RE: Im Needlessly Mean To Young Bewildered Library Lady

Dear Shea Michael Anderson,

 

Thank you for sharing your comments and concerns about interlibrary loan and cooperative borrowing in Vancouver. Both Clark College and Washington State University-Vancouver extend borrowing privileges to residents of Vancouver.

·           -- Clark College Libraries Borrowing Policy – refer to Borrowing - Community Members and Limits sections.

·           -- Washington State University Borrowing Policy – refer to Community Users section. Additional information about community user privileges is available here - http://library.vancouver.wsu.edu/community-user-policies.

 

Clark County residents are also eligible to borrow library materials from several libraries in the region. The Metropolitan Interlibrary Exchange includes Camas Public Library, Fort Vancouver Regional Library District, Hood River County Library District, Library Information Network of Clackamas County and Washington County Cooperative Library Services - https://multcolib.org/library-cards-non-residents. Vancouver residents may apply for a free library card at any participating library.

 

I consulted with Nancy Tessman, Executive Director of FVRL. It is likely that the Central Library staff member might not have been aware of the borrowing agreements for community patrons that exist at Clark and WSU-V. We agreed that these will be included in future staff trainings and that the details of these agreements will be shared with all of our staff.

 

Thank you again for bringing this issue to our attention. I hope you find the information that I have provided helpful. Please contact me or Ms. Tessman if you have any other questions or concerns.

 

Regards,

 

Michelle Bagley, MLS

Dean of Libraries, eLearning, Tutoring, and Faculty Development

Clark College

360.992.2472

 

 

From: Shea Michael Anderson [mailto:sheaside@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2013 5:29 PM
To: sheaside.imonik@blogger.com
Cc: Bagley, Michelle; bruce.ziegman@fvrl.org; bziegman@fvrl.org; comments@fvrl.org; jack.burkman@cityofvancouver.us
Subject: Im Needlessly Mean To Young Bewildered Library Lady

 

As you may know, I greatly enjoy poking sharp sticks at helpless creatures, especially unfortunate brighteyed youth placed direct in the path of an oft feared public.

Well, i did it again. By accident, I swear. I overheard a librarian on the 5th Floor of our lovely modern Central Library tell a rather handsome young man that the academic titles he wanted werent there, and he should "contact his school for ways to e-read them".

Well, little ol' me, who is aware of interlibrary loans and their hassling delays, was wondering why my FVRL library card was no good at Clark College's or WSUV's libraries, surely filled with tons of academic goodies, including (Id hope) course texts. Not to mention other nearby libraries, like Multnomah, which wont accept fishy Couver library cards, but will gladly give you theirs even with a Clark Co address.

Anyways, I popped this question, which isnt one to ask innocent library assistants, on this poor young lady at Central Library just a minute ago. She was at a loss to see why I wasnt happy just filing an interlibrary loan for Clark College tomes, waiting 2 weeks rather than just going over there in ten minutes walk.

Im not sure the reason for this strange library apartheid. Its not as if using an FVRL card (and giving likewise privileges to Clark n WSUV students at FVRL) is somehow degrading, immoral, or criminal as an idea - libraries do catch book thiefs. So why then? Provincial jealousy?

Im cc'ing Clark Coll & FVRL heads on this blog post to ask (note to named heads: this email is a public post to ovancouvria.blogger.com)