My 201 final . . .
Ames Public Library
Charles Roper
20 November 2004
The Ames Public Library is quickly becoming a popular destination for patrons of all ages and interests to not only find the information and entertainment that they're looking for, but to do so through the medium of their choice.
A few areas that are becoming increasingly well-liked by many are the vast video and audio collections that the Ames Public Library has to offer.
"Every year, the circulation of DVDs, VHS, CDs, and audio books claim another five percent of the Library's total circulation," said the Library's director, Gina Millsap.
Millsap has been the Director for nine years and has played a large part in the integration of DVDs into the Library's general collection.
"We want you learning all your life and we want to help. Libraries do make a difference," said Millsap.
The Library boasts a DVD collection large enough to put goose bumps on even the modest film fanatic. The collection covers all bases and has the ability to inspire many interests. It includes documentaries, new box office releases, training videos, and even popular television series.
"It's great because I can borrow anything from episodes of 'Sex and the City' to an exciting new action film," said Ronda Virant, an Ames citizen who has been a patron of the Library for about six months.
Virant recently moved to Ames in search of employment after graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She said that she enjoys visiting the Ames Public Library because of the quiet atmosphere and large selection of materials.
"I first went to the Library while I was exploring my new neighborhood. That's when I discovered that they offer a lot more than just books these days," said Virant.
Millsap said that the Library has been steadily increasing its DVD collection since the idea was put into service in 2000.
"We knew six years ago that the Library would be purchasing DVDs. We received a lot of requests," said Millsap.
She said that the management team looked at the presence of the digital media in retail stores to help them make their decision.
According to the Library's most recent annual report, more than 40 percent of its circulation consists of electronic media, including DVDs. Despite a devastating 24 percent budget cut last year, the Library still managed to invest more than $45,000 in its media collection, ensuring that this highly demanded segment will continue to grow strong.
According to Millsap, most of the DVDs are purchased locally by the Library's Virtual Services Specialist, Scott Dermott. Foreign films are often ordered through lenders and many titles are even purchased through online retailers including Amazon.com. The Library also utilizes major library vendors to acquire popular DVDs.
One problem still threatening the Library's fragile DVD video collection is its susceptibility to wear and tear while being loaned out to hundreds of different people.
"These discs are not really designed for what we do to them," said Millsap.
She said that the Library does receive a small number of complaints about scratched and unreadable DVD video discs.
"It's pretty annoying to go to all of the work of getting to the Library and picking out a movie to watch only to have it skip and stop every five seconds when I play it in my DVD player at home," said David Andersen, an ISU student who enjoys borrowing DVDs with his friends.
Andersen said that he frequently visits the Ames Public Library more often than he does the Iowa State University Library solely because of the DVD video collection.
"It only happens every so often, but when it does, it really annoys me," said Andersen.
Walt Crawford, a Senior Analyst for the Research Libraries Group, reported in his column 'A DVD is not a Frisbee' that:
"Many libraries have found DVDs to be shorter-lived than videocassettes - to the extent that a few librarians suggest going back to VHS. Most failures come from scratches on the playing surface or broken and cracked hubs."
The Ames Public Library plans on combating this threat by purchasing a $7,000 industrial CD/DVD inspection machine which will not only detect flaws in the media, but also repair them, making them suitable for many more loans.
Another problem that the electronic media collection faces, as does the entire general collection, is theft.
"98 percent of people are responsible patrons. Unfortunately, a few are not," Millsap said.
According to its annual report, the Library obtains about $130,000 annually from fines. 3M is helping the Library reduce the theft of its collection by implementing a security system. Many items have an adhesive badge on them to alert the staff of possible theft.
In addition, the Ames Public Library is planning on improving its current security by implementing state-of-the-art Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology in the near future. This new equipment will make the Library omniscient to the location of its entire collection at any given time.
The Public Library Association said that:
"RFID-based systems move beyond security to become tracking systems that combine security with more efficient tracking of materials throughout the library, including easier and faster charge and discharge, inventorying, and materials handling."
With such a valuable collection, it's no wonder that the Ames Public Library is going to such extreme measures to ensure its availability for years to come.
Many patrons enjoy accessing the Library's collection online at http://www.amespubliclibrary.org. Sporting the look and feel of a traditional online vendor, the website makes it exceptionally simple to browse the entire collection and even place an item on hold for pickup.
"The website expands your access to your Library," said Millsap.
Users can also see expanded details on items through the online catalogue including a brief summary, related subject materials, and the number of other patrons who are waiting for the particular item.
Millsap said that the Library is planning on launching a new, more user friendly, website in January 2005. The new design will include "skins" that can be customized per user. Also, its foundation will rest on a site-wide authentication system that will allow for expanded access without having to continuously log in. It will also unleash the power of federated searching; that is, one search engine to scour all databases which will provide consolidated results.
"We're trying to incorporate technology that people are already using on the Internet. Something that they are comfortable using," Millsap said.
The website gives patrons the power to place a reserve on any item 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. After a user selects an item from the site, the request is placed in the online catalogue. If the item is already checked out or on hold for another patron, the user is put on a waiting list for up to one year. When the requested item is checked in, the hold is triggered and the Library staff is alerted. A librarian then places the item in a bag, labels it, and files it in the reserve area for pick up. At this point, the patron is emailed or called about the reserve and has five days to pick it up.
"Unfortunately, more than 25 percent of requests that are placed are never picked up," said Millsap. "This backs up other requests for the same item."
As if the online catalogue didn't make the checkout process streamlined enough, new self checkout machines from 3M make the task almost effortless. The machines were implemented two years ago out of necessity. Millsap said that more than one million items are checked out every year at the Ames Public Library, three times the national average.
"We didn't have enough staff to check out so many items so we had to ask patrons to help us," said Millsap.
She said that she would like at least 90 percent of all checkouts to go through the 3M machines. According to her, in order for this goal to be reached, the machines will need to be able to accept money so patrons can pay off their fines.
"The website and self checkout make it easier to checkout a movie from the Library than from a video rental store," said Derek Quam, a junior at ISU.
Quam said he checks the Library's website often for new DVD releases.
"A few clicks here and there and I can stop by the Library to pick up my DVD, for free," he said.
Millsap said that librarians at the Ames Public Library are always accepting requests for new DVDs and other items.
"The staff can now process more requests because the staff time for checkouts has been reduced," she said.
Although the Library does receive a lot of requests for new materials, many are limited because of recent budget cuts. Millsap said that the librarians make their best effort to respond to each request with a yes or no answer. She said that requests for new DVDs can be made online or placed directly with Scott Dermott.
"We serve everybody - cradle to the grave services. No matter who you are, we want you to feel welcome, and we want you to feel you," said Millsap. "We connect you to the world of ideas."