At a glance
Right-sizing the collection and improving efficiencies
A renovation prompted a large-scale weed. Keeping the collection at that standard with a small team wearing multiple hats needed structure, consistency and benchmarks over time.
Population served
Cardholders
Years running as an LJ Star Library
The challenge
What the library was up against
Preparing to open a newly renovated building prompted a large-scale weeding project to right-size the collection and ensure materials were up to date.
Maintaining the collection to that standard with a small group of collection development staff who carry various other responsibilities would be an ongoing challenge.
The solution
What they did
The team identified collectionHQ as the solution that would regularise weeding processes, support more informed selection decisions, and improve the diversity of the collection.
Benchmarks, not snapshots
What set it apart was continuity: rather than a one-off snapshot, collectionHQ allows continuous analysis and provides benchmarks to evaluate performance against over time.
Starting with Collection Check
Collection Check came first, letting staff audit the collection efficiently, improve catalog accuracy, and build a better understanding of which materials resonate with the community.
The results
What changed
Structure and consistency
Weeding processes gained the structure and consistency the team's existing CREW-based approach lacked.
Clear signals from the shelves
Staff can see which books deserve attention and which are not being used consistently by the community.
The whole collection in view
The collection is assessed holistically rather than section by section.
“As a single building library with decentralized selection, our selection staff wear multiple hats and have to juggle collection development with many other competing responsibilities.”
Marshall Webster
Acting Library Director, Mary Riley Styles Public Library
More case studies
Other libraries, other pressures
Collection management
Rebuilding stock management after deep budget cuts
After service closures, a third fewer librarians and a change of LMS, South Gloucestershire used collectionHQ to re-establish a collection management process — and gave dead stock a second life worth 9,017 extra circulations.
South Gloucestershire Council Libraries
South Gloucestershire, UK
5 min read
DEI
Curating an inclusive collection at Evanston Public Library
A decade-long collectionHQ customer cut Dead on Arrival stock from 17.5% to 14.1% while lifting DEI representation from 21.9% to 24.9% — by promoting books rather than weeding them.
Evanston Public Library
Evanston, Illinois, USA
5 min read
DEI
Curating an inclusive collection at Oak Park Public Library
Manual tagging showed the diversity of new material but never the whole collection. DEI Analysis gave Oak Park a holistic view across twelve industry-respected DEI topics.
Oak Park Public Library
Oak Park, Illinois, USA
5 min read
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