HIT: Average Book Circulation

[SSiemoens <SSiemoens@AOL.COM>]

On April 25th, I asked for information on book circulation.  I am in an
elementary school of approximately 540 students and our book circulation is
skyrocketing every year.  I wondered how that circulation compares to other
schools of similar size. Obviously, there are many factors involved.  Access
to the library and number of books a student is allowed to check out are
certainly important variables.  Below are some of the responses I received
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I have also wondered about this question.  Last year our circulation totalled
just over 22,000.  I'm curious how this compares with a school that has just
under 600 k-5 students.
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We are a k-4 of 575 students.  Last year we had just under 26,000 circ.  It
will be slightly less this year...of course, we have had 12 assemblies in the
room this year which stops all circ. and I have been sending "collections" to
classrooms more often this year and there they get a larger circ. as they are
kept for a month on "reading tables".
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----------------------------------------------We have 570 k-5 students and
have checked out 24,000 items so far this year.
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----------------------------------------------I am an elementary (k-6) 465
students.  We circulate between 6-7,000 books monthly.  Always growing.
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I am in an elementary school with approximately 485 students.  My annual
circulation (since I instituted a flexible schedule) has been about 40,000
items.
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Sally - be careful on this one.  If you find that the average circulation is
x, then you might be disappointed that you're not reaching it, or, if you post
it, it might be the "standard" to judge your library's effectiveness.

Library circulation has a wide array of factors.  For example, a school with
no reference collection could have a larger circulation than one with a large
one.  But, the school's need might have been for a circulateable (if there is
such a word) stock, while the other required a standard, always available,
information center.

If the point you are trying to make is that your library is doing a better and
better job, then do a graph of that growth using your circulation statistics.
Graphs are more effective than a bunch of data tables.

And, while on the subject, there is a tendency to count only those items that
have been signed out.  It doesn't, however, give a good picture of library use
unless you factor in other things like those items used during the day but not
checked out.  Try counting the number of books left laying around that you re-
shelved during the day.  These have been circulated just as much as those
checked out.  You'll be amazed at how much has actually been circulated.  I
don't factor in those items the students return to the shelves and often
misfiled because the uncertainty of whether the item was correctly shelved in
the first place, but that could also be considered.

And, finally, library growth should also be considered in terms of the number
of people who come into the library.  If Miss Jones takes out 100 books for
her class, then 1000 as a circulation is rather skewed against 100 students
coming in   and taking out 70 books.  I have had turnstiles in some of my
libraries that kept track of people coming in.

So why not use this formula:

# items checked out + # items left around to be re-shelved/#who used the
library
to get a more realistic view of your circulation?
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Sally, I agree with those who say there are too many factors to pinpoint why
one library's circulation is different from another.  I find that my
circulation goes up when I have a class in for a story and borrowing.  I do
story/borrowing for 1st and 2nd grade and the two younger special ed. classes
only.  Other librarians have more grade levels in for browsing AS A CLASS.
When I give lessons to 3rd and 4th, the lesson generally takes the whole time,
and the kids have to come back on their own time to borrow.  Some classes in
my school never come in as whole classes.  That much said, I have a
circulation hovering around 80-90 in a school with 400 k-5 students.  I have a
colleague in another k-5 school with 850 students who has every class once a
week.  Her circulation hovers around 200.  Another factor:  I limit the number
of books borrowed at a time to: K -1 book,  Gr.1- 2 books, Gr.3-5 - 4 books.
I have a colleague in a 600 pupil school nearby who limits all students to 2
books.  Of course,
we will have different circ. stats.
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I am in a k-5 building of about 430 students.  Our circulation will be about
30,000 this year.
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Our school is just a little larger (about 575).  With about 1 month left to
circulate books, I estimate that approx. 22,000 pieces of material will have
been checked out.  This is down from several years ago when we had up to
27,000 when our school population was about 625.
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We have about 570 students and last year our circulation for the year was
21,000.
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We have about 540 students and last year our circulation was 53,000. We are
currently at about 55,000 with one month to go.
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We are a k-6 school with about 365 students.  We circulate and average of 2800
-3000 a month.
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Our school of 800 had a circulation of 34,000 last year.  We are inching up to
that total this year and should set a new school record.  Why?  AR and
increased walk-in traffic during open check-out times.
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----------------------------------------------Your note on LM_NET fascinated
me.  Our circulation is skyrocketing also and I've been feeling a little
frustrated because I cannot compare it easily.  Here are some figures on our
students, collection, and current circulation stats.

As of March 31, l998 the Niantic Center School Library collection is comprised
of 11,665 different titles representing 15,910 items.  Connecticut State
guidelines are that school libraries should have 25-30 titles per student, and
at 400 students we would have 29 titles per student.

In FY 95-96, we checked out approximately 15,000 items

In FY 96-97, our circulation increased to approximately 21,000 items or 40% in
one year.

In FY 97-98, this trend continues with 3,428 items circulating in March
totaling 17,490 items this year so far, with 9 more weeks to go.
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Add to the fact that many teachers will check out stuff and then it is passed
on to many grade levels and or other teachers before it ever returns to the
library.  A very true case for my school.  We have asked who used the material
one teacher checked out and found sometimes as many as 15 teachers had used
it.
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I am in an elementary (k-5) school of 740 students.  Our circulation this year
will be about 31,000.  In my district we've compared numbers.  The middle
schools will be about half and the high schools about one third.  Of course,
we know which level has the most paid assistance, don't we?
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I am in a school of about this size.  We are probably about 560 or 570.  My
mothers keep the circulation figures and sometimes they are not completely
accurate but we run about 550 books a week.  This does not include the
teachers.

As a comparison, The k's -2nd check out 1 book.  The 3-5 can check out 2
books.------------------------------------------------------------------------
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So far we're at almost 15,000 and we're about the same size, a little smaller
but not much.
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I don't know if I'm "average", but I happened to run this year's circulation
figures on Friday, so I can share!  Our school has about 575 students, I see
every class each week, and we have a busy open circulation time every morning.
So far this year, we've circulated almost 25,000 items.  That includes
everything that we have barcoded - books, maps, globes, math kits, etc.
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We have about 480 students and our circulation averages 20,000 per year!
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I have a school of about 600 students. Our circulation so far is about 37,000.
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Thank you for all the responses!

Sally Siemoens
Media Specialist
Lanigan Elementary
Fulton, N.Y.
SSiemoens@aol.com

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