[Michlib-l] Used books again

[James Lenze]

Linda,
I should have read all my mail before answering the last time.
OK, so with items we add to the collection in Garden City: first, we only add donated items if they are as good as new, look like they were only read once.  Therefore, when we catalog them we assign them list price as indicated on the dust jacket or according to our book distributors.
Hope this helps.
   James Lenze, Director
   Garden City Public Library
________________________________
From: michlib-l-bounces at mail.mcls.org [michlib-l-bounces at mail.mcls.org] on behalf of Linda K. Neely [lkneely10 at frontier.com]
Sent: Monday, October 21, 2013 9:11 PM
To: michlib-l at lists.mcls.org
Subject: [Michlib-l] Used books again

First, I want to thank Christine Hage, Stephanie Mason and Bruce MacDonald for almost instantly replying to my last email that we should not set a value on donated books, but rather provide the donor with a letter stating the numbers of hardbacks, paperbacks, etc. and letting them decide at tax time the value of their donation.  This is what we will do.   Thanks!

Now I am wondering what to do when we are cataloging these items.   Should we assign a value that people would have to pay if they lost or damaged the book or should we not charge patrons if the book was donated??  Should we just charge them processing costs??

Guess you can tell that in my 33 years working in a library I never did cataloging....

Linda Neely
Bath MI