Patron Comments - April 2005

Comment: Charge $1 for every DVD or Video so you can purchase more new movies.
Response: Thank you for your suggestion. We do not charge for library materials of any kind and have no plans to do so.

Comment: Please re-catalog the DVD Island at War so that the 3 volumes are able to be lent as a series.
Response: Will refer to our Technical Services Department. Thank you.

Comment: I love the new public Internet computers but you need a second browser.
Response: Thank you, we will consider doing this.

Comment: Adult Literacy section is very meager.
Response: We agree—but our acquisitions budget needs a huge boost in order to add items in this area.

Comment: 2 DVDs kept stalling—can’t you get the vendor to replace these at no cost?
Response: This is a frustrating experience because the problem occurs on some home DVD players and not others.

Comment: You are turning the public library into a corporation when you send accounts to a collection agency.
Response: We expect our users to be responsible, and to return items that they have borrowed, or pay for their replacement cost. Those users who are irresponsible must face the consequences.

Comment: I like the children’s holiday book display which is never “in my face.”
Response: Thank you!

Comment: Thanks for your hard work and for having such nice people to help.
Response: You are welcome!

Comment: Thanks for finding science fiction for me—just what I wanted!
Response: You are welcome!

Comment: Loves the display table up front.
Response: Thank you!

Comment: I like the pre-overdue notices.
Response: Thank you!

Comment: Dislike the fact that the security alarm goes off even when everything is checked out.
Response: We dislike it, too and we are working to reduce the number of “false alarms.”

Comment: I love the art.
Response: Thank you!

Comment: Why not sell some stuff like buttons or bags or books to support the library?
Response: Well, actually we do sell two sizes of book bags and our Friends of the Library sell over 300,000 books every year as a fund raiser for the library!

Comment: No keys in the lockers.
Response: Will follow up, thank you.

Comment: The best place in Ithaca!
Response: Thank you!

Comment: Loud cell phone in the stacks.
Response: Contact Security and they will handle it. We don’t ban cell phones, but we do require users to keep their conversations short and quiet.

Comment: Thanks for the grace period.
Response: You are welcome.

Comment: Storytime at this library better than at the bookstores.
Response: Well, we think so, too! Thank you!

Comment: My son loves coming to the library and thinks of the library staff as his friends!
Response: Great! Thank you!

Comment: Beautiful Library!
Response: Thank you!

Comment: Reference Desk Flower arrangement very beautiful.
Response: Thank you!

Comment: DVD collection rivals that of some of the video stores.
Response: Thank you!

Comment: Thanks for the signs explaining where all the new books are.
Response: You are welcome!

Comment: Self check machine checked out everything except one item.
Response: Sometimes bar codes are not readable (just like at the grocery store) and have to be hand entered by a person. We are sorry for this frustrating experience.

Comment: Book drop was full and patron had to push in items which could be stolen.
Response: We NEVER recommend that you leave items in the book drop which can be retrieved by others. The bookdrops on the east side of the library are rarely full so you could try those. Also, the library offers a two-day grace period before we start charging fines, so take advantage of that if the bookdrops are full on the day your books are due.

Comments: Why doesn’t this library have a new bestseller when Groton already does?
Response: There can be a lag between the time our library receives its new books and when they are available to our users. Some of the smaller libraries are able to skip certain cataloging steps and more quickly place their new items in circulation before we can. We try to minimize the lag by flagging any item which is on hold for a patron and expediting its processing.

Comments: Did not get notices that items were lost.
Response: We are sorry. If you have an e-mail account, this information can be sent electronically. Be sure to let us know.

Comment: Happy about books being on display again in Youth Services.
Response: Great!

Comment: Loves Family Story time—great for working parents.
Response: Thank you!

Comment: Thanks for help with finding books and help with computer.
Response: You are welcome!

Comment: Thanks for the women’s history display.
Response: You are welcome!

Comment: Complaint about the cost of the parking meters and fear that time has run out.
Response: The surface lot next to the library has two hours of free parking so no need to watch the meters. You may also enjoy parking in the new garage behind the library soon.

Comment: Doesn’t like having to pay for holds.
Response: We charge for hold for two reasons. First it generates badly needed revenue; and secondly it helps ensure that patrons actually pick up the book that we are holding for them.

Comment: Why are so many books “Not At this Location? It’s a waste of time.
Response: Our library’s holdings are blended with the holdings of 32 other public libraries in the Finger Lakes Library System. This means that you have more than 800,000 items available for your use, not just the 245,000 that our library owns. If you use the windows-based version of our catalog (iPAC) instead of the text version, it will be clearer what items we own and what items are owned by others. Items owned by other libraries are often quickly available ( one-two days) so don’t hesitate to request these.