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Library director warns consortium hold-policy test could slow holds and harm local service
Summary
Eagle's library director told trustees a Links consortium pilot that fills holds where items are returned, rather than prioritizing the purchasing library, could lengthen wait times and degrade service for Eagle patrons. Trustees asked questions about courier operations and consortium governance.
At the Jan. 21 meeting of the Eagle Public Library Board of Trustees, the library director told trustees the Links consortium began a one-month test changing how holds are filled and warned the experiment could slow service for Eagle patrons.
"They would, at least for a month, change the way the holds are filled," the Library Director said, adding that the change means a returned book would fill a hold where it was returned "regardless of what library that person is a registered user of." The director said the pilot aims to reduce courier costs but cautioned, "I don't think it will, and I think this provides a lot of opportunity for really bad service on on our side."
Trustees pressed for practical details. One board member asked how a patron who is “number 5” on a hold list could lose their effective position if several earlier holds were concentrated at another branch. The Library Director said holds would be filled in order at the location where the returned copy is available, which could cause patrons who purchased or rely on Eagle copies to wait longer.
Trustees also asked about consortium governance and courier staffing. The director said each library in the Links consortium has one vote and that courier runs are currently performed by Boise Public Library staff; the long-range goal is to employ consortium couriers directly. The director urged trustees to forward patron complaints to staff so she can bring concrete examples back to the consortium when the pilot is reviewed.
The board did not take formal action on the pilot at the meeting; the director said the experiment will be revisited at the next directors' meeting after the one-month trial.
