Building a City of Readers by Curating Collections
Calgary Public Library, Alberta
Innovation Synopsis
“Finding a book that speaks to me, that I just can’t wait to read.” With this oft-heard patron request in mind, an innovative approach was taken to the curation of four key collections within the Calgary Public Library system: adult paperbacks, children’s picture books, adult non-fiction, and new and notables.
Challenge/Opportunity
Re-envisioning less-than-appealing collections into high-demand collections became our mantra. Using Librarian expertise to curate these collections was our method. Children’s picture books were shelved spine out and alphabetically by the author’s last name. Adult paperback circulation had declined over several years as readers migrated to e-books and as mass-market publishing diminished. The old paperback spinners had outstayed their welcome. Patrons visiting our adult non-fiction found themselves staring at rows and rows of spines with confusing numbers in our adult non-fiction collections. We began curating these collections and staking out floor space to market more directly to our patrons.
Key Elements of Innovation
The new Adult Paperback Collection provides a bookstore experience with face-out copies of current trade, and mass market paperbacks. For busy adults, Library Express provides face-out browsing in themed Adult nonfiction collections: Work, Leisure, Wellness, Home, Current Interest, World, and Biography. We Recommend, based on Nancy Pearl’s four doorways (Plot, Prose, People, Place), lets readers find titles they adore. Bookmarks with notes by librarians are included! Dinosaurs, Things that Go, Princesses and Palaces, Animals, and ABC123 comprise the picture book collection. In attractive child-sized bins, the books are a hit with children who love to browse and choose their own.
Achieved Outcomes
Borrowing activity now shows that more than 75 percent of the current Adult Paperback collection is in circulation. 18,000 paperbacks realized 253,664 circulations in 2015 and turnover was very high, exceeding 13 circulations per copy. Similarly, more than 75 percent of the Dinosaurs, Things that Go, and Princesses and Palaces collections are in circulation and over 60 percent of the Animals and ABC123 collections are in circulation. Fifty five percent of the Library Express collection is signed out and 75 percent of We Recommend. Our goal to reinvigorate several collections and to get more Calgarians reading more has been realized…but we won’t stop there!