A time will come when you are working the desk that you will come across a book or item that is damaged.
It is VERY IMPORTANT when you are discharging items that you always check an item before discharging it!
There are two reasons we always want to find damage before discharging the book.
The patron information is deleted. Libraries are protective of what people check out. One way they do that is by deleting checkout information from a patron's account when they return a book. This protects the patron's privacy.... but makes it very difficult to find out whose dog decided to eat Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire after its been discharged.
Damage that is done to an item can actually cause even more damage to the collection. For example, if someone turns in a book that is slightly damp and it somehow makes its way upstairs.... it will begin to mold. Soon, this mold will spread to the books around it. Eventually, someone will find it, but by then one moldy book can lead to losing an entire shelf of books. If we find this early on, we can prevent that from happening and in some cases, even save the first book.
Therefore, as soon as you come across a damaged item let a supervisor know immediately. They can speak to the patron about what happens next, including the replacement process if needed. If there is no supervisor, do not discharge the item! Place the item on their desk with a DETAILED description of what happened.
Types of damage you may see when a book is returned is cover damage, chewed up books, damage caused by post it notes and paper clips, bent pages, writing or highlighting in a book, coffee stains, a soaking wet book, etc.
If there is water or mold damage - DO NOT put it on the supervisor's desk! Get a cart and quarantine that book from all other paperwork then leave the cart in a supervisors office.