrow, Renew & Return," Georgia Tech Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "Borrowing Policies," Stewart B. Land Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "Borrowing Materials," Memorial Library of Nazereth & Vicinity," accessed October 3, 2021; "Hennepin County Library goes fine-free," Hennepin County Library, Mar. 9, 2021; "Borrow Items," Charleston County Public Library, accessed October 3, 2021;

"Interlibrary Loan," Omaha Public Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "Book Club in a Bag," Southeast Regional Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "Interlibrary Loan," Kenton County Public Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "Pageturners To Go," Multnomah Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "Remote Delivery," UW-Madison Libraries, accessed October 3, 2021; "Library," Thesophical Society of America, accessed October 3, 2021; "Borrowing Privileges," Penn State University Libraries, accessed October 3, 2021; "Borrowing Materials," Circulation Services, Research Guides at Broward College, accessed October 3, 2021; "Prince William libraries are now fine-free," InsideNOVA, Jul. 7, 2021; "Your Library Account," Boulder Public Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "Services - Libraries," LibGuides at St. Joseph's College New York, accessed October 3, 2021;

"Nevada State College Interlibrary Loan," Nevada State College, accessed October 3, 2021; "Get a Library Card," Laurel County Public Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "InterLibrary Loan," Queens College Libraries, accessed October 3, 2021; "Bradley Library eliminates late fees," Daily Journal, Sept. 9, 2021; "Library," Amridge University, accessed October 3, 2021; "Checkout Privileges," BYU Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "Using the Library," Linda Hall Library, accessed October 3, 2021; Borrowing from CSN Libraries," CSN Libraries, accessed October 3, 2021; "Interlibrary Loan (ILL)," Texas State Library and Archives Commission, accessed October 3, 2021; "Borrowing Library materials," Simon Fraser University, accessed October 3, 2021; "Library of Things: Home," LibGuides at Milton Public Library, accessed October 3, 2021;

"Onsite Borrowing Program," OCLC Research, accessed October 3, 2021; "Welcome to Your Library," Grand Rapids Public Library, accessed October 3, 2021; "Frequently Asked Questions," El Dorado County Library, accessed October 3, 2021; Liam Griffin, "Libraries Become Fine-Free In July In Prince William County," Manassas, VA, accessed October 3, 2021; "Circulation," Mary and John Gray Library, Lamar University, accessed October 3, 2021; "Prince William Public Libraries to Go Fine-Free Beginning July 1," Jul. 2021, accessed October 3, 2021; "James. E. Walker Library," Middle Tennessee State University, accessed October 3, 2021 (mentions proxy borrowers); "Interlibrary Loan (ILL)," University of Idaho Library, accessed October 3, 2021.

[petnews2day]

'March Meowness:' US Library Allows People To Pay Fees With Cat Pictures

New Post has been published on https://petn.ws/FPO7z

'March Meowness:' US Library Allows People To Pay Fees With Cat Pictures

The Massachusetts library will let you pay late fees with cat pictures. The Worcester Public Library in Massachusetts is offering a feline-friendly way to clear outstanding fines. Their “March Meowness” programme, running throughout March, allows patrons to ditch the cash and submit a cat picture (or drawing) instead. Worcester Public Library executive director Jason Homer […]

See full article at https://petn.ws/FPO7z #CatsNews #CatInPlaceOfCash, #LibraryPatrons, #MarchMeowness, #MassachusettsLibrary, #WorcesterPublicLibrary

[maximizeyourmedicare]

Dumb Rules Are, Well, Just That

Dumb Rules Are, Well, Just That My book is part of the Hennepin County Library System (5 copies across the greater Minneapolis area). My mother and sisters live in the area, I am visiting while working on my book (still, don’t ask). Anyways…I wanted to DONATE a copy to the local branch, which didn’t have a copy. The system had already vetted the book (as have the vast majority of the largest…

[roboyomo]

SO the poll for the final design for patron librarian adam has ended like yesterday?? or smth and the second version won sooo guess what im doing. (this is a wip)

[just-a-girl-with-a-pistol]

I do not take criticism

[pinehutch]

A thing about Tumblr is the Carpathia post, and the god of Arepo, and Ea-Nasir's complaint tablets, and dude I think you met god, and revenge meatloaf and homemade apple tea — just stories we tell and keep telling each other. Fact or fiction or both, we're here telling each other the same stories again and again, making sure we've heard them, knowing that someone will always be coming to them for the first time.

[bibliosauruswrecks]

Patron: Do you have the new James Patterson book?

Me: You have no idea how unspecific that is.

[sparklecryptid]

I had no patience for people policing other peoples ships before i went to library tech school and library tech school has make me a little bit pissy about the entire thing actually.

[jou-dou]

get egged idiot part 2

[thedrarrylibrarian]

Thank you so much, librarian, for your recs and for this blog! I've been having a hard time lately, and reading fics recommended by you have been the highlights of my days.

Aww, you are too sweet!

I always love hearing that people enjoy using the library I've created. It makes my heart so happy that I've been able to help someone, even just a little, with the library.

Keep your head up. Life is tough, but so are you, and even though it might not feel like it yet, this too will pass.

My wish for you: I hope you get to go on a walk soon, and hear the birds. I hope you feel sunshine on your skin and wind on your face and get to see the bright colors of flowers. I hope you eat something warm and delicious that makes you feel so content and sleepy. I hope you get a full night's sleep and wake up feeling refreshed and that you get a bonus afternoon nap, just as a treat. I hope things start looking up.

Sending you so much love,

❤️ The Drarry Librarian ❤️

[historyhermann]

From glitches to plain terror: the library as a battlefield...in animation

Let's hope you never get threatened in a library like this! You don't want the Cass lesbian squad on your case! Haha. I just liked this screenshot from the Tangled episode, "Islands Apart," and I really had to include it, as I think it's relevant, well, sorta, I guess.

There are a number of series where libraries become a battleground. This post will cover animated series, specifically Glitch Techs, The Owl House, Mysticons, Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens, Myths, and Legends, and Zevo-3. There are other animations, but they are not talked about in this post. [1]

In the new series, Glitch Techs, which is, admittedly, a bit of an acquired taste. In the episode "Castle Crawl," High-Five (Five) and Miko, the show's protagonists, are thrown into a disorganized library, even worse than the "inner library" in She-Ra: Princess of Power!  This happens while they are fighting a glitch that turned a house into a game. Some skeltons use the book to turn into monsters known as skeltones. That makes this library a virtual library like the ones in Bravest Warriors and Solaris that I talked about last week.

Miko and Five in the disorganized library

Five fights a Skelton in the library

Another new series, The Owl House, features libraries too! In the episode "Lost in Language," Luz goes to the library to return Eda's stack of books. She meets the librarian, who is annoyed that most of the books are overdue, and shushes Luz, as do others in the library, making it clear this is a place of study. Later, Luz sees Amity reading in the library to children and is impressed. She talks to Amity about this, who brushes her off, but she then is taken in by Amity's annoying siblings, who convince Luz to break into the library that night, causing a monster to spring from the pages. She is about to work with Amity to fight off the book monster, return it to its normal form, and reconcile with Amity, who is coming around to liking her. Libraries appear in two other episodes in the series, but there aren't battles in the library. [2]

Mysticons has an episode ("Happily Never After") where there is a fight in the library. The Mysticons are inside the library, trying to stop Proxima from getting starfire ink. [3] While the librarian is curmudgeonly and smug (two big stereotypes), he ultimately helps them and saves them from being trapped in a book world which he had created for them. Sadly, the library is partially destroyed during the battle with Proxima, but most books are left untouched. It is worth noting that the library is only accessible with specific permission, a bit archivy, as it is a "special library," which I've talked about on this blog before. Another episode of the series also mentions a library, but it is a minor mention. [4]

Mysticons in the library

Oh, and there is a fight in the dimly-lit library between the protagonist, Nick Logan, and a monster in the Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens, Myths, and Legends episode, "Peacemaker." So, it becomes a battlefield, for sure! I counted, and the scene in the library is about a minute long. It includes the alien shooting rockets at Nick, and Nick pushing over bookcases in an attempt to kill the alien. Nick, who rides into the room on a carpet, is able to push one alien out of the room by pushing a chair toward them and causing them to crash out the window. Nick fails to defeat the other alien, even after trying to push him down and throw a globe at him. In the process, Nick basically destroys the library, just like the fight between Diana Prince/Wonder Woman and Katana in an episode of DC Super Hero Girls.

Library before the battle

The saddest is the old female librarian, at the school library, in the first episode of Zevo-3 who is arrested for illegal acts she didn't commit! And the protagonist (Matt Martin/Kewl Breeze), the brother of Ellie Martin/Elastika, doesn't care at all about her! What a jerk! Ultimately this series is ok, but the fact he does this in the show's first episode put a really bad taste in my mouth and it does not set a good role model! Also, the librarian is old and doddering, yet another stereotype.

Old female librarian arrested; the librarian is voiced by Tara Strong

Someone needs to strike back at that jerk kid… I think that the Cass lesbian squad needs to come back, ha. That kid needs a lesson in how to treat people right.

That's all for this post.

© 2020 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Notes

[1] I'm not talking, in this episode, about the Neo Yokio episode, "O, The Helenists," where protagonist Kaz Khan chases a demon, which possessed an object through the library in his alma mater, or the first episode of Abraca, titled "The Kiss of the Frog," where the witch uses the library, as both are minor mentions of libraries. I'm also not talking about Futurama here, as I wrote about that previously, or the fight during an episode of DC Super Hero Girls in the library itself. There are also fights in three Kampfer episodes ("Destiny ～The Chosen Ones～," "Glow ～The Fight of Death Starts～," and "Lily ~～The Secret Flower Garden～") within the library as well, but due to the mature content of the anime, and the fact that I'm ambivalent about it, I don't think I'll post about it here.

[2] In the episode "Sense and Insensitivity," there is a party for King's book, Ruler's Reach, at the public library, Bonesborough Library, which Luz and others attend. Later the publisher comes to Luz, walking through the library stacks, to offer her a chance to be a writer. Also, in the episode "Witches Before Wizards," Luz and the tiny dragon, "King," travel to a castle, where they deliver a package and they meet a wizard who is within a huge library with many volumes. No librarian per say is seen, but if Atacus, the wizard is the de facto librarian, he is white, has a long beard, and glasses. Eda and King later go to the castle and find it destroyed, with all sorts of scrolls saying the "chosen one"; later it turns out the wizard is a fraud and is not a wizard at all.

[3] The IMDB description of the episode makes the role of the library very apparent: "the Mysticons must stop Proxima from acquiring star-fire ink from a legendary library, but find themselves trapped in the librarian's magical tome."

[4] In the episode "Eternal Starshine of the Mage's Mind," the Mysticons travel through Proxima's dreams, including entering The Library of the Eternal Equinox, which astromancers have access to.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Library Review and Wayback Machine

[nmoroder]

Normal abt putting people in situations

[swordsmans]

7 hours into my 11 hour shift… im doing really well actually

[binah-beloved]

there are some evenings where both you and Binah wake up due to nightmares, you trying to catch your breath and Binah sitting quietly with a neutral expression, which deepens to a small frown when she sees the state you're in. she'll pull you out of bed and put on a kettle to boil, pouring two cups of tea and sliding one over to you

no words need to be exchanged as you sit together, your head on her shoulder and her hand intertwined with yours, silently sipping tea together. she watches closely when you finally begin to drift off again, making sure you're asleep before allowing herself to fall into slumber as well with a subtle smile

the other librarians who enter in the morning know not to disturb either of you when you're asleep, merely wondering how they could have found the Patron Librarian of Philosophy so intimidating when she looks so peaceful as she embraces you, before returning to their work

[liones-s]

08/07/22: today’s study mood: wandering down to the coffee shop, bright colours and sweet things to motivate the day