VLA: PUBLIC LIBRARY COLLECTION MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION

October 2015

None of us is as smart as all of us - Japanese Proverb

Ann & Shari

PRIZES! Fundamentals of Collection Development &

Management by Peggy Johnson Assorted Books & Advance Reading Copies Pair of Banned Book Socks

Agenda

Welcome & IntroductionsCM Buzzword BingoSurvey ResultsCM JeopardyDiscussionsWhat Next?Evaluations

VLA CM PUBLIC LIBRARY SURVEY Results: https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-LWDDS3G2/

SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS

Survey HighlightsCollection Management What are your most pressing concerns

about Collection Management work? Please rank these options for sharing

information with other Collection Management librarians

What kind of support for public library  collection management would you like from the Library of Virginia?

VLA Program• What trends and emerging issues

keep you awake at night?• What trends and emerging issues are

you excited about?• What topics would you most like to

learn about or discuss at the VLA program?

• Are there any specific questions you would like to be addressed at VLA Public Library Collection Management Discussion?

• Are there  successful practices, workflows, presentations, documents, or ideas that you would like to share with your colleagues?

VLA PROGRAM Survey Highlights

What topics would you most like to learn about or discuss at the VLA Public Library Collection Management Discussion? Page 1

Trends in budget allocations for print vs. eBook; how libraries are handling demand for eBooks in relation to the budget (different holds ratios, for instance?). I can still get so many more circs from a print book than from a Random House eBook :( Trends in Reference purchasing (resources to support reference work) - databases/linking to online resources vs. purchasing print Reference materials and nonfiction

Collection analysis tools; increasing collection use How librarians are applying their respective collection analysis tools,

whether an ILS or outside product like Collection HQ. What selection model works best.

Measuring public demand--how not to let what circs become a self-fulfilling prophesy; ie., not just buying more of what circs know it will but perhaps limiting service to just that demographic.

What topics would you most like to learn about or discuss at the VLA Public Library Collection Management Discussion? Page 2

Creating a balanced collection when only certain types of items are checked out (e.g. the community has a large African American population, but the children's books with African American characters never get checked out; weed them or not?)

Collection analysis; division of resources among areas Balance Contracts and ebook licenses Budgeting The future of collection management. Best practices. Networking

What topics would you most like to learn about or discuss at the VLA Public Library Collection Management Discussion? Page 3

Plans for statewide purchases for public libraries Share war stories, in a way Purchasing/contracts New trends in collection development, new selection resources Shared collections, collections of last resort

What changes are you anticipating for the next fiscal year? Increase in electronic items; decrease in print None No major changes, perhaps some additional spending on digital magazines and ebooks Cutting databases With a flat budget, we are looking at dialing back on databases, print reference, and print periodicals,

as well as being careful across the board in other areas. Cuts across the board Asking for more money, esp for print and eBooks. Slightly less in print, slightly more in digital/DVD Not sure at this time. I am struggling to keep up with demand for eBooks. So far, all eMaterials have been funded by

allocations from our library's Foundation, not by our regular materials budget. But demand is steadily increasing. I'm reluctant to redirect money from the materials budget to increase $$ available for eBooks because I have 9 branches with circulating collections and so far the eBook demand is mostly coming from the few that are also high-circulating for print materials. I hate to take money away from the lower-circulating branches since they are already on shoestring budgets and am not sure what to do...

Specific Questions & Successful Practices

Are there any specific questions you would like to be addressed at VLA Public Library Collection Management Discussion?

Curious to know what benchmarks/targets others use to measure collection use (turnover rate, cost per circ for different areas of the collection, for instance)

Rising cost management

Are there successful practices, workflows, presentations, documents, or ideas that you would like to share with your colleagues?

Ideas about promoting databases to public/staff and getting buy-in from staff for new processes, ie floating -Shari Henry, Arlington Public Library

The acquisitions team has a wiki on which we keep our budgetary spreadsheets as well as recommendations for each other, etc.. We don't get to see each other face to face much so this helps keep us in touch. -Nan B Carmack, Campbell County

MISSION (IM)POSSIBLETrends, Concerns & Emerging Issues

What trends and emerging issues are you excited about: 

Ebooks Digital collections eMaterials Weeding Minimum copies Shared storage Self publishing and creation platforms PDA The shift towards digital materials is both exciting and stressful! User based selection Collection analysis and purchasing based on circulation Competition for OverDrive; expanding electronic resources and balancing with print

What trends and emerging issues keep you awake at night?

Lack of well-written, non-preachy, literary and popular fiction for those who prefer "clean" stories, especially for teens and adults

Ebooks Digital collections “Crappy” service provided by some vendors (how difficult OverDrive is to use with Kindle, multiple

screens you have to go through on Zinio) Cost of eMaterials Expenses Major publishers' eBook pricing models, particularly for hot bestsellers where we aren't currently

meeting demand Articles about the death of the library Marketing/Merchandising All of the above Money

What are your most pressing concerns about Collection Management work? Top Three  

1. Long range planning

2. eMaterials: formats, platforms, vendors, access, etc. 

2. Promoting collections &  Readers Services

3. Collection analysis - tracking the performance of collections

What kind of support for public library  collection management would you like from the Library of Virginia?

Coordination of regional networking/sharing groups would be great! Continued support for state-wide digital collections. would love to see more databases purchased for all, like NewsBank, Mango,

etc... We can't afford on our own but would love to be able to offer it. I am at the Library of Virginia and I'd like to know, too A list of resources for finding titles, especially in those genres that are more

difficult to find quality materials (e.g. a list of websites that review "clean" fiction or a list of sites that have mystery series lists)

Training on selection, weeding, analysis for staff

What kind of support for public library  collection management would you like from the Library of Virginia?

Not sure I don't really hear directly about any Library of Virginia support. I certainly

appreciate the Zinio platform and subscription coverage more input into LVA purchases for resources Support for and information about Virginia authors Programming/webinars. More money; less time needed for staff at libraries to fill out antiquated

forms such as Bibliostat

COLLECTION MANAGEMENT Nyx the eyeless semi-retired library cat (& Sookie)ACT’s blatant blind cat and book promotion ;-)

What are your most pressing concerns about Collection Management work? 

Allocating & tracking materials budgets

Collection analysis - tracking the performance of collections

eMaterials: formats, platforms, vendors, access, etc. 

Weeding

Long range planning

Selection processes

Keeping current with trends and  increasing professional awareness

Promoting collections &  Readers Services

Communication with Adminstration

Communciation with Public Services

Communciation with Customers/Patrons

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5

2.67

3.11

3.22

2.33

3.33

2.56

2.94

3.22

2.89

2.72

2.94

VLA CM Pressing Concerns

CM Areas Expertise

Acquistions (order ing, rece iving, paying)

Budgeting (a l location, tracking fund expenditures)

Purchasing (RFP's, bids, contracts, etc .)

Col lection Ana lysis (statistics,co l lection reports, data)

Technica l Services (cata loging, processing)

Vendor Relations

Opening Day Col lections

Se lection

Weeding

Print and AV mater ia ls

eMater ia ls: eBooks, eAudiobooks, eZines, eVideo, eMusic

4

2

5

1

7

4

3

1

1

0

7

8

8

4

8

5

8

1

7

6

9

4

4

7

4

8

6

5

5

10

10

9

6

3

2

6

2

1

2

10

1

2

1

2

ok good very good N/A

BUDGETS

HCPL Adult ITypes FY15 (% of circulation)

Audio7%

DVD13%

Book38%

Lease12%

Paperback6%

eBook20%

eAudio4%

HCPL Library Circ 2014 (calendar year)BOOKMOBILE

1% DUMBARTON9%

FAIRFIELD6%

GAYTON8%

GLEN-ALLEN9%

MUNICIPAL0%

NORTH-PARK5%

SANDSTON3%

TUCKAHOE24%

TWNHICKORY20%

VARINA2%

OverDrive13%

BOOKMOBILE DUMBARTON FAIRFIELD GAYTON GLEN-ALLEN MUNICIPALNORTH-PARK SANDSTON TUCKAHOE TWNHICKORY VARINA OverDrive

Print note to self add library names and remove dups

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 160.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

58.00%

48.00%

40.00%

52.00%

60.00%

12.00%

60.00%

67.00%

30.00%

45.00%

31.00%

52.00%49.00%

45.00%

57.00%60.00%

Print Funds

Periodicals

eMaterials

AV

Databases

RESOURCESVLA Regions: http://vpl.virginia.gov/directories-listservs/vla-regions/

VENDORSMore vendor survey information available (VLA CM program longer version.pptx)

Hoopla

Drop Box Contents

Folders

Survey: Questions, Individual Responses

Resources: CM Competency Index, articles

Reports: LOV Turnover, HCPL reports

Assessments: Edge Assessment

Drop Box Contents

Dropbox URL: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wh2n53mo1lfk0nv/AACwNQZK7cC27tOzT4jb37jHa?d

l=0

Google Site URL: https://sites.google.com/a/overbooked.com/libraryland/

Survey Results: https://www.surveymonkey.com/results/SM-LWDDS3G2/

PowerPoint Presentations Program Presentation Program Presentation (longer) more

complete survey information Pre-Program HCPL

Directory

Other: Buzzword Bingo CM Buzzword Bingo

WHAT NEXT?

Options for sharing information with other Collection Management librarians

VLA c

onfer

ence

sessio

n

Share

d goog

le work

site (

online

discu

ssion

s, file s

harin

g, etc

.)Blo

gEm

ail 

Regio

nal meet

ings

VLA l

istserv

Email

newsle

tter

Other (p

lease

specify

)0

0.51

1.52

2.53

3.54

3.29

2.29 2.413

3.53 3.653.18

2.38

Rating Average

Contact Ann Chambers Theis, Henrico

County Public Library: actheis@henricolibrary.org

Shari Henry, Arlington County Public Library: shenry@arlingtonva.us

EVALUATIONSPlease fill out the VLA program evaluation form

Also, a link will be sent to a follow up (brief ;-) survey

Additional CM surveys?

Thanks to those who filled out the survey and thanks to those who attended the VLA program!

Picture with Caption LayoutCaption