Hit: More Inventory Procedures

[Bill or Gay Mraz <bgmraz@SAT.NET>]

I have two buildings - one with only a copy of conversion records, since the
card catalog was discarded before I came 4 years ago - what a mess.  I just
do the best I can.  My clerk (senile, but sweet) just retired so I have had
no one in the library at the small bldg. most of the year - I know a LOT is
missing!  My supervisor is hoping we can find someone with computer skills
so
that we can do a complete conversion this fall.

I do inventory every two years, although I do try to get the shelves
straight
before I leave.  I have had so many books that did not make the conversion
that was done before I came that I have spent the last four years just
trying
to get or make marc records for everything.

I close the Media Center the last of May - since I, too, am a loner, and
call
all books in the week before.  It takes a month to get the majority of the
overdue books back - even tho I sent overdues weekly and letters every 2-3
months for long overdues.
Threat of holding report cards usually, at the end of the year, gets a
response from some.

It will take at least three weeks to get all books back, do an inventory - I
plan this year to do a partial - check back in A-V, do all the backlog of
work that has been put on the back burner all year, clean files, etc.

I have a pretty good faculty, since I also am the technology coordinator for
the whole school.  I also use some of this time to make sure all my computer
inventory in the classrooms is up-to-date and redo my spreadsheet.  of
course, you never actually finish!  Good luck.


P.S.  I also try to get a warehouse order out for supplies and a book order
that should arrive before I come back.  I'm lucky that I can also go over in
the summer and work.
>How often do you inventory your collection?
End of each school year

>How long does it take?
We are given the last 2 weeks of school.  Inventory proper may not take
that much time, but there are other end-of-the-year things that need to be
done also.

>Is the library open or closed?
>Students may come to the library to use resources, but I don't see classes
>& students don't check out books.

>What would be your recommendation of how long and open or closed in my
>situation?
I would try to get 2 weeks.  You may need less time if you have parent or
older student volunteers, but you won't know 'til you're done.  Next year
you might get by with less.
Good luck -- Anne


We inventoried our fiction & easy fiction colllection last week. You can do
it when the library is open because the items that are already checked out
are "marked", so you only need to scan the items on the shelves. Hopefully
your students and staff have not taken materials without checking them out!
Can you get a parent volunteer to come in and scan the books while you work
with students & staff?


We try to do a yearly inventory.  We start in early spring and do a
little bit each day. We have a book collection of approx. 20,000. My
assistant handles this along with our student assistants.  Before we had
our on-line circ/cat system, we used the shelf list, of course, and it
took more time so we started earlier.  We had a volunteer who came one
morning a week and she worked on this constantly.  If we were pushed for
time, we would work on the most used sections of the library first and
if the rest did not get finished,it was not so bad.  We never close the
library early for inventory or anything else.  It is definitely bad PR
to do that and an inconvenience to the students.  I know you would like
to get it all done this year, but do what you can and see how far you
can get with it.  Every little bit helps!


We have 8000 books in the elem. and another 8000 in the h.s. and we
inventory every year.  I thought everybody did this but discovered a
year or two ago that that is not the case when I attended an area mtg.
and there was showing of hands as to who was going to inventory and only
about 1/3 of the hands went up.  I have, until the last couple of years,
done the h.s. myself w kids coming in each period, often working on
weekends and in the evening.  I've had a lot of help from an aid in the
elem.
Gordon Walter, k12, Ackley, Ia.
Hi - your situation is not unlike mine.  I have been librarian at my site
for 11 years and have NEVER completed an inventory....not a good thing!!
When the bigwigs from downtown ask about an inventory I always tell them
that a single librarian with a student population of 900 and no help from
anyone cannot (and at this point) will not complete inventory.  They've been
good hearted about it so far.  This year, I do have a part time aide.  We
will close the library and attempt to do some sort of inventory.
    I don't think inventory can be accomplished with an open library.  Close
it for several weeks at the end of school.  (see if you can get them to pay
you to do it over the summer).  Hire a helper.  have the helper sit with the
cards while you sit at the shelf.  Helper goes through the cards, you match
books.  When you come to a book without a card, make a mock-up.  When you
come to a card without a book use a paperclip.  When you're done with the
whole thing, you can add your extra books to your circ system.   The
paperclipped ones are a personal call.  The previous librarian used to keep
them for two inventories. (or two - five years depending on when she could
complete it) and then toss them.  (or replace them).  I tend to toss while
the tossing is good.  If I plan to replace, then I take those cards and put
them in my 'to order' pile.
But...like I say, I haven't done a complete inventory forever. Two weeks
closed at end of school year doesnt get me much time to do more than some
shelves (all fiction, all 100's -400's or the like).
So, I know the process, but it does take longer than two weeks, you do need
help and remember to bring food to munch on and take breaks.  Good reliable
students can do this, but consistency is important so if the kids are only
there for one hour of class, I don't usually have them do this.
HOpe this helps at least some!1

My school system has 15 K-5 schools, four middle schools and two high
schools.  I am in a K-5 school. The elemenmtary schools close for
circulation,classes but not reference use two weeks before the end of
school.  We do inventory then, get books on shelves etc.  I usually do part
of the library since I have no parent help and that's about all Ie ver get
to do.  I try to get around the  whole library every 4-5 years.  Other
schools with more parent help do more inventory.

I guess how long you get really depends upon how long the principal will
let you close the library for.  How much you can do depends upon how many
reliable parent helpers you have.  We are not yet computerized so we work
from shelf lists.  I don't know if that helps us be faster or slower.

Whatever you do get inventoried (and it is invaluable for knowing what you
have and what you don't have) you probably won't have to do next year.  If
you want to rotate your inventorying that is one way to do it.  Some years
I get more done than I thought I would; some years less.  Just because the
library is closed doesn't mean people are not coming and going and using
things, especially the computers, in the library which require your help
and your time.  I usually work about a week or two after schools lets out
since that is the quietest time when I can get the most done.


My 2 cents worth:

I'm always inventoried in the spring, during the last 2 weeks of
school.  (Once, after heavily weeding the non-fiction section, and with
lots of time during December -- no one was using the library -- my clerk
and I inventoried that section).

Even with inaccurate records you need to start somewhere with
inventory.  At my last school, the catalog was districtwide, and for
inventory the printouts had both schools.  The problem was our working
printout did NOT indicate which school the book belonged in.  Thus, we
had many books "lost" (belonging and rightly at the other library), and
many misplaced (sitting on the shelf at the "wrong" library, but counted
as there on the "wrong" inventory sheet).  We slowed worked to delete
the books from the other library.  Once we had two clean inventories we
created one combined database on a zip disk.  When we wanted to check
the holdings of the other library we ran the disk.

Sorry for that aside; to continue...
Right now is the PERFECT TIME TO WEED any books you want to get rid of.
Find a few minutes daily to work on a small section.  Take notes while
there of what you have to replace, and by ruthless in getting rid of out
of date materials!!!

Inventorying a large collection works best with a team of people.  In my
elementary school days I put the call out for volunteers, fed them
plenty, and had them work in teams to work the shelves.  If you are
going to use volunteers you'll need to advertise around May 1  (May is
so busy, check school and community calendars early; possibly provide
toddler sitting [another volunteer]).  People who don't usually
volunteer at school may be willing to come in for a morning, or
afternoon, or one day, or two days for this special project.  Check with
your PTA; they may be able to find volunteers (have they been asked in
the past?)  If no one in the school, is there a senior center or church
group (or the scouts) willing to give you some time.

Create your calendar, working backwards.  Students at my various schools
could NOT participate in end-of-year activities (including high school
graduation) unless all library books were turned in, or paid for.  So,
what's that date for your school?  Back up from there to create a date
all books are absolutely due (1 week prior?)  Of course, you spend that
week tracking down overdue books.  Services during that time?  You
didn't mention what age groups.  For elementary we had the public
library personnel come in and read a story/introduce their summer
reading program.  Parent/s volunteer to read -- in the classroom?  For
older students no check out, but students could browse, read magazines,
work on the internet...

Get the shelves in the best order possible prior to inventory.  Again,
use volunteers if possible (they can be done during that week you're
trying to get all the books back, especially with a few volunteers).
I've found some of my Asian moms, with limited English, but a willing
heart to help in their child's school are good at shelf reading.   If
there are subs in the building and they have a free period or two, can
they be used to shelf read during that free time?  If not, do the best
you can and work small sections at a time.

Plan on your volunteers working in pairs.  One reading from the shelf
list file, one verifying the book information.  Provide paperclips to
note which cards do not have a book, and several boxes for people to put
books needing obvious repairs or ones way out of order.  Have one or two
people work on these problems while others continue to work through the
shelf list.

Provide food.  I planned a "lunch" each day.  My morning volunteers
stayed for lunch, then left; my afternoon ones came early.  My "angels"
stayed the whole day  (they also volunteered to bring part of the
meal).  Depending on budget, and number of people eating, I usually make
most of the food myself (chips, lunchmeat/bread, raw carrots,
lemonade/iced tea, dessert).  My clerk has volunteered, as have a few
others to bring some part of the meal. Could take a few dollars from the
overdue fines, or approach the principal for small funds for food.

The hard part is figuring out how long this will all take.  2-3 days, or
more?  Buy yourself as much time as possible -- as in two weeks. One
week is collection and organization time -- with limited services (and
no book checkout).  The second is inventory and problem-solving.  If
well organized, inventory can start during the first week! (If you don't
need 2 weeks, adjust next year; hopefully administration and staff will
understand for one year!) Once the grunt work is done, you'll still have
the repairs, the lost books, the paperclipped cards, orders for next
year, weeding?  And various other descrepancies.  Also, I imagine your
goal is to get back online.  Thus, extra time could be used to compare
what you found to what the computer says you have.

What, no volunteers, no help?  Think about students volunteers (in the
future, not this year).  If they helped shelve throughout the year
(maybe even had "ownership" of a section in the library), they might be
helpers for inventory.  Again, provide food!

On your own?  Do a manageable section this year.  Non-fiction?
Biographies?  Reference?  Paperbacks?  Fiction?  At one school we
alternated, fiction (and paperbacks) one year; non-fiction (plus
biographies and reference) the next.  What about inventorying a section
at a different time of the year?  How's your week before Christmas? (we
stayed open, but were not busy, thus inventoried "full-time") During
finals?  Another time?

Lastly (sorry, this is so long!) develop arguments why this is necessary
(thus why you need help, and WHY YOU NEED TO CLOSE THE LIBRARY EARLY).
Students can't find materials that have walked long ago.  False sense of
what we have (yes, we have lots of books on origami; we have sufficient
books for all our students...).  Gives you much needed perusal of what
you have.. weed those "someday we'll walk on the moon, Berlin Wall is
still standing, there is no Bosnia... and know where to update the
collection.  (Volunteers WILL bring questionable books to you!)

This has to be more that you wanted.  Hope it wasn't all a waste of
time!!

Good luck,

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