Floating Collections Review and Change
Nashville Public Library, Tenn.
Innovation Synopsis
NPL strives to curate collections that reflect the communities our branches serve. We recently determined our patrons could be better served if we used Collection HQ rather than relying on floating collections. Now, our 21 locations house resources that meet the needs of each surrounding neighborhood.
Challenge/Opportunity
When NPL relied on floating collections, many materials requested at our branches were unavailable. Since we implemented Collection HQ, we have reorganized the items housed at each branch so that frequently requested materials at specific locations are now available on site. Now, materials – which before sat on the shelf at one branch for over a year – are circulating frequently at their new branch homes. Specifically, over 6,000 items have been relocated based on circulation data, leading to over 11,000 additional checkouts in just 3 months. Now that demand is increasing due to appropriately-curated collections, we are running holds notification reports twice daily. Patrons are receiving their requested items within 48 hours of placing most holds.
Key Elements of Innovation
Successful implementation of Collection HQ procedures depends on effective training for staff at every NPL location. As they run the monthly reports, staff members at each branch are empowered to make improvements based on their collections’ strengths and weaknesses. While patrons are now more likely than ever to find the items they want at their local branch, at times they still request materials from other branches. We readjusted the holds priority list based on size of collection to even staff workload (i.e. smallest collection would be first after the Main Library to pull for holds).
Achieved Outcomes
Collection management systems like Collection HQ that distribute material based on past usage data drive material placement decisions more effectively than the patron floating method. After we moved away from floating, we added more items of non-reservable bestsellers that are refreshed every 2 months. This “Lucky Day” collection was added to better respond to newly published material and increase usage of the collection by casual library users and browsers. Our patrons can now find the materials they want without traveling all over Nashville, and our staff are now equipped to create collections that meet the needs of their changing communities. The Library will continue to analyze its collections regularly to ensure that resources are allocated effectively.