Making a Collection Count: Why a Physical Inventory is Essential to a Dynamic Library

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Making a Collection Count Why a Physical
Inventory is Essential to a Dynamic Library  
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Program Outline

• Steps to performing a physical inventory
• What youll discover
• Why you should care
• Creating collection objectives from inventory
  data
• Creating benchmarks from inventory data

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Physical Inventory What is it?

• On-going process of comparing the shelf list
  (holdings) to actual items.

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Inventory Strategy Step 1

• Choose a manageable piece of collection
• SSLDL Started with audio book collection
• High per unit cost
• Newer collection
• Holdings at beginning of project (2006) 1000
  items according to first shelf list.
• Estimated value at that time about 65,000

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Inventory Strategy Step 2

• Do a quick, general weed
• Be aggressive!
• Makes shelf list more manageable in step 3

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Inventory Strategy Step 3

• Get a shelf list
• Usually includes title, author, pub date, last
  circ date, total circs, price, item barcode

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Inventory Strategy Step 4

• Identify obvious errors on shelf list.
• Call numbers that dont line up
• Items without prices or other empty fields on
  list
• Find the items and fix their records and
  inventory them

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Inventory Strategy Step 5

• Inventory remaining items
• Cart up a shelf at a time
• Scan into your ILSs inventory feature
• Mark off items on the shelf list as you go along
• Volunteers are a great resource for this part!

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Inventory Strategy Step 6

• Track down items on the shelf list that were not
  confirmed in your first pass.
• Place holds for items that were checked out when
  made your first sweep
• Follow up mark missing? Damaged?

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Inventory Strategy Step 7

• Make a policy for how long to keep records for
  items that are not confirmed
• Missing, damaged, assumed lost, etc.
• Set a maintenance schedule for your next
  inventory in that collection
• Items with no activity in a certain amount of time

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Collection Life Cycle
Selection
Purchase
Weed or Replace
Processing
Repair/Maintenance
Shelving
Re-Shelving
Checkout
Each stop in the circle gives us a chance to
check quality and perform inventory checks.
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What Youll Discover

• Items still attached to patron records
• Items shelved in the wrong place
• Items that are broken, dirty, and disgusting!
• Items attached to the wrong record
• Holdings for items discarded ages ago
• Adult items marked juvenile/vice versa

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More Discoveries

• Mislabeled items
• Inaccurate call numbers
• Items marked missing
• Items that are just plain stupid!

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Why should we spend time doing this?

• So that catalog accurately reflects library
  holdings
• Limit customer and staff frustration
• To create a starting point for evaluation
• Library Librarian performance
• So that staff gain deeper understanding of ILS
  and library work flow

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Physical Inventory Helps Maintain a Quality
Collection

• Does it circulate or is it used enough?
• Is it current?
• Is it relevant?
• Does it look nice?
• Does the catalog correctly reflect the status of
  the item? (checked out, lost/missing, etc)
• Are collections organized logically?

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Physical InventoryDefines Your Collections

• Geographical
• Shelf Location, Department
• Item type
• DVDs, Book on CD, Large Print
• Home Location (regardless of item type)
• Non-Fiction, Fiction, Audio book, Music

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Monetary Reasons to Perform a Physical Inventory

• Provides information for budget decisions
• Need to update/overhaul a collection?
• Waning format limit/eliminate funds to a
  collection
• Regular inventory controls waste (Read )
• Replacement costs
• ILL costs

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Intangible Reasons

• Solid collection information and data shows
  vigilance with public assets
• Staff familiarity with collections
• You look smart, professional, and RELEVANT!

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Using Inventory Data

• SSLDLs Audio Book Collection Results (1 Days
  Work)
• 5 missing items found
• 1 item still checked out
• 14 items cataloged as wrong format
• 2 items not found (Stolen? Lost? Discarded?)
• 50 confirmed status/location

Error Rate 4.4 Reclaimed items 20 (65 each
about 1300 value) Lost/stolen/missing2 (about
130 value) Items confirmed 50 (about 3,250)
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Using Inventory DataCreating Collection
Objectives

• A general statement of what materials will or
  will not be included in the collection.
• They are different for every library and
  community
• Can be different for each collection

Collection Data is Dynamic! Is your collection
doing the job its supposed to?
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SSLDLs Audio Book Collection Objective

• Popular materials of current interest
• Since cost is a factor with audio books, titles
  that have a limited shelf life will be given low
  priority
• Examples some series fiction, political material
  addressing current events, travel info, certain
  types of science or health material that could be
  outdated quickly

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SSLDLs Audio Book Collection Objective(Continue
d)

• Consideration and comparison to statistics in
  downloadable audios will also be investigated.
• Other considerations for the collection
• Classic fiction and nonfiction titles that
  coincide with local school and university
  curriculum objectives, foreign language
  instruction for both students and travelers

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Using Inventory Data to Create Benchmarks

• Benchmark
• A standard by which something can be measured or
  judged
• Most expensive collections get most attention
• Non-financial reasons are important and
  considered!
• Circulation Goals
• Estimation of how many times you estimate this
  item will be checked out within 2 years of
  purchase

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SSLDLs Circulation Benchmarksfor Audio Book
Collection

• Fiction Titles
• 10-12 checkouts within 1 year of purchase
• Popular Non-Fiction
• Bestsellers, self help, biography, etc.
• 8-10 checkouts within a year of purchase
• Informational Non-Fiction
• Language instruction, Shakespeare/Poetry, etc.
• 3 checkouts within 1 year of purchase

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Other Benchmarks to SetUsing Inventory Data

• Average unit cost of each item in a collection
• Total cost (worth) of a collection
• Number of units in a collection
• Weeding/maintenance schedule

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Presented by Mary Kelly mkelly_at_ssldl.infoHol
ly Hibner hhibner_at_ssldl.infoPresentation
available online at www.slideshare.net/hhibnerwww
.slideshare.net/maryk48