College and Research Libraries


By J O S E P H K O M I D A R 

A n Indefinite Time System of Book 
Loans in a College Library 
Mr. Komidar is reference librarian, Carle-

ton College Library, Northfield, Minn. 

AN INDEFINITE time loan plan refers • to loans of books by a library to its 
clientele for an extended period. In a col-

lege or university library the period of 

circulation w o u l d extend for a semester 

or for the entire academic year if neces-

sary, unless a book w e r e needed either f o r 

reserve or for use by someone else. Such 

a system of loans is not common in any 

type of library, high school, public, college, 

or university. In a public library there is 

some justification for limiting the loans 

of books to t w o weeks, but an indefinite 

time loan system appears to be a f a r more 

satisfactory system for a college or univer-

sity library. A n analysis of student read-

ing reveals little necessity for a college 

library's requiring a student to return a 

book w i t h i n t w o weeks. R e a d i n g is 

largely curricular and therefore intensive 

rather than extensive. Books in w h i c h 

class reading assignments are made are 

generally placed on reserve shelves, de-

pending of course upon the teaching meth-

ods of the faculty and the number of 

copies of books to be read. Books in the 

general collection, or those not placed on 

reserve, are used f o r supplementary read-

ing and source material for term papers. 

T h e amount of reading done by students 

beyond that actually required by an in-

structor is relatively limited, and subjects 

for papers are diversified sufficiently so 

that the same books w i l l not often be used 

by more than one or t w o at a time. 

H o w e v e r , before a college or university 

library can institute an indefinite time 

loan plan and expect to have it operate 

successfully, certain conditions must be 

present. T h e t w o most important factors 

determining the practicability of such a 

plan are the size and quality of the book 

collection and the location of the student 

body. T h e collection must be a large and 

comprehensive one which permits a reason-

able amount of substitution of titles and 

provides more than one copy of the titles 

most in demand. Regardless of the ex-

cellence of the book collection, however, 

the factor which controls the success of the 

indefinite time loan system is the accessi-

bility of the student body. A system of 

recalls is essential, and the efficiency w i t h 

which the recall system operates depends 

on w h e t h e r or not the students can be 

reached easily by telephone or campus mail. 

Unless it is possible to have a book re-

turned within a day a f t e r notification, the 

plan cannot operate satisfactorily. 

I t w a s only a f t e r careful consideration 

of the problems involved that the extended 

loan plan w a s adopted by the C a r l e t o n 

C o l l e g e L i b r a r y in September 1942. T o 

the individual student the extended loan 

period had obvious advantages, but to the 

250 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



student body and the college community 

as a w h o l e it appeared to have one possible 

disadvantage. T o o many books might 

become "cold storage" in the students' 

rooms. Such a situation w o u l d handicap 

those students and faculty w h o prefer to 

browse in the stacks before selecting the 

material that they wish to read at home. 

T o prevent books from becoming "cold 

storage" for the entire year, it was decided 

to limit the loan period to a semester. 

T h e n at a determined date at the end of 

each semester all books charged to students 

were to be returned. Such a system w o u l d 

assure a semiannual replacement of all 

books on the shelves where they w o u l d 

become generally accessible again, as w e l l 

as a semiannual clearance of the files and 

a checkup on books lost, strayed, or stolen. 

Routines 

Routines established under the indefinite 

time loan plan are simple. If the student 

himself gets the books he wishes to take 

out, he signs only the book card. T h e desk 

attendant stamps the date due slip in the 

book w i t h the date set at the end of the 

semester for the return of all books and 

the book card w i t h the date of the charge. 

T h e procedures involved in the recall 

system are also very simple. A l l books are 

subject to recall—immediately if needed 

for reserve, or after a week if needed by 

another student, w i t h a f u l l day allowed 

for the return of the book after the notice 

has been sent. W h e n someone wishes a 

book recalled, the desk attendant w i t h -

draws the proper card from the files, marks 

it w i t h the name of the reserve (or the 

person f o r w h o m the book is being re-

c a l l e d ) , and places it in the " r e c a l l " box 

on the loan librarian's desk. Notices are 

made out from the cards in the box at 

intervals during the day and promptly 

mailed, and the book cards are refiled. 

Recall cards give the author, title, and 

call number of the book and indicate the 

date due. T o facilitate checking of re-

turns, a black metal tab is fastened to the 

top of the card of the volume being re-

called. T a b b e d cards are checked at 

eight o'clock each morning and notices sent 

for overdue books. Black tabs are ex-

changed for orange ones to indicate over-

dues. Fines for overdue books are the 

same as those for reserve books, twenty-

five cents per hour per title, beginning at 

8 : 1 5 A.M. the day f o l l o w i n g the date due. 

Recalling Books 

D u r i n g the entire first semester only 

three or four recalled books failed to be 

returned on time, but there w a s some diffi-

culty experienced w i t h returned books at 

the end of the first semester. A l t h o u g h 

students had frequent reminders that books 

w e r e due on a certain date, there w e r e 

many w h o did not return books on time. 

N o t only w e r e all books stamped w i t h 

the date due, but t w o weeks before the 

end of the semester return notices w e r e 

posted on the main college bulletin board 

as w e l l as in the library. O f course, this 

problem existed even w h e n the two-week 

time limit had been used. Students had 

been required to return all books at the 

end of each semester, and there w e r e 

equally as many books overdue. 

Some difficulty had been anticipated 

w i t h books on the freshman reading lists, 

since in this case the demands for a com-

paratively f e w titles are always heavy. I t 

w a s suggested that books on these lists 

should be limited in their circulation as 

previously. B u t even under the two-week 

plan the titles on those lists w e r e always 

in demand and always out, and unless the 

student reserved a title, there w a s very 

JUNE, 1943 
20 7 



little assurance that that title would be 

available to him on the day it was due. 

Students were for the most part reluctant 

to reserve a title. When they wanted a 

book, they wanted it immediately and 

would therefore exhaust all possibilities on 

their lists before asking for a reserve. T h e 

situation could not be more unsatisfactory 

under the extended loan system. In fact, 

under the recall system established, there 

were definite possibilities for its improve-

ment. Although there are no statistics, we 

believe that the students have had a much 

easier time getting the books they want. 

T h e students realize that a book can be 

recalled immediately if necessary and feel 

some pressure to complete their use of it 

as quickly as possible. Recalls have been 

encouraged. Students were at first slow 

to take advantage of the recall system, but 

now they are continually using it. Almost 

no difficulty has been experienced in get-

ting books returned to the library, and in 

the six months that the new plan has been 

in operation there has been only one ob-

jection to a recall notice. Students have 

cooperated well not only in responding to 

recall notices but in returning books 

when they are through using them, and 

books are apparently as readily available 

as they were under the two-week system. 

A check on circulation statistics showed 

a decrease in the figures for the same 

period last year, but this drop could be 

attributed to the current emphasis on the 

sciences and resultant smaller enrolment in 

courses requiring extended reading rather 

than to the indefinite time loan plan. For 

the sake of comparison, a check was also 

made on the use of periodicals, which 

circulate under the same rules as before. 

T h e figures showed a corresponding de-

crease. 

Greatly simplified circulation routines 

resulted from the use of the indefinite time 

loan system. T h e revolving date due file 

was eliminated, and the number of steps 

necessary for charging or discharging 

books was reduced. Moreover, under the 

two-week system the number of overdue 

books had been large, and the amount of 

daily time consumed in checking call slips 

with the card files and stacks and in send-

ing out overdue and fine notices was fre-

quently two hours. Under the new system 

the checking has been eliminated and the 

time spent in sending out notices has been 

reduced about seventy-five per cent. 

Finally, the situation in regard to fines 

has improved. N o matter how small the 

fine was, the collection of fines had always 

been a source of friction between staff 

and students. Relationships between staff 

and students have been friendlier under 

the new system not only because of the 

fewer fines that have had to be paid but 

also because a student who does return a 

book late can better understand the reason 

for a penalty if he knows that the book is 

being recalled because someone else needs it 

and not just because the library wants it 

back on the shelves. 

252 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES