The Zombie Stack Exchanges That Just Won't Die
Recognizing that DVD borrowing has become a fundamental part of any public library system, there may be a need to verify the age of a borrower before allowing them to take out a DVD that is not age appropriate.
How could a system of age comparison (e.g., borrowers must be 16+ before taking out an R rated disk or TV-MA set) and/or one that has an function for permission by parents ("I waive this requirement for my child") be automated alongside of, or integrated within, an existing circulation system?
jonsca
Does your existing ILS allow for family accounts or linked accounts (parents can see what is on their children's accounts because they are financially responsible for those accounts)?
The libraries where I have worked have always made it a policy of not acting in loco parentis - it is the parents' job to know what their kids are reading and watching - not ours. If you take responsibility for keeping children from watching videos intended for a more mature audience, then parents may expect you to also take responsibility for keeping their children from reading materials intended for a more mature audience - and how would you do that?
To have an effective age comparison system, as you suggest, you would find yourself in a position of needing to collect birthdates for members in order for the comparison to be up-to-date (generally not advisable for privacy reasons), and you would probably also have to limit members' ability to update their own accounts (teens could go in and change their birthdates or the permission setting).
You can categorize the card as Child, Teen, Adult, and create a type of the R-rated film. When a child or teen checks the DVD out it would create a block to the staff member. If a parent provides permission, then the block is removed. Most ILS systems have this functionality built in. I agree with not acting as the parent, but some libraries do get pressure on this issue. You can do the same thing for Internet permission. You don't need a birthdate to keep track.
At my local publib (where I worked for 3 years), only adult cards can check out DVDs. I believe it was originally a cost issue, but it serves this purpose as well.