Dallas Public Library Audit
Finds 12% Book Loss
An audit of the 1.1-million-volume J. Erik Jonsson Central Library in Dallas revealed that an estimated 12% of books are missing and nearly $3.5 million in fines are outstanding for overdue and lost materials.
According to the May 22 Dallas Morning News, a spot-check of 250 titles by city auditors found that 29 of the books were gone and could not be accounted for. In addition, 15% of 152 videos were missing, and alarms reportedly failed to activate half the time when auditors passed through gates without checking out books.
The audit also criticized the handling of the central library’s 5,000-volume special collections department, where rare books worth more than $3 million are housed with improper lighting and no usage records are kept, the newspaper reported.
Library director Ramiro Salazar told the News that he is considering hiring a collection agency to handle delinquent accounts and hopes to conduct a comprehensive, system-wide inventory in October. He said there was no reason to think the audit estimates were high. “It sounds alarming, but it just demonstrates the need for that inventory to happen,” Salazar added.
Posted May 28, 2001.
|
