As mandated by State Standards [in Georgia], we conduct inventory each year.
Before we leave for the summer we are supposed to send a copy of our
inventory to the central office to be kept on file too. Most choose to do this
during
the last two weeks of school. While we don't "close" the library, we do stop
circulation to students and urge teachers to turn in any materials they are
not using.
For me, it is easier to check everything all at one time. I have heard of
some who inventory sections through the year. However, by doing everything at
one time I know which materials are missing, lost, etc. at one specific time.
At inventory time I print a circulation analysis (using SURPASS) for the
entire year and compare our circulation to previous years. This is the most
important report to me. We have to print several other reports to send to be kept
on file. I use the Missing Items report to determine what materials I need to
reorder and give priority to heavily used materials such as books we have
Reading Counts tests for. We have had problems with our portable scanners in the
past (this year being no exception) and have spent more time doing inventory
either by bringing all materials to the circulation desk to be scanned or by
being limited to scanning a few materials at a time with the portable scanner.
Even having an aide, this is still time consuming...especially while having
to stop numerous time and pulling materials for teachers, playing videos, etc.
While automation has simplified the procedure in many ways, I feel a drawback
is that the "old fashioned" way whereby we used to use the shelf-list cards
and physically touch each book, look at it, etc. I knew my collection better.
Even after several years of being automated, I feel all the other years of the
"old way" is the main way I know my collection and can easily (and sometimes
quickly) recommend materials and locate them. Of course I don't MISS doing
the shelf-list shuffle! :)
During these last two weeks we use it as a time to try to get things back in
some order, realign our A-V materials so they all fit on the shelves instead
of being stacked on top of each other, give the shelves a once-over for damaged
materials, possibly out-of-date materials, etc. We also use it as a time to
inventory all equipment ordered through the library or that we are required to
keep track of. This was a big task this year as we tried to get our Works
Database of equipment back to some order. What I was expecting to take me two
hours a day over a weeks time to do...turned into taking about 5 hours a day
over a week and I'm still not finished. By the time I am finished we will have
a correct computer inventory and hopefully I will accurately know where all
the equipment is located. And of course there is the equipment check-off list I
have to check for our warehouse...and that's supposed to be done by next Wed.
In regard to the two weeks where services are modified and students don't
check out, I think the best example is what a couple of our schools are having to
do. Their administration made the decision (with no input from the med.
spec.) to have students checking out books up until the last week of school. The
media specialists were scrambling this past week to get the books back in,
send out overdue notices, AND do inventory. We have only a two day post-planning
week. Even having two weeks to get materials in, sending out overdues on a
daily basis, conducting inventory, etc. there is no way I will be through Wed.
and will spend the rest of the week and probably some of the next week just
trying to get things to a point where they will be ready in the fall.
Is inventory necessary? Like John Royce said in his post, I appreciate how
necessary inventory is...that doesn't mean I like the craziness involved of
getting it done...ha.. In my opinion it is necessary. Even if I delegate some
things, I feel overall it helps me in my job in knowing the collection.
Instead of delegating the equipment check job to my parapro, I did it...because some
of the types of equipment (filmstrip previewer, etc.) she didn't know what it
was....some of the teachers didn't even know what it looked like. It was
much easier for me to go to the rooms and eyeball the equipment and verify for
myself that the equipment was there. I found equipment that had been labeled as
missing for years. It gave me the ease of mind knowing for sure and not
wondering. Once I have it as accurate as I feel it can be, then perhaps I can
delegate next year....
Tony Pope, Library Media Specialist
McHenry Primary School
100 McHenry Drive
Rome, GA 30161
Pope1966@aol.com
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