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Strategies for Keeping Your Strategies for Keeping Your Collection Alive and Vibrant Collection Alive and Vibrant During Budget CutsDuring Budget Cuts

Carolyn M. Myerscarolynm@multcolib.org

An Infopeople WorkshopSpring 2005

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This Workshop Is Brought to This Workshop Is Brought to You By the Infopeople ProjectYou By the Infopeople Project

Infopeople is a federally-funded grant project supported by the California State Library. It provides a wide variety of training to California libraries. Infopeople workshops are offered around the state and are open registration on a first-come, first-served basis.

For a complete list of workshops, and for other information about the Project, go to the Infopeople Web site at infopeople.org.

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AgendaAgenda

Prepare for Cuts Before they Happen

Making Cuts to the Collection Budget

Continue Developing for the FutureIdeas For Keeping Your Collection Vibrant

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IntroductionsIntroductions

1. Name2. Title3. Library4. Did you have to make cuts to your budget

last year? What amount or percent?

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The Challenge of CutsThe Challenge of Cuts

What problems have occurred in your community as a result of cuts you had to make?

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Prepare Ahead for CutsPrepare Ahead for Cuts• Have a collection plan in place• Know how your collection reflects your

library purpose and policies

• Make use of documents such as:• Mission Statement• Long Range Plan• Collection Development Policy

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Mission Statement ExtractsMission Statement Extracts“Multnomah County Library serves the people…by

providing…materials to meet their informational, educational, cultural and recreational needs…providing people of all ages with access and guidance to information and collections that reflect all points of view.”

“The Millar library facilitates Portland State University’s mission of teaching and learning to enhance intellectual, social, cultural and economic life for undergraduates and professional programs relevant to metropolitan areas.”

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Long Range PlanLong Range Plan

Sets directionMeasurable goals and objectives

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Update and Write Policies and Update and Write Policies and ProceduresProcedures

Use slack time to write policies on collection development, materials selection, or disaster recovery

Analyze ordering, processing, workflow, and job descriptions

Review policies and practices with staff

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Measures that Help Assess Your Measures that Help Assess Your Collection Development PolicyCollection Development PolicyStatistical reportsUsage patternsHoldingsDemographicsBenchmarks

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What Statistics Do You Collect What Statistics Do You Collect and How Do You Use Them?and How Do You Use Them?

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Turnover RatesTurnover Rates

Are you familiar with turnover rates and their use as a tool for evaluating your collection?Turnover = Circulation divided by holdings

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Analyze Your CollectionAnalyze Your Collection

Consider using some form of collection analysis, such as Conspectus or other formal process

Two examples:– WorldCat Collection Analysis

http://www.oclc.org/collectionanalysis– Bowker’s Book Analysis System

http://www.BowkerSupport.com

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Understand The Place of the Understand The Place of the CollectionCollection

Status and importance within the libraryWithin the local political contextCompared to national peer libraries

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Exercise #1Exercise #1

Using Statistics

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Developing a Strategy for Developing a Strategy for Making CutsMaking Cuts

Who will make the decisionWhat type of cuts will be madeDecide on a processCommunicate the rationale

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Who Decides?Who Decides?

Your funding agencyYour library directorExecutive committeeSelection committeeYourself

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What is the Nature of the What is the Nature of the Cuts?Cuts?

One time Short durationLong term

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Decide How the CutsDecide How the CutsWill Be MadeWill Be Made

Request input and involve all concernedDevelop guidelines to help staff who will

make specific cutsOffer support to staff making the cuts

– consider a team leader or a person who can handle the documentation

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After the Cuts Have Been After the Cuts Have Been Made…Communicate!Made…Communicate!Tell staff the specific cuts and give the

reasons and rationale usedInform the public if appropriateIf there is an implementation delay, remind

the staff again about the cuts and the rationale

Thank all staff for their hard work

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Exercise #2Exercise #2

Handling Budget Cuts

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Document Cuts For Future UseDocument Cuts For Future UseList each cut, its magnitude, and the

rationale behind itMake a file of memos sentWrite down and make a file of anything

useful you learned during the experienceRecord the impact of each cut on the

collection

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Acknowledge Possible Acknowledge Possible Benefits of Budget CutsBenefits of Budget CutsProvides rationale for shifting priorities to

future needsOversized and underused collections can be

prunedMedia no longer in use can be eliminatedA “Sacred Cow” gift collection can be

sacrificed

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What Sacred Cow Collection What Sacred Cow Collection Should You Consider Cutting Should You Consider Cutting in Your Library? in Your Library? Why?Why?

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Temptations to ResistTemptations to Resist

Don’t stop weeding– continue with your weeding criteria– maintain your weeding schedule

Resist cutting out popular materialsDon’t ignore new formats

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Focus on the Future of the Focus on the Future of the CollectionCollection“Treading Water” means your collection is

going nowhereUse the Mission Statement and Long

Range Plan to guide decisionsDon’t be surprised at contention as values

are examined in public

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Exercise # 3Exercise # 3

Defending Collection Changes

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Keep the Collection VisibleKeep the Collection VisibleIssue an annual state of the collection

report– summarize what happened the prior year;

including items purchased, titles added, etc.– summarize the year ahead, including % of

budget going to adults, children, reference, periodicals, spoken, DVDs, etc.

– remind people about any significant events planned for the collection

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How Do You Make the How Do You Make the Collection at Your Library Collection at Your Library Vibrant?Vibrant?

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Ideas for Keeping Your Ideas for Keeping Your Collection VibrantCollection VibrantAllow materials to remain at the branch

where they are returned– staff and delivery time are saved– the public enjoy seeing a wider range of titles

Shorten the check out time for certain popular materials

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More Ideas for a Vibrant More Ideas for a Vibrant CollectionCollection

Set up a rental collection for best sellersIssue a press release educating the public

about circulation numbers for the most popular books

Market your collection with regularly changing displays

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Maintain Visibility With Support Maintain Visibility With Support GroupsGroups

Plan presentations to:– Library Board– Library Foundation

Other groups?

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Do Something New Each Year Do Something New Each Year with the Collectionwith the CollectionDecide what needs the most outside helpAsk a support group for funding to get the

target collection startedGive the group a lot of publicityThank them as explicitly as possible

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Seek Help From Local Seek Help From Local BusinessesBusinessesEncourage businesses to fund additions

related to their areaThey may be able to provide programs tied

to their collection enhancement areaFollow good procedural guidelines so

problems will be avoided

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Investigate Collaboration With Investigate Collaboration With a Local Schoola Local School

They may see advantage in hiring your selection and technical service staff

Collaboration results in added investment and publicity for your value to the community

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Appeal to Your Public for HelpAppeal to Your Public for HelpAsk them to donate paperbacks in good

conditionThey could give subscriptions to their

favorite magazineSet up a wish list of bestsellers at local

bookstores or Amazon.com and ask the public to give them as gifts to the library

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Exercise #4Exercise #4

Ways to Enhance the Library’s Importance in Your Community

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Thank YouThank You

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