RE: Request for Information

Threatt, Monique L (mthreatt@indiana.edu)
Fri, 5 Oct 2001 08:41:43 -0700 (PDT)

We too have a closed stacks policy here at IU-Bloomington. With the high
cost of documentaries and the need to safeguard out-of-print material, it is
easier for staff to retrieve the material. I believe faculty, staff and
students always feel welcomed to use the facility and we provide courteous
service. No one has complained with the policies in place. We certainly
encourage and promote the use of videos in the classroom.

The exception is, we recently received a large gift donation. Per the
donor's wish, a large portion of his collection has become accessible to
faculty, staff, students and the general public in an open browsing
situation. BUT, in compliance with our mission, we will not alter our
collection development policy, nor are we obligated to set funds aside in
order to replenish this gift collection.

Monique Threatt
Indiana University Bloomington
(812) 855-1650

-----Original Message-----
From: LeeAnne Krause [mailto:LLKRAUSE@gwm.sc.edu]
Sent: Friday, October 05, 2001 10:21 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Re: Request for Information

We have had a closed stacks policy for years, with very good results. It
does mean that the staff has to personally retrieve materials for patrons,
but then we don't have to worry about theft, mis-shelving or damage, either.
It also has the added bonus of improving customer service, because patrons
will then receive more personal attention from the staff. And no, we don't
have a large staff, there's only 2 of us, and it still works well.

LeeAnne L. Krause
Manager of Educational Films
USC Film Library
803-777-2858
www.sc.edu/library/film.html

>>> hornbeck@jaguar.middlebury.edu 10/05/01 11:02AM >>>
Dear Videolibbers,
This is an urgent request for information/opinions on open stack v. closed
stack storage of videos in an academic library. If you have pros and cons
that you can share with me, I would really appreciate it.
Patty
_________________________________
Patricia Hornbeck
Middlebury College
Sunderland Language Center
Middlebury, VT 05753

(802)443-2268 phone
(802)443-2075 fax
Email: Hornbeck@middlebury.edu