Best Practices
Successfully Minimizing Patron Complaints Relating to
Scratched Disks
Inevitably no matter which library you are, you will
find the dreaded scratched disc. How will you know? Well, by the irate and
impatient patron at your main desk. In fact, as the patron raises their voice in
displeasure, possibly the whole population of the library might now be well
aware of this problem.
As the library continues to handle increased use of its
optical media circulation due to the current economic climate, libraries are
finding that keeping their media collections in a playable state is becoming
more and more difficult. So what can be done to successfully minimize patron
complaints relating to scratched discs? Let’s discuss some preventative measures
that can be taken.
Educating your patrons:
Remember the concept “Out of sight, Out of mind”? This
concept has seemed to plague many of the patrons who use the libraries services.
In most scenarios there is no charge for checking out a movie. Since the patron
has not felt the financial cost of borrowing the disc, the responsibility of
taking care of it falls by the way side.
Though this point might be difficult to execute to all
your patrons, in general, by letting them know the value of the disc they are
borrowing, may help a patron think differently about how they handle this disc
while in their possession. By educating the patron, the patron will in turn
develop more of a respect for the libraries assets.
How many times have we been sitting watching a movie
and all of a sudden the picture freezes? Like most people we probably grumbled
something to ourselves, got up, and inspected the problem. We probably removed
the disc from the player and then proceeded to wipe the disc on our clothes.
Admitted it, at one time or another you’ve done this. This action in effect
might seem harmless, but by taking a closer look at the disc, the patron is in
essence creating more damage to the disc. Dirt and buildup that remains on the
disc surface and/or on the patron’s clothing is pushed into the polymer plastic
creating very small scuffs and scratches. If the patron finds it necessary to
fix the disc himself it is best that he use a lint free scuff free cloth to
gently wipe the surface of the disc in a straight line moving from the center of
the disc to the outer edge.
Like eating at the dinner table, there is disc handling
etiquette. The disc’s most notorious enemy is the fingerprint. Like trying to
keep a child clean while playing in the mud, no matter how hard we try it
appears that the disc cannot escape the wrath of the fingerprint. Fingerprints
and oils from our hand can render a disc helpless. The laser of a player can not
read the information of the disc since the information is skewed instead of
coming back in a straight signal. The best way to handle a disc is by placing
the index finger in the center opening and placing the thumb of the outside edge
of the disc.
Though it can be quit tempting to throw the disc like a
Frisbee, we need to tame ourselves. How a disc is stored will also affect its
playability. It is important that discs are laid and stored correctly in their
cases. Trying to ride on a disc like a skateboard doesn’t help either. It is
always best to keep the disc in its casing when not in use. There may be times
however were this can not be done. In those cases try to keep the optical side
of the disc in the up position. This will help reduce addition surface
scratches.
By teaching the patron how to handle a disc and how to
perform basic disc cleaning, will help with decreasing their frustration and
yours in the end.
However, there is another area that we should focus on.
Educating your library staff:
How you and your staff handle and care for your
library’s media collection will also aid in keeping down complaints and
frustration between you and your patrons.
It is essential that your staff is well educated on the
same points that were just discussed for your patron education. Your staff is
your first line of defense! They are the ones that will be the first to handle
the new discs and by handling them correctly, they will place the precedent.
Libraries can gain some important and effective methods
of caring for and maintaining their collections by looking to the video rental
industry. The video rental industry is no stranger to disc abuse and neglect
from their customers. It is now an industry-must-have to invest in a disc repair
machine. Many times a repair machine will not be purchased until the obvious
need to repair scratches arises, but we now find that many are using their
repair units more for preventative care then for actual fixing of scratched
discs.
The industry leader in disc repair and disc maintenance
is VenMill Industries and their OptoClearTM buffing machines. VenMill’s disc
repair machines have been being used successfully in many libraries, video
stores, and more. VenMill offers three different disc repair machines based on
media size and use, but the key to these machines is their buffing process.
VenMill’s patented OptoClearTM Technology does not
remove any part of the surface of the disc. The surface of the disc is heated
allowing the plastic to soften. Once the plastic is soft the buffing process
allows the plastic to reflow and spread out evenly. This allows one to
clean/repair their discs over and over again. It is much like ironing a shirt.
Heat plus force over time remove the wrinkles. In contrast, sanding a disc will
repair a scratch, but in the end will eventually ruin the disc since this
process can only be performed a handful of times.
Another big positive of using the buffing process is
that it is extremely fast and quite. Most libraries and video rental stores can
and do use the machine at their front counter.
As a preventative care, before a disc is borrowed out,
the disc is quickly placed into the machine whether or not there are any visible
signs of scratches. This method brings the disc back to a like-new surface
giving you, your staff, and your patrons a piece of mind. It also places more
responsibility of handling the disc aright with the patron knowing that the disc
is in pristine condition.
You might be thinking that cleaning every disc before
releasing it can be very expensive; and you may even say: “My library doesn’t
have the funds to support that type of program.” You will be happy to know that
cleans/repairs can be done for as little as only $0.06 cents a disc, making it
very affordable to successfully minimize patron complaints relating to scratched
discs.
VenMill
Industries is a leading manufacturer of disc repair and maintenance machines for
disc format optical media using its innovative solution, OptoClear Technology.
OptoClear's state-of-the-art process safely repairs and maintains books on disc,
DVDs, CDs, CD-ROMs, games, and even 3" discs! OptoClear Technology repairs your
discs an unlimited amount of times, using no wax filling or abrasive sanding,
and professionally protects your media collection. VenMill machines are clean,
quite, affordable, easy-to-use with virtually no training required, and are
fully automated to refinish your favorite discs in a non-hazardous,
user-friendly way! Increase funding for your library by offering disc repair to
the public! For more information on VenMill’s OptoClearTM disc
repair line please visit www.venmill.com. Many options and packages are
available for libraries. www.Venmill.com