Re: Policy on dealing with defaced serials at academic libraries? SERIALST Moderator 26 Oct 2004 18:33 UTC
Date: Tue, 26 Oct 2004 14:06:11 -0400 From: "Max Shenk" <MShenk@mc3.edu> Subject: Re: [SERIALST] Policy on dealing with defaced serials at academic libraries? We have several titles on reserve at the circ desk... students-staff-residents can use them in the library. We post a note in the title's space on the shelves stating that the item is on reserve. I've also posted signs around the area with an excerpt from the Pennsylvania penal code regarding penalties for damaging library materials, and our director has enforced this on at least one occasion I'm aware of, probably more. Amazingly, the most egregious violation of the "do not steal or mutilate our periodicals" policy, and the one which prompted me to post the PENNSYLVANIA STATUTE signs, was when my assistant and I caught A FACULTY MEMBER clipping coupons from copies of one of our newspapers!! The newspaper was running a contest and he'd gone through and clipped the entry form from the past 2+ weeks worth of papers...every copy of this title had a neat square cutout on the back of the 'a" section. It's not like he was sneaking it off and doing it surreptitiously; he was sitting in our lounge area, less than ten steps away from our periodicals desk, cutting it out like it was his paper! This was not some adjunct professor just out of an MFA program; this was a tenured faculty member who's been on at the college as long as anyone can remember. When we confronted him with it, the exchange went something like this: Us: Is that your paper or the library's? Him: The library's. Us: You mean you're cutting up our newspaper? Him: There's nothing on the back of it. It still makes me angry, and I feel tempted to reveal name of the bald ignorant vandalizing selfish %&*#~@!! here on this list, but I'll refrain. Besides --ha ha!-- he didn't win the contest! Max Shenk Periodicals Assistant Montgomery County Community College Library Blue Bell, PA >>> cwilson@MMM.EDU 10/22/2004 9:59:23 AM >>> Dear serialists: Here's a nice discussion topic for a Friday... I am wondering if any of you have a policy on how to deal with patrons who deface or damage serials, particularly those of a politically sensitive nature. It was just brought to my attention that someone found a copy of the Advocate in our library with the word 'nasty' scribbled on the cover. I have also previously noticed copies of Ms., Rolling Stone, etc. with missing pages or photos. It's obviously difficult to punish patrons who deface materials unless you catch them in the act, so what are our options? Some libraries(especially public) may put popular or readily-vandalized magazines behind the desk, but this brings up censorship issues. Any ideas? Thanks in advance for your input, Kunchog Dolma ~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~ Kunchog J. Dolma, MA, MLISc Serials/Reference Librarian Thomas J. Shanahan Library Marymount Manhattan College 221 E. 71st St. New York, NY 10025 (212)774-4807