Are Singapore library efficient?
Apparently they are not!
I just received a letter from NLB on 10 Feb. It claimed that i have overdue fines in my account and the date incurred was 05.08.2001
My views:
1. If you know how to do simple math, the date incurred was 05.08.2001 and today is 19.02.2009. It is a good 8 years back for goodness sake! I was 8 years old then. If so, why are you only informing me now and not like a few months after the due date? This incident just tells me that the efficiency of the library is really low.
2. I trust and i am very confident that my parent are responsible citizen and they will return those books on time. I was 8 years old then so i suppose i do not even know where is the library not to mention to return the books.
3.Furthermore, NLB is non responsive to emails/feedback and library officer are always busy. For this fact, i would relevant authorities please enlighten me. I would really want to know what is the use of a website that allows consumers to feedback and to enquire about matter that concern the library and that they do not even bother to reply. It is a fact that NLB had sent me a similar letter on overdue fines last year. Wanting to clarify, i called up the library hotline several time and each time the automated reply would say that the library officer are busy. My question: What are they busy about? After failing to get in touch with the officer, i decided to send an email to the email stated in the letter. Unfortunately, nobody bothers to reply my email. My question: So what is the use of the website/email when nobody bother to read/reply.
4. Library email/feedback readers apparently do not care about what consumers have to say. If so, why are they so bother about money? Yes i truly agree and understand that if everyone own 10cents the library would incurred heavy losses. However what i do not agree is that emails/feedback should not be ignored and must be dutifully reply-ed and read through. What i cannot condoned is that since my email is not reply-ed to, WHY should i bother to pay the fine? WHY should i bother to even read the mail?
5. Well, i cannot really seems to think of anything that the officer will be busy about. Let me tell you why. I ALWAYS can't seem to get the book i want. Thinking that the computer would help me find the books i wanted, i make my way to it. After typing in the tittle of the book i wanted , the shelf number/alphabet pops up in a second or so. Wow. i was impressed until when i get there, my book was missing/gone/not there/had been taken by someone esle to read.
Exasperated, i randomly take a book from that shelf and make my way back the the computer. I punched in the title and i found out that, that particular book is not suppose to be there! So what are the so called "library officer" doing? Instead of maybe sitting around, they should probably get their butt of the chairs and start rearranging those books! It is very unfortunate that the invention of modern technology has made humans lazier.
6.I postulate that maybe there is a fault in the sensors. And that is certainly not consumers fault. It could be that the machine fail to register the books that is return. Nobody did a manual check, which i understand would be very tedious, but at least check that the number of books in the bin match the number of books that i registered by the computer.
7.I am very sure that i did not borrow those books as far as i can remember, even if i did i am sure that i have already return it. (See point 2). To make visiting the library a more pleasent experience, please make sure that the efficiency is raised,books are arranged,email is reply-ed to.
8. I never like visiting the library and i seldom visit the library, after this incident, i doubt that i would ever borrow a book from the library ever again. What is the use of library when we have internet at home? Sorry, like some of those people working in the library, i became lazier after the invention of mordern technology.=D