Making a Collection Count

Holly Hibner and Mary Kellyhttp://awfullibrarybooks.net

Making a Collection Count and image © Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly

Selection

Acquisitions

Processing & Cataloging

Shelving

Checkout (Use)

Re-Shelving

Repair & Maintenance

Weed or Replace

Collection Life Cycle

Image © Holly Hibner and Mary Kelly

Collection Management Policies

• Management = control and attention

• Development = growth

Image attribution: George Goodwin Kilburne [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Collection Management Policy• Include:

• General selection criteria• Genres, formats, and collections• Cooperatives or resource sharing• Preservation, conservation, maintenance• Weeding efforts• Holds to copies ratio

Image attribution: By GNOME icon artists (GNOME SVN / GNOME FTP) [GPL (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

Collection Objectives

• Collection policy states how the collection will fulfill the mission

• Collection objectives detail the purpose of each collection and criteria for selection.

Image attribute: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FctGxoFET_c/TB1pCR21AaI/AAAAAAAAAC0/Vhkry61sk4M/s1600/ArrowTarget (Licenced for reuse)

Collection BenchmarksHow is the collection

performing?

Image attribute: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Ballerina_logo.png (Licensed for reuse)

The How and Why Wonder Book of Beginning ScienceNotkin1960

Presenter

Presentation Notes

MK Running reports is a great way to see how your collection is performing, but it is not a substitution for physically interacting with your collection. If you only weed what is on a report, you will not have a clear idea of WHY those items are (or are not) being used. You will also not be made aware of condition or space concerns at the shelf.

Sort

ing

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The Circulation Metric

Define circulation• Check-out, renewal, and check-in?• Is that three metrics or one?

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Circulations Over Time

Decorating to Please HimBradford1970

Group Metrics

Group metrics describe the activity of a whole collection.

• How does one collection perform compared to another?

• How old is the collection?• How do e-books compare to print?• What items are likely to be damaged?

Average Age vs. Median Age

Early Detection: Breast Cancer is CurableStrax1974

How To Sell Your Car for More Than It’s WorthHill1977

Collection Size

Total Circulation

Relative Use

Item Metrics

Item metrics describe the activity of a single item in the collection.

• How does its use compare to other titles?• How old is it?• What is its physical condition?• Is there an updated edition available?• Is there a better title?

The New Hotdog CookbookRoate1968

The Second Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes From Famous Eating PlacesKennedy1954

Applehead Dolls for Pleasure and ProfitDotson1962

Hand and Rod Puppets: A Handbook of TechniqueFettigtranslated by Susanne Forster1973

Physical Inventory

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Compare what you actually

have to what the computer says

you shouldhave.

What You’ll Discover

Inaccurate call numbers Mislabeled items Items marked missing Items that are weird!

Be Bold with BananasBanana Control Board1970

Diet, Crime, and DelinquencySchauss1981

Brass RubbingNorris1966

WeedingWeeding criteriaWho’s job is it?

A good library is like a good haircut. It’s not what you cut – it’s what you leave.

CREW, Anne Felix, Grand Prairie (TX) Public Library System

…But the public doesn’t “get” it

…But it’s historical

…But someone

might need it

…But I don’t have time

…But it was an award winner!

…But it was a gift!

Weeding Personalities• The Hoarder• The Randomizer• The Professor• The Snob

Weeding Made EasyStep 3: Stupid

Avoid the Weeding Frenzy

What are people supposed to think?

http://articles.latimes.com/1996-09-03/news/ls-40094_1_san-francisco-public-library

- Neglected to get staff on board- Inadequate planning of disposal

- Careless weeding?

Case #1: San Francisco 1996

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/09/library-services/books-in-dumpsters-spark-debate-on-future-of-fairfax-county-va-libraries/

- Improper disposal of items- Poor planning and execution

- Lack of input on new plan by staff and patrons

Case #2: Fairfax County 2013

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2013-06-14/library-director-says-mistake-was-made-book-weeding.html

- Mismanagement, policy not followed - Too much too fast

- Inadequate preparation- No public explanation

Case #3: Urbana Free Library 2013

http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_28446633/berkeley-library-discard-process-criticized

- Too much too fast- Inadequate staff preparation and participation

- Lack of documentation

Case #4: Berkeley Public Library 2015

Everything is Connected

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The Computer from A to ZKalman1999

Hand Feeding Baby BirdsCooper1979

Bruce Jenner’s Guide to the OlympicsJenner and Abraham1979

Fashion CatsIwasa2011

Thank you!

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