What does floating materials mean?
When a customer returns an item, it is shelved at the location where it was returned instead of being sent back to the owning location. Upon checkin, the location is automatically updated in the library catalog to show where it now resides.
Why float?
1. Agencies will provide better browsing, because collections will be continually refreshed.
2. Popular materials will be available more quickly for patrons, because they will not have to be shipped around town.
3. The library will give better value for public funding, because we will reduce delivery, and the physical stress associated with it.
4. Floating materials will be considered one collection that is distributed among all agencies with the exception of the w7th library. The movement of these materials will be driven by customer use.
5. Selectors will have a better idea of community use when ordering materials.
What floats?
All of the following materials will float:
CDS
VIDEOS
DVDS
BONC/CDS
AUDIO CASSETTES
BOOK CLUB IN A BAG
ADULT FICTION including Mystery, Western and Science fiction
LARGE PRINT FICTION including Mystery, Western and Science fiction
GRAPHIC NOVELS ADULT, TEEN and JUVENILE (FICTION ONLY)
jHUMOR
jBOARD BOOKS
jCOMICS
jREADER
The following special collection materials will not float:
1. ALL language learning materials
2. Highland Library- lower level materials (HI-LL)
3. Merriam Library- Bungalow & Deaf/HOH collections
3. Rondo Library- Black & Asian authors
4. Central Library- Fitzgerald & MN. Book Award Collections
5. All W 7th materials
All other special collections will be discontinued. No special labeling of these collections will be needed because the collections will float.
We do not plan on continuing to rotate BONC's & Large print items because they will float automatically.
Non-fiction books will not float.
Click on Comments to add comments or ask questions.
19 comments:
I was just wondering how this is going to work logistically. I know that at Sun Ray we barely have enough room as it is. Are you guys expecting enough stuff to be returned elsewhere to free up space? We were just wondering how this is going to work...
Who weeds the floating collection? Who takes care of damaged CD and DVD cases? However will missing items ever be found? How will holds be handled?
Since the most internet savvy users are at Highland and Merriam, all the new, hot items that have been on hold will eventually end up there, and poorer neighborhoods will never get to see as many of the bestsellers that they did when ones were bought for their own agencies.
Curiouser and curiouser. Please post some links describing how it has worked elsewhere.
What is going to happen at the branches to which most of sppl's materials are returned? In other words, how are we going to move material to other branches when our shelves get too full?
Why doesn't the nonfiction float?
Thanks Barb-
Since floating collections are driven by customer use we think it is a good idea to float popular materials. We will thoroughly evaluate how floating materials works for users before we consider floating any other materials.
Please consider reading my previous floating materials blog "The latest wave" written by Ann Cress
Weeding will continue under the leadership of MMC.
The agency that checks in the damaged CD and DVD cases will be responsible for replacing the cases.
The process for handling hold materials will stay the same.
I don't think we we can assume where materials will be returned. The whole point of the project is to have more popular materials on the shelves. We will thoroughly evaluate the project to see if it works as well as it has for other libraries. I will be working with a team of clerks starting in February to plan contingencies.
I will send an email link to my Learning 2.0 Floating Materials blog for those who have not seen it.... that link is also available on the SPPL intranet featuring "The Latest Wave" written by Ann Cress.
More information to come!
Bren-
This is exactly what we are expecting!
We are expecting that with the refreshed collection patrons will be checking out the newer or refreshed items.
A few quotes from libraries with floating collections-
"Circulation has increased dramatically"
"You have new movies"
"Circulation up, delivery down"
"Everything balanced itself out"
"We no longer feel the need to rotate materials"
"All branches float"
"We delete all materials that are falling apart"
"You have different large print books!"
Email question-
"Does the OWNING library take care of notifying the patron and waiting for the missing component or will the RECEIVING library"
Thank you, this procedure will not change. It will be the responsibility of the owning agency.
Please visit the intranet to view the Missing Components instructional video.
http://intranet.sppl.org/training/
Anonymous stated in an earlier post:
"Since the most internet savvy users are at Highland and Merriam, all the new, hot items that have been on hold will eventually end up there, and poorer neighborhoods will never get to see as many of the bestsellers..."
If this happens, hopefully the staff at the poorer branches will have enough Internet savvy so they can place holds for the "all the new, hot items." They can check those items out and check them in and then "all the new, hot items" will be on the shelves at the poorer branches (and it will boost your circ numbers in the process). Yes, it is circumnavigating the system. Some may even call it cheating. But if you are that concerned about what is on your shelves, you will find a way to fix it.
Secondly, Great River Regional Library (aka St Cloud MN) has a floating collection. When the shelves at one of their branches become too full, they email or call another branch to see if anyone needs those items. Then they crate the items up and ship them off to that branch (presumably changing the ILOC's somewhere in the process). Here is the link to GRR if want to check out their catalog:
http://www.griver.org/. If you check a title (such as Playing for Pizza or Marley & Me), you will notice an (F) in front of the call number. The (F)means "Floating Collection."
Hope this answers a few of your questions or at least gives you a few more things to think about. :)
I think libraries can also take a look at their shelves now - if your shelves are filled to the brim, maybe there should be some pre-emptive weeding done.
I think we also need to be more pro-active about weeding out materials that are dirty, torn, ripped, or otherwise disgusting instead of sending them back onto the shelf with a damage noted stamp or just ignoring the problem.
A few other branches have black or Asian author collections, but only RD's is being listed as non-floating. Is this intentional? Are they to be eliminated everywhere except RD? Why would RD's black author collection be more valid than any other branch's?
Deb-
Well said!
Thank you for sharing your valuable insight.
Suzanne
Thanks for writing, McGhiever!
The issue of what happens to “special collections” in branches is one of the first things we had to consider when we were looking into the concept of floating materials. As you know, in order to float, we had to start thinking of our library materials as a single, system-wide shared collection. “Special collections” within branches conflict with that concept.
We want to make it as easy as possible for the staff to deal with floating materials, so we don’t want to have a lot of exceptions to the list of what will and won’t float.
We do have some smaller collections at the branch libraries that have labeled Black and Asian authors. When we start floating materials, these labels will have no meaning when they are returned to another branch.
At the same time, there are a few significant collections which we do want to keep together. Rondo’s special fiction collections are significant in size, have great depth, and are a resource for the entire region. The collections have been built and maintained for decades, and are true assets to the library and city. They are a destination that we don’t want to dilute.
Another example of a collection like this is the Fitzgerald Collection at the Central library. This collection will not float, because we want to maintain the significant attraction we have built in the Magazine Room as a programming site and a downtown destination. The Friends support this, and we want to continue promoting this collection on our website.
In our diverse city, it is great that most of our branch libraries have works by both Black and Asian authors. They do have value everywhere, not just at Rondo.
Please don’t rush into dismantling your special collections. I hope it will be easy for you to keep displays for Black and Asian authors full simply by adding the items returned to your agency.
We’ll find out together!
Hello, Anonymous,
(Why are you anonymous?)
I don’t think we should assume that people in poorer neighborhoods who want bestsellers don’t know how to work with our staff or our holds system. What distinguishes “heavy users” is not the neighborhood they live in, but the fact that they are heavy readers.
Anyway, if your prediction is right, it means that the staff will need to be even more helpful in showing people how to place holds and asking patrons if they need assistance. This might be even easier with roving reference.
We trust that the staff will give the floating collection a good-faith effort. If we see that the system is being manipulated as you describe, that’s easy to detect and deal with.
The whole point of floating is to have a customer-driven collection, not a staff-driven collection.
Thanks for info on Great River Regional. As posted previously, I will be meeting with the floating materials team to talk about the floating collection project and making contingency plans for library materials.
Keep watching for updates.
The following questions came by email, my answers are also listed!
1. Will Bookmobile items be a part of the floating collection? Yes
If yes, will they still have an extended loan period (2 weeks for movies, 4 weeks for books)? Yes
2. Will we have to reprint our goldenrod YOUR LIBRARY CARD brochure which says book loans are 3 weeks and movies 1 week? No
4. Can you think of other implications I haven't that may require new signs or brochures? No, but I'm certain I can count on all of you to help me out!
When will all this fabulous floating begin?
Floating will start at the beginning of March!
Hello, Everyone,
We are getting very close to the launch of Floating Collection (March 2008) and in anticipation, Doug, had three new fields added yesterday (2/04) to item records in the system:
- IN LOC - the location (statistical group) where the item was last checked in
- LOUTDATE - last date item was checked out before the current checkout date (if item is checked out)
- OUT LOC - the location (statistical group) where item was last checked out
Statistic groups (identify location of an item)
Available on the intranet:
http://intranet.sppl.org/mmc/statistics-groups.pdf
Thank you,
Suzanne
A few key points as we continue to float.
•Our fantastic delivery person Brian Moser reports that the delivery crate count is down an approximate and astounding 200 crates per day!
•Overall checkout has increased when comparing April 2008 to April 2007.
•Please keep the check-in slips for re-use when instructed.
•When checking in multiple copies of the same title- 10 copies of “Old man and the Sea” were returned to your branch, keep two copies and send the rest back to the owning locations with a check-in slip in each of these items.
•The CD flip shelving has been delayed. We are meeting with the City Attorney today to address any issues with the bidding process.
•Please continue to watch the screen when checking in items.
Thank you for all of your positive comments and feedback on this wonderful project.
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