How Do You Manage? Case Study: Unhinged

Mary Jean Dark-Varone, librarian at the Carthew Public Library, heard the door hinges squeak as the man entered the library and came toward her. "Yes, can I help you," she asked, adjusting the shawl draping her shoulders.

"Sure. I got your notification in the mail that my new library card was ready," answered the man standing before her.

"Okay. What's your name?"

"Anthony Starke."

"Okay. Let me find you here, Mr. Starke." The woman flipped through a box of new cards mouthing names as she went. "Found it. Starke, Anthony. Now I'm going to need two forms of ID from you that have both your name and your home address."

The man withdrew his wallet from his back pocket and began fishing through the bi-fold. "Here we go. Here's my driver's license and here's my old library card," he said, handing her the two cards with a bright smile.

"Your library card isn't a valid ID."

"What?"

"Do you have anything else, like your water bill or something of that nature?" inquired Dark-Varone.

"No. Who carries their water bill around with them?"

"The card you received in the mail clearly says you must have two forms of ID that are proof of residency."

"I know, I read it," said Starke. "My driver's license is one, and I thought my existing card would be the second since it was issued to me by the library. I can't believe you won't accept your own card as valid proof. That makes absolutely no sense at all."

"Sorry, but that's our policy," Dark-Varone said pleasantly.

"I'm sure it is, but could you explain to me why that's the policy and also why I need two forms of ID in the first place. I can buy a gun with just my driver's license. I can get a passport with just my driver's license. I can register to vote with just my driver's license, but to get a replacement for a freakin' library card I need two forms of ID."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Starke," she said. "Only town residents are allowed to be issued library cards, and we have to be sure you are an actual resident of Carthew."

"Who would want a library card in a town they don't live in? What would be the point of driving miles out of your way to use a library when there's one close by? Who would do that? Do you think there's a conspiracy out there to use other town's libraries, that there's a huge black market for hot library cards?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but no ID, no library card." Dark-Varone was flustered now and wanted Starke to leave.

"Look, lady, I'm sorry to give you a hard time. I'm sure you have no personal say in this, so is there anyone else I can talk with to maybe get past this rule?"

"You can speak with the director, but she'll tell you the same thing since she's the one who implemented the policy. I'm sorry, I really am, but you're going to have to come back with a utility bill or something like that. I know it's a pain, but that's all I can tell you."

"Okay, but if you agree that the policy is too severe," Starke said, "then why don't you change it?"

Dark-Varone simply smiled and handed him back his license. She watched him leave. The door squeaked on its hinges.

By Deborah Bigelow, Director, Leonia Public Library, NJ

Could we, as librarians, be any more restrictive? We spend money on advertising and time in meetings discussing how to boost circulation and get people in the door. Then we shoot ourselves in the foot with excessively rigid policies.

It's highly likely that every person reading this has encountered a Mary Jean Dark-Varone, or has stood helplessly by, watching a simple request for service escalate into a heated confrontation. There are a number of issues in this case: the library system itself, the policy of Carthew Public Library, and the dynamics of the interaction.

Starke brings up a good point when he asks why someone would drive to a library in a distant town rather than use his/her hometown facility. Why, indeed? Two reasons: A patron may reside in hometown A, but spend the working day in town B. Convenience is a factor. Or, the library in town D may own the exact book that patron C needs. And the book is needed within the week. The most convenient way to obtain the book is to simply drive over and pick it up—if one's library card were good at the out-of-town library.

This situation makes it incumbent upon individual libraries to form networks or cooperatives for reciprocal borrowing privileges. Many counties have already done this, and some states are working on or already have a statewide library card. This benefits both libraries and patrons. A sharing network relieves the individual library's burden of having to have all the books, CDs, and videos that might be of interest to the community. It also expands resources for patrons and offers convenience at the same time.

It is necessary to revisit library policies from time to time to ensure their currency. Why does Carthew Public Library insist on two valid forms of ID? And who does carry their water bill around with them? A quick perusal of library card policies around the country indicates that most require one piece of valid ID: a driver's license, county ID card, or an address on a document that carries a recent date. This makes sense.

Policies are necessary and need to strike a balance between protection and accessibility. Librarians are responsible for the collection. They must try to ensure that checked-out books will be returned and be returned in a reasonable amount of time. Sometimes, however, librarians can get so zealous in protecting the collection that the patrons for whom it is being guarded have difficulty taking the books out. Common sense should dictate when it comes to setting policies.

The interaction between Starke and Dark-Varone could have been handled better. The librarian could have checked his first card. If it were clean, it could have sufficed as a second form of ID. She could have offered to hold any books he wanted until he brought back the proper identification.

No one likes to be refused in the name of policy. But, whether Dark-Varone agrees with the policy or not, she could suggest that Starke write to the library Board of Trustees or the director and furnish the details to help change it. She might also want to register the situation with the director and make sure renewal notices spell out acceptable forms of identification.

Unfortunately, this scene is all too familiar. Librarians have a reputation for being rigid, and some are. And there are unscrupulous patrons who lose books, incur huge fines, and try to beat the system. Policies should both maintain control and help to make the library experience enjoyable. More books will be taken out, but some will be lost. It's the cost of doing business.

By La Loria Konata, Reference & Policy Studies Librarian, Georgia State University, Atlanta

If there was ever a case for Plan B, this is it. It's obvious that clear instructions were not in the notice sent out on what qualifies as two forms of ID. Not accepting their own library card as a form of ID is like having an account with the university credit union and my university ID card not being accepted as a form of ID. This is how the stereotype of librarians being stringent is born. Each rule has some leeway. If Dark-Varone were concerned about keeping her job, she should have referred Starke to her supervisor. Personally, I would have assumed that my position gives me some authority to make a decision in this case, and I would have given him the library card.

Let's assume that someone had stolen Starke's wallet. Would it be logical or rational for a thief to use stolen identification for a library card? In this day and age of us all being supersensitive to identity theft, would a criminal take a chance on prison time to check out a book vs. getting a new credit card that could be used to purchase expensive goods? Yet, maybe I'm being too hard on Dark-Varone. The problem may lie with her supervisor. Apparently, she micromanages to the point where her subordinates are not comfortable with freedom of rational thought and decision-making.

When most libraries are concerned about their survival potential in the era of the web and online information, why would this library turn away anyone who is obviously a dedicated library user? This makes me reflect on Woodrow Wilson's plea for public administration (i.e., public sector) to become more businesslike. In business, the customer is presumably always right.

If I return a pair of shoes to a store for a full refund and argue that I did not in fact wear the shoes, I will eventually get my refund even if it's obvious that I had worn the shoes. Along those lines, if you went to purchase a computer and you were going to pay cash but were 25¢ short, would you or wouldn't you walk away with that computer? My guess is that you would leave the store with the computer. Sometimes, making the customer or patron happy is more important than going by the book.

Image is everything. Dark-Varone missed a grand opportunity to market the library in a positive light. After hearing Starke state his assumption that his old library card was a valid form of identification, she should have told him that the library administration had not previously considered that as a valid ID but that he makes a valid argument.

At this point, he should have been given his new library card, and Dark-Varone could have then taken the matter up with her supervisor. If her supervisor did not agree with this form of identification, Dark-Varone could have said that if the situation occurs again, she would not feel comfortable not issuing the card and that she would like to refer those instances to her supervisor.