-----Original Message-----
From: lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Simon Craddock
Sent: 20 July 2007 17:22
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Supplier Selection
Good to see such a lively debate.
I'd better weigh in with my own view:
1. Pure supplier selection will reduce stock range and turn libraries
into poorer versions of WH Smith.
How and why? By getting rid of what we all do in very library and
concentrating on what is needed and good and special locally would
improve the service to the user surely?
2. Creating good range and balanced stock is a skill, some of that can
be built into a stock specification, some cannot. For this reason I
favour a mixed economy, using supplier selection for the easy stuff but
nurturing librarian stock knowledge to do the rest. Keeping these skills
within libraries helps us to recruit librarians, it's also what most of
our customers think that we are about. It's much easier going out and
promoting the service if you have direct control over what's on the
shelves. Customers (and prospective customers) respect and value our
skills and knowledge.
Exactly, your first point) use the librarian to add value. Send the
easy, usual routine out, and do what is specific to your customer, and
add value to the work, the library and for the user.
3. Narrowing choice by pursuing volume issues is a dead end. We cannot
compete with retail and nor should we try. Libraries must have a better
vision and clearer sense of worth than that.
Absolutely spot on., again add value., do what others cant do., promote
that back stock those old books., market the niche areas you have., be
different to WH Smith etc
4. Simplistic over-use of community profiles and demand measurement will
constrict stock choice. Opening the Book's Stock Quality Health Check
only measures fiction range, no such similar measure exists for
non-fiction so pure demand will lead to a very predictable stock range.
We must understand what users are doing and what they want., we need to
gather information form a wide range., e.g. PLR etc., we need to
aggregate information across the piste to understand more about our
customer and trends, etc. Again we need to ADD Value!
Simon Craddock
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