Hello all

as promised here is a round up of the comments received

Generally as you will see below many of stopped large scale stock
circulation, and have replaced them with smaller more specialised or themed
collections which are easier to mange. The main reason for stopping large
scale circulation is the amount of time and work involved in accomplishing
it.
Free requests were also mentioned as a positive move.

Thanks to all those who responded.


Rochdale

We started small with a few featured collections that could do the rounds
with a bit of a fuss at each location and that worked quite well. We've
scaled that up quite a bit but still target specific areas and/or
collections rather than wholesale moves so that incoming stock refreshes
the local collection rather than just provides same old same old. That way
we can justify buying "unusual" stock for small branch libraries - even if
it doesn't get issued (though it often is: this is a useful way of doing
real market resource at a branch level) it does make it obvious that
there's something new in the library, something that a pile of new cookery
books or romances can't often do.

We've also stopped charging for reservations for items in stock. This has
doubled the number of reservations (and online reservations have gone up
fourfold) and has a definite positive impact on our issue figures,
particularly in branches. Whereas in the past customers would have turned
and sadly walked away when we said: "we could reserve it for you for 30p"
they're happily placing reservations. Don't ask us about the impact on our
income targets, though! (We've got away with it so far as part of the
corporate transformation agenda).

Leeds

The clearest evidence I have is that it reduces complaints. In Leeds we
have circulated stock extensively for 25 years and have often wondered
whether we had much tangible evidence of the benefits. During 2006-7 due to
amongst other things a restructure very little was circulated as a result
when we did Plus the few comments on stock exchanges which we get every
year multiplied - particularly on the mobiles as you'd expect but also
amongst most of our smallest branches

Automated circulation didn't work well for us technically when we tried it
in a pilot, but we have a manual circulation programme, and also a return
anywhere (dynamic stock) policy which is popular with customers and moves
large numbers of books around

We concentrate more on circulating mostly adult stock between small
service points, or within genres eg large print , across service points of
all sizes

we don't generally circulate (apart from return anywhere) most younger
children's stock, and only do limited and focussed circulation of
children's non fiction

We have done our best to find data to prove an increase in issues due to
circulation, but consistent evidence of improved issues has proved elusive
and circulation in itself has not stopped relative decline in book
borrowing, particularly at small service points as opposed to large ones

 We feel that stock circulation is however welcomed by regular users,
particularly in smaller service points, and there can be a positive public
relations factor in an obvious change of stock
We certainly have evidence from PLUS survey comments that stock
circulation is wanted by customers, more so in smaller libraries, so there
must be an element of keeping existing customers happy and thus retaining
their library use

We also feel that is essential to move on items of all categories where
we'd only expect limited use at any single site, thus getting better value
for money during the course of the material's life - or where appropriate
enabling a better informed and more timely discard/ booksale decision to be
made

Windsor & Maidenhead

* We only circulate LP and SPW, literally because we have such small amount
of stock in those areas
* Stopped circulating both ANF and AF 3 years ago because of the amount of
time and effort taken up both by formal and informal processes, and I
wasn't convinced of the benefit.
* Its had no impact that I can quantify on issues - I have some small
branches which are still increasing issues year on year, and the ones which
are suffering seem in line with my 2 bigger branches which were not part
of the circ process and are therefore my "control" libraries.
* I suppose the thing we offer our libraries which probably is stock
circulation to a certain extent, is as an extra to regular new books - we
offer "special collections" of themed stock housed at the central library,
and bookable by branches for set periods of time. This has worked well as
all are booked out all the time so no space issue centrally and the staff
are choosing to have the stock and make more of an effort promoting it.
Which I know they should be doing anyway but this seems to work for us.

Reading

We used to circulate a great deal of our stock -possibly too much as - and
it was very staff intensive both in the branches (where books were moved on
and added) and at the central library (where they were sent in for
librarians to reallocate at the end of their cycles)

Three years ago we changed LMS systems and initially stock circulation was
not possible. It is again now, but we have put very little stock into
circulation, largely because it was so time consuming. Stock that is not
issuing is picked up by the librarians in the course of their normal stock
work and reallocated.

Our issues do not seem to have suffered at all (and indeed fiction rose 11%
last year compared with the year before), although other initiatives such
as short loan best seller collections, no doubt account for some of this.

And finally, I am not sure which authority sent this comment in but it does
give an alternative perspective

Whilst I agree that this practice is a pain, I can say that whenever we've
suspended our circulation in small libraries, the issues have nosedived as
the stock goes stale very quickly. As I'm writing in a personal capacity
(from a large rural authority directly to the north of you) I can't quote
statistics but I do think that there's really no option but to grit your
teeth and carry on.


Peter Hebdon
Senior Librarian, Fiction & Reader Development

Wallsend Library
Ferndale Road
Wallsend
NE28 7NB

Tel: 0191 200 6968
Fax: 0191 200 6967
Email: [log in to unmask]

Unless otherwise stated, opinions, conclusions and other information
expressed in this message are personal and not those of North Tyneside
Council




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