HIT: Inventory

[Joan Marstiller <JMarstille@AOL.COM>]

Here are the replies that I received regarding taking inventory.  It's about
50/50 as to who does and who doesn't.

Joan,
        They only year that I did not do inventory was my first year in
this school.  There was no way I was going to get one accomplished with
the mess that I inherited.  They had a person take a leave of absence and
filled the position with somebody for one year, she didn't file a single
card in the shelf list or in the card cat.  I not only had to file all of
those but the ones from all the items that she ordered. (I'm still not
automated), it also seems that they weeded with out weeding the card
catalog about 1950, I don't know it just seemed like there was a BUNCH of
stuff that was supposedly here but wasn't to be found.  So I informed the
principal that I wasn't going to do one that year, I'd do one the following
year.  I find them very helpful in
getting re-acquainted with my collection.  Seeing the gaps that need to
be filled and just general astound the users by knowing where everything
is fantastic library lady stuff.

Our island district does not require an inventory but I do one every
year. It's just good management. You really don't know you collection or
what has 'grown legs and wlaked away' unless you do.

Hi, Joan.  Our school has now been open for 10 years and we have done an
inventory once.  Our district used to require an inventory.  I found that
we worked very hard to complete it, sent it in, and it got filed
somewhere in a drawer.  My feeling is that we do it when we feel it will
help us evaluate our collection, etc. not just for the sake of doing it.
Hope this helps.  As you know, it's lots of work and takes lots of time
!!

I'm not brave enough to give up inventory entirely, but I do only a
couple sections each year--perhaps nonfiction and reference or another
year, do all the fiction, etc. My principal suggested this to me about 6
years ago (another job). At first I thought "Heresy!", but he was so
right. I'm happier and can't see that service to patrons has been hurt at
all.

I've been a librarian for about 10 years and am proud that I've never
used one second for inventory.  I haven't even thought about it.  I
weeded a couple years ago.  Guess what, out of 8000 books, I found 2
missing and those 2 just saved me from having to weed and box. If you or
the kids don't miss it, it isn't worth inventorying.

I do it and i wish I didn't have to every year. I wish I only had to do
one section each year a collection of 30000 with barcodes on the inside
is a nightmare!!!!
Let me know what responses you get.

I loathe, detest and despise inventory and don't think it's worth the
time, but I am a lonely chorus of one in my district. But I refuse I do
it during the summer on "my time" and without pay. I've been known to
leave it partly finished and so far the world hasn't ended!

 Joan:---I work in a small rural high school and my students get
very upset if they book they want can't be found---so I make it a
pritority to do an inventory every year.  But, I am doing it NOW.  I fill
a large book truck with 4 shelves of books and can go through them
looking for repairs, etc, and checking card and the shelf list during one
study hall.  At the end of the year, I quickly read the shelves and just
check for books that I tagged as missing in Jan.  Then I pull those card
the following November after again checking the shelves to make sure they
are missing.

The school system where I am a library media specialist requires us to do
inventory.  We have to turn in a report showing how many books we have, how
many audiovisual items we have, how many magazines we subscribe to, how
many books missing or discarded and how many books and audiovisual items we
circulated during the school year.  This is to be turned in before we leave
for the summer.

I think that doing an inventory is critical.  However, I am realistic about
the limited time given us to do inventory, etc.  If you have an automated
system, I think it should be done every year.  However, if you have limited
staff and very little time, I would at least do a book inventory every
other year and an AV one on the off year.  It is just too frustrating for
students and staff to search for materials that  have been missing for
ages.  Also, your card catalog will not be maintained if you don't do an
inventory and when you leave someone else will have a royal mess on their
hands.

Interesting question you asked.  Personally I think an inventory should
be done...every once in a while for several reasons.  First I would hate
to go year after year after year holding on to records for items I didn't
really have. Second I like to put my hands on every book because I always
see some that a)needed to be discarded last year or before and b)I
rediscover some truly rough gems that I had either forgotten about or
that suddenly match a curricular/teacher's need.  Finally, there is state
money over and beyond school board money, to bring media centers up to
standard so I really want an accurate count of my materials and I really
want to try to be sure each one still belongs in the collection. For
these reasons I think an inventory in very valuable.  But...

There is no sane way to inventory a complete media center every year (in
my opinion that is).  In the past I have broken the media center into
sections and done one section a year---fiction, ref & AV; 100-599;
600-999 & PROF.  That kept both me and my supervisor happy:)  this year
I'm in an automated center so I suspect I'll do a complete inventory.
But...I do have a fulltime assistant and a fulltime volunteer.  Between
those two and using a PhD that we'll borrow from another school, I
probably won't touch a book during the whole thing...sure negates some of
my rationale for doing an inventory in the first place, doesn't it.  But
I won't complain!

I'll be interested to see how this discussion goes.  Like everyone else
in education, we continue to have more and more to do and something has
to give.  Will it be the inventory??