While the workings of collection maintenance are largely invisible to library users outside of the occasional weeding controversy, it sets the tone for the appeal of the library’s collections. Like many large library systems, SFPL has grappled with inconsistent collection maintenance and pockets of poorly weeded collections. After the initial implementation of CollectionHQ in late 2012 staff saw an opportunity to introduce a comprehensive overhaul of the Library’s practices, policies and procedures. Collection HQ offered a great suite of tools, but we wanted to coordinate staff utilization system-wide to achieve a high level of consistency among 29 locations. Finding time for collection maintenance has always been difficult, but it’s crucial that library collections be attractive, right-sized, and meet the needs and desires of users. Like many libraries SFPL is placing an increasing emphasis on outreach and programming. Staff are stretched to accommodate these new demands along with the old. Our goal was a collection maintenance system that would give busy branch staff a set list of tasks on a calendar, with a cross-functional team approach. The system needed to ensure effective collections through complete annual review, while making the most efficient use of staff time spent in collection maintenance.

A Collection Maintenance Task Force formed to innovate our collection maintenance practices ultimately engineered a sweeping overhaul that has already resulted in vastly better maintained collections, with the added values of integrating replacement purchasing and optimizing placement of materials at our 27 branches, Main Library and Bookmobiles.

The Collection Review Calendar is a comprehensive way to schedule tasks that coordinate inventory, weeding, transferring items between branches, and replacement lists.

• It outlines a four month review cycle for each Dewey century. The monthly order of tasks is designed to remove all outdated materials; swap high-circulating copies for shelf-sitters; acquire more books in popular subject areas by swapping with branches where the subject is not popular; and finally, weed low-circulating items and make replacement lists for high-circulating items.
• Fiction goes through a similar cycle which is repeated four times a year (in a recent six month period, 1,121 novels that had not circulated in 14 months received 1,642 circulations at new locations.)

• Branches are able to get replacement copies only after they have identified titles they cannot get by swapping with other branches.

• The materials budget is maximized by using CollectionHQ’s ability to guide movement of materials to optimal locations both in tandem with replacement purchasing and for purchase of new materials.

In a recent nine-month period new nonfiction items spent an average of twenty fewer days on the shelf. Clear collection maintenance expectations for professional and para-professional staff clarify responsibilities and set expectations, and new performance assessment templates include collection maintenance duties. Branch staff may directly distribute weeded materials to schools and nonprofits, providing an opportunity for branches to strengthen community ties.

Achieved outcomes include cleaner, brighter collections of materials with optimal placement and regular replenishment of core and still-needed titles. Weeding is now much more consistent, and metrics show a marked decrease in little-used items and worn materials throughout the branch system. Staff in para-professional as well as professional classifications have been empowered to participate in weeding materials based on condition. Staff training plans include branch site visits, short presentations at meetings, comprehensive CREW training, incorporation into staff orientation, and regular all-staff email items about collection maintenance. Shellie Cocking and denise schmidt will present our system at ALA Annual as part of a program “Data-Driven Collections: Integrating Evidence Into Your Collection Maintenance and Development Procedures.” These efficiencies have already led to significant improvements in collection maintenance without additional staffing, and will ultimately further the library’s goals of expanding marketing and outreach work by branch staff. Critical lessons learned include the importance of written policies and procedures combined with training. Ongoing discussions should include the need for elastic space reallocation by branch libraries to allow additional space for popular collections. Furniture and design choices should reflect this need. Making sure staff understand that the guidelines and procedures are tools to use along with their professional judgment, not robotic decrees, is also important. At the same time, there is a need to increase staff understanding that they are charged with being true to assigned collection levels, which in many cases are basic rather than research levels.