[Maryland Girl]

I am home with a broken foot, which meant my husband went to the Pinellas Plaza branch today to check out materials that I had requested. This is what he was told:

As of last Friday, the Sumter County branches had not been following FL state statute. As of today, he can no longer check out materials for me using his card. He can no longer check out materials for me using my card. The supervisor finally allowed him to pick up the materials using his card. However, when checking out they asked him what his pin number was. He didn't know so basically they said 'make one up.' He did, they entered it into the system, checked out the book that I had reserved on his account and he was on his way. He was told they would do this one time only.

After getting home and telling me what happened I called first the Pinellas branch and then the administrative offices and was told that he could not pick up materials for me and if I wanted him to do so they would need to put a notation on my/his library card that allowed him to do so. However, to have the notation put on the card, we had to present ourselves in person to give our permission to have this done. I was not happy about this and so the woman (I won't use her name but who was very nice) at the administrative offices said that if my husband came into the branch with my card and pin he could use the self check out. However, I would still need to present myself in person with a broken foot along with my husband to have a notation made on my card that would allow him to be my 'hold helper'.

I wonder how many permanently incapacitated people in the Villages this will impact and I hope the poor souls who were asked for pin numbers and didn't know them but made them up remember them because they will need that pin number to access the library website.

This is all due to protecting confidentially of materials checked out by any given patron.

[Trish Miller]

Thank you for sharing this info even tho it wasn't a pleasant experience.

[Jim 9922]

It is nice to know bureaucracy is alive and well in The Villages area!

[graciegirl]

I think librarians have always had a .........um.........bossy streak.


I was library assistant in Junior High and they intimidated me to death.


Apologies to all of the nice ones reading my post.


I'm in trouble now.

[BobnBev]

So then, he can use your card and pin to self checkout
books?

[BarryRX]

It's been a long, long time since I've run into the autocratic librarian who would "shoosh" you at the slightest sound. Now, most of them are great sources of information. Some may be friendlier than others when helping me, but that's true of all my interactions. Libraries face a lot of problems today. Budget cuts have really impacted them. I remember when a book wasn't overdue until it was checked out for more than 30 days. Now it's overdue if more than 21 days. Increased revenue to make up for budget cuts is the only reason I can think of (help me out if I'm wrong retired librarians). There is less shelf space for books because of the increased space needed to be given to computers, movies, music, etc. If you come from a good sized city, you know that libraries have also turned into a de facto shelter for the homeless. But the OP's problem stems from our concerns over privacy. Information is freedom, and we don't want the big,bad government knowing what we're reading. Reading is very personal, and we may not want our neighbors knowing what books we're checking out either. Imagine a scenario where your husband and you were getting divorced, and he was able to find out you were checking out books on growing your own marijuana. It could very well be a deciding factor in who gets custody of the kids. I personally think you ran into a bit too much bureaucracy, but I can see their point also. they are probably just protecting privacy rights like we wanted them to do.

[Maryland Girl]

Originally Posted by BobnBev

So then, he can use your card and pin to self checkout
books?

Yes, that is our understanding. Per administration, when you self checkout there is no verification of your identity. In fact, if I had a female 'hold helper' and gave her my card and PIN, I doubt there would be any verification at all. It seems the issue arose simply because I was incapacitated and my husband wanted to pick up the materials. I asked if my husband had difficulty with the self checkout and asked for help would they help him or deny him the materials. They said they would just help him. So, why didn't they just help him today without all the turmoil? The whole thing seems gender driven. So much for confidentiality.

It was so annoying that even though they said to wait until I was able to walk, we both went to the Pinellas branch with our cards and had notations of 'hold helper' put on each other cards just in case the situation arose again in the future. I guess if you are permanently incapacitated, then self checkout by a 'hold helper' seems to be the option, unless you can figure out a way to get yourself into the libray.

[CFrance]

Not excusing this, but it sounds like they were taken to task by some higher up for not following state protocol.

[gatherer47]

This is what happens when you are a DOFOB-darn old fool over books-I'm one too! This term is what we library assistants in high school were called.

[mulligan]

Library management outsourcing at it's best !!