Thank you for raising your concerns regarding the Putteridge
Bury Education Collection closure. The book collection service will be missed I
am sure none the less departmental usage figures indicate a low take up in the service.
In the past 5 years issue figures at Putteridge Bury – which includes
reservation pick up loans - have dropped by 78%. Please see Table 1 below. Issue
figures were low in 2012 – 13 compared to Butterfield (another small campus)
but they have not grown or even sustained. This is mainly due to course design
where the Education Studies course is built around online digital resources
with a significantly reduced need for print materials. The considerable staffing,
transport and space costs associated with this service each week to issue only 25
items does not make it viable from a business point of view.
Change is difficult which is why we have tried to plan the
relocation outside term time to minimise disruption. Dropping into the Luton
Campus to collect reservations and maybe to stay and study in groups or
individually will offer a multitude of benefits which I appreciate are
difficult to see when you feel something
is being taken away.
Luton campus is just 3 miles away. The Vicarage Street car
park which is very close to the library entrance, is free after 6pm (although
charges do apply 8am – 18.00). This
facility is open 24/7, has a huge variety of study environments, a large
variety of print materials, PCs & MACs, bookable rooms, silent study, reservation
collection and staff on duty for longer periods than Putteridge Bury.
Table 1: Putteridge
Bury annual Education Collection loan figures. Loan figures include both reservation issues and issues
from stock held at Putteridge
Year
|
Putteridge Bury annual
Education Collection loan figures.
|
Variations
|
2016 – 17
|
909 to date (9 months)
Average 101 per month extrapolate to 1,212 annual figure based on
monthly average
|
Drop of 562 from 2015 – 16 ie 31%
Drop of 4,406 issues from 2012
- 13 ie 78% overall
|
2015 - 16
|
1,774
Average 147 per month
|
Drop of 360 from 2014 - 15 ie 16%
|
2014 - 15
|
2,134
Average 178 per month
|
Drop of 1,229 from 2013 - 14 ie 36%
|
2013 - 14
|
3,363
Average 28 per month
|
Drop of 2,255 from 2012 - 13 ie 40%
|
2012 - 13
|
5,618
Average 468 per month
|
Compare to Butterfield annual
loans of 9,859 Average 822 per month
|
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