[SJAAboard] Toward a Library Model for the Loaner Program

[Gary Mitchell]

Rob Hawley (SJAA) wrote:

>>Are we once again talking about the alleged lack of storage?
>>I think we have the space, you just don't ask to use it.  I
>>can store another moderate size scope and have offered to do
>>so, but I haven't heard anything more about it.
>>
> 
> 
> I was initially going to reply to this with a curt "you don't get it" reply.
> Since we have greatly reduced the program in the last year this may be a
> good time to reexamine the entire model of how the program is run.
> 
> CURRENT MODEL - TAG IT'S YOUR PROBLEM
> 
> Members are guaranteed use of the scope for 3 months, but are then
> encouraged {begged} to keep it until the club needs it.

That's a bad way to go.  It imposes on the member.  Do you
tell them up front that this is coming, that they'll be
turned into an unwitting storage place for the scope unless
they refuse?  I'll bet most won't refuse, not when they're
about to borrow a scope for free.

This should be a last resort model, only if you had no other
storage options.  But you do.  Several of us told you early
on that we'd store scopes.  I can't speak for the others,
but you haven't been asking me to store any lately.

> THE JUGGLER MODEL
> 
> Some emails to me suggested a model that I will refer to as the juggler
> model.  Under this model we would only have enough scopes in the inventory
> so they were constantly being exchanged at the end of every loan period.
> This would assume there are always pending requests at the end of each loan
> period. 

One of the reasons for that statement of purpose for the
program is to guide what scopes we should have.  Under
this model, the model itself dictates what scopes we
should have.  This model shouldn't even be considered.

> THE LIBRARY MODEL
> 
> A Library Model avoids the problems of the previous two.  Members check out
> scopes with a return date.  The member is required to either return the
> scope on the return date or proactively contact the club to extend the loan.

This seems like the only reasonable approach for a loaner
program.

> The problem with the Library Model is that the club has to provide storage
> until the next person asks for a scope (just like a library stores the books

>     I estimate that we would need...  300 square feet.  (that's) 15 x 20
 >   feet of flat floor space.  It does not have to be contiguous.

> Where can we get 300 sq ft that we can count on with little or no notice? I
> have tried getting storage commitments from members.  Either these have
> evaporated when I needed them or the members have returned the stored scope
> on short notice complicating the problem even further.

Have people who offered storage really backed out when you
needed it?  If one backs out, why wouldn't you ask another?

> If Lee is willing to
> supply that much storage then we could seriously consider this model.

Lee isn't the only one who offered storage.

> So after Gary's offer (which I estimate as providing about 9 square feet)
> that would leave about 290 square feet that the club would have to have long
> term commitments for and rapid access to.

Now you are over-analyzing and forgetting.  I'm already
providing that much space for the program, (not to mention
storage for our swap items last year.

>    Commercially this will cost about
> $300 per month. In practice it will be slightly less since some scopes will
> be in loan, but that is the worst case. 

Having them all in one spot would be nice, and they will
be available during business hours.  But that's not worth
$300 per month, especially not while member-provided
storage hasn't been exhausted.

> Lee is the only viable approach.

Maybe if you insist on the advantages of the storage locker.

Gary