[Videolib] DVDs which come with books loan policy

Nell Chenault (njchenau@vcu.edu)
Thu, 02 Aug 2007 15:29:35 -0400

Hello,
We are reviewing our mixed media policy (which we do every 8 years or
so). How do you handle discs and other media which accompany books? We
are receiving more of this material which come with DVDs. Also, more of
our films on DVD format may also come with books. This is especially
true in the fine arts. The majority of our mixed media collections are
still CD-ROM.

Our policy has been to shelve the books within the book stacks and
circulate the books the normal book loan length. As an urban
university, we separate the discs and shelve them in the media center
for security purposes. The media loan length is governed by the format,
i.e. DVD's by the film loan policy (3 days or booked), CD-Roms by the
computer software loan policy (3 weeks), music recordings (1 week), etc..

This is a problem if the media item is truely integrated with the use of
the book. Example: The user has a short loan of the dvd, but may have
the book loan for months or years. Yet, if the focus of the combined
title is the media, the extended loan period of the book may keep a film
on loan for years (faculty loan), when it may have been purchased for
classroom support.

Thoughts? Solutions?

Do any of you leave these discs with the books in the open stacks? If
so, what is the theft rate? Do you make back-up copies? If so, what
ratio of the discs come copy protected?

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

Nell Chenault
VCU Libraries
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