BCPL's experience

(from Joseph Eagan)

Dear colleagues:

I wanted to share some information about floating collections at Baltimore Ccounty Public Library. They started to float some materials about eight months ago and began to float all library materials on January 2. So far, some of the results of floating are:

The size of deliveries among the BCPL branches has dropped by approximately one-half - YES, approximately 50% - since floating was implemented. This means an incredible reduction in staff workloads, more materials on the shelves available for circulation and a substantial savings in terms of delivery costs. In the future BCPL may consider two deliveries a day or implementing Saturday deliveries.
The amount of new materials on the shelves - available for circulation - has increased substantially according to anecdotal evidence from library staff. When I visited the Pikesville Library last Saturday, I was simply amazed at the amount of new materials on display, including multiple copies of new fiction. One of the branch managers recently told me, "We need to buy less new popular fiction now .. we can buy more titles and fewer copies." Why? Because the popular materials are either in circulation or on the shelves - not sitting in a tub!
Collections are automatically "freshened" as customers return materials to different branches. Customers now participate in collection management by returning materials to a particular branch.
Floating has positive benefits for the customers and staff workloads but means a whole new way of thinking about collection management. It's no longer a branch collection but a system collection in terms of labeling, weeding, etc.


Joseph

Joseph Eagan
Olney Library Manager

Beginning to float

Beginning on or about March 31^st we will begin to float several parts of MCPL’s shared collection in order to:

• Reduce time in the delivery
• Reduce the number of check-ins for items that travel
• Increase availability
• Reduce processing time for new materials
• Try this innovative approach on a small scale

Reading list, audio books (both J & A), large print, and non-fiction A DVDs will not go “in transit” when they are returned to a branch other than where they originated. These items will show as "on shelf" at the branch where they are checked in (if they don't go on to fill holds).

As a start, I need to know this regarding Reading List books:

We propose to keep the processing to

• A barcode
• A date due label with no branch designation
• A stamp on the top (or for thin books, on a sticker) that says RL—[first initial of main entry] e.g. for Shakespeare the stamp would say RL—S.
• MCPL stamp on the top

Can you live with this level of processing?

You will no longer need to or want to do any local processing on the floating items. Items already in the collection will float with their current stickers and stamps on them.

You will receive a reading list order sheet and instructions in the next several days.

We’re still working on any processing issues related to large print and the media items.