Collins Unbound

Cassandra Palmore, Access Services Supervisor, knows Collins library exceptionally well.  A native of Tacoma, she transferred from Tacoma Community College to the University of Puget Sound where she joined the library as a student assistant.  After graduating in 1994, she continued working in the library as a Circulation and Interlibrary Loan specialist.  In 1996 she began graduate school at the University of Washington and received her Master’s in Library and Information Science in June of 1998.  Cassandra became Access Services Supervisor in August of 1998.

What do you like best about working in the library?
Working with my colleagues and the students and seeing how technology has changed over the years! I also enjoy meeting and talking with staff from other libraries at conferences and consortium meetings.  It’s nice share ideas with colleagues!

What are some of your favorite things?
80’s music, Netflix, and traveling.

What would surprise students about the ‘behind the scenes’ operations of the circulation department?

• The number of Interlibrary Loan requests we process each academic year: last year, over 19,000 filled borrowing and lending requests.
• How many staff FTE we have to sustain our services. We employ 65 students and 4.1 staff FTE to cover 116.5 hours.
• Our 24 hour staff schedule

Do you ever get wild excuses for overdue books – or special requests?

• Can you waive my new fines so I can better take care of my older fines?
• I didn’t know when they were due.  (The book is stamped with a due date.  Also, a courtesy notice is sent out before the due date, along with three separate Email overdue notices before a billing replacement is sent).
• I know I returned this on time; I just found it on the shelf.  (The book is freezing cold and wet – it was raining that day).
• My favorite is a book, “The Mentally Sound Dog,” that was returned chewed up by the patron’s dog.  This always makes me chuckle.
• Funny situation: On February 28, 2001, a patron had come to the desk to dispute a replacement fee for a book that was never returned.  He swore up and down that he had returned it and needed his transcripts.  I informed him that our records show that the item is still on his library record, but I would go up to the stacks and check again.  I was in the stacks scanning the shelves for the book  (didn’t find it) and that’s when I heard what sounded like hundreds of people running; then the books started shaking on the shelving!  Yes, we were in the middle of an earthquake! After it settled down and things were getting back to normal, I returned to the desk and informed the patron that the book was not on the shelves.  He jokingly said, referring to the earthquake, “It was God’s wrath!”  He paid for the book.

Describe a day in the life of the circulation department from opening to closing:

Our department is responsible for general circulation, reserves and bookings, Interlibrary Loan, Summit, shelving and building maintenance.  We train, direct, and supervise 60 student employees.  A staff member arrives at 7am to open the library, turning on lights and the learning commons printers, logging on the learning commons release station, checking in the newspapers (TNT, Seattle Times, WSJ, and the NYT), making sure the gate count is logged before the doors first open, and counting the morning total of the Circulation cash box.  Student assistant shifts start 8am through 2am most of the week.  Staff and student assistants support the library through providing assistance to patrons by answering questions about the library’s services and policies.  Rotating staff are on call Monday-Friday from 10am-5pm behind the circulation desk in order to direct desk assistants and offer assistance if necessary.