Hello library land, I had inquired about circulating board games earlier this week, and received several requests to share responses, so here are the compiled responses. A few had sent photos, so I am attaching those.
From Coloma- We are circulating puzzles and have similar concerns, but another library recently recommended an idea we are going to try. They recommended getting an accurate postal scale<https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z44Y5P9/?coliid=I2KLCGS9DRMQA7&colid=2TEX4Y12A0B3Y&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it>. They weigh their games when returned. If the weight is off by a bit, then they check the pieces, otherwise they don't worry about it. They said it works well.
From Loutit- We hope to add a circ'ing board game collection and found a neighboring library that weighs the games on a kitchen scale when they are returned. And if the weight is off much they look closer. We are also going to be focusing on games that if you lose a piece or two, it doesn't ruin the game.
From Traverse Area- We have a sheet that goes with every game listing some information and parts included. The list includes how many of each piece should be included. The box also includes a "please take care of this game and let us know if any parts are missing" sheet. When the games are returned we check this sheet for notes and glance through the box to see that it looks ok. We don't count the pieces. When pieces are missing we call the patron to have them look for them. If they can't find the part(s) we contact the company and see if we can get a replacement. The company will often give you a part at no charge, or just charge for shipping. So far we have not charged anyone for missing pieces. We also expect to print replacement parts on our 3d printer if necessary in the future. We have only had our game collection for a year and 1/2.
From Livonia- We just started circulating board games a couple of months ago. We do list all the parts on the box, but circulation staff is not counting every piece on return. The plan is to have teen volunteers periodically check to see if there are missing parts. We are only allowing one game per card at a time in an effort to keep games from being mixed together.
From Bay County Sage- Our library system circulates 22 board games for families and adults and are searchable by series name. We will be offering a children's aged collection soon. Games circ for a week and can be renewed. Small pieces are in small zip lock bags with a label containing BCLS label, name of the game, name of the pieces and quantity. Larger pieces are labeled the same but in a bag. There is a large label on the inside game cover listing all game pieces included. Circ staff prints off returning borrower contact info in case any parts are missing or damaged. We do not count each cardboard token in a baggies of 30 or more, or large decks of cards. We look to make sure it seems about right and the main components are there. So far, missing pieces haven't been a problem. If a needed piece is missing, patron is called and it's treated like a missing CD, for example. (two label images attached)
From Allegan- When I catalog the games for circulation I list everything that is included in the game. I also type up a list and put it in the game so our memberservices team know what is supposed to be returned. With that said we have 3D printed some missing pieces. We say we are going to charge .25 cents for pieces we have to replace but we haven't. I have bought games from Goodwill and garage sale to replace pieces. We have charged to replace game when they are lost or returned missing too many pieces.
From Capital Area- We have circulated board games for a while now. One of the main things we have learned is that card sleeves for the cards are very worth it. We purchase ours from Mayday Games (https://www.maydaygames.com/). They really help the cards last longer. We get somewhat detailed on what pieces are included. I attached a screenshot of the tag that we add to the outside of the container we put the board game in. That way both patrons and staff know contents clearly. We do check the board games over pretty closely to make sure pieces are in there, but it also mildly depends on the game. With a lot of kids games, there are extra pieces included anyway and if we know that the game doesn't exactly depend on how many pieces of some gem or something similar, then we might not count them every single time. As for charging for pieces, we often purchase an additional copy of a game and use it for pieces. There isn't an exact formula, but we attempt to divide the price of the game by how many pieces it contains and then charge that price per piece. Some games have generic pieces, for those, we go to a comic book/game store that is near the library and buy pieces from them. It is easier to get more pieces for the more popular games. Some games have scoring pads or note pads, etc. in them. Those we scan a page of, so when the pad eventually runs out of pages, we can print some more off. (screenshot attached)
From Henika- We've been circulating board games for a little over a year, and it has been successful! One time, I needed to purchase a set of Clue accessories from Ebay to replace a few lost pieces, and we just charged the patron what we paid online. Charging for lost pieces hasn't had to happen much, luckily, but it does depend on the game and how much is lost/ damaged. For board games in a box, we print out a typed list of contents and tape it to the inside cover for staff and patrons to be able to make sure that everything is present. We also add that information in the "message" section of the item's catalog information. Staff does check on every piece at check in and check out, which is not as time consuming as you'd think.
Several people who wanted responses shared mentioned puzzles. Buchanan has been considering circulating puzzles for quite some time now, and I took note from an inquiry that went out on Michlib a while ago- making puzzles be a self-weeding collection. The vast majority of our puzzles have been donated. We're including a form that encourages patrons to let us know if pieces are missing. When someone says pieces are missing, it's time for the puzzle to go. We don't have plans on counting those. Though the scale idea may work well here, too. Thank you so much to everyone who responded; there are some good ideas here! Laura Hauch Collection and IT Coordinator Buchanan District Library 128 East Front Street Buchanan, MI 49107 269-695-3681 269-695-0004 Fax www.buchananlibrary.org<http://www.buchananlibrary.org>
