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Adrift or Right on Target: Perspectives on Floating Collections

Learn about the successful implementation of floating collections at Gwinnett County Public Library - a strategy to maximize resources, reduce wait times, and improve system productivity. Discover the impacts, benefits, and best practices for floating collections.

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Adrift or Right on Target: Perspectives on Floating Collections

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  1. Adrift or Right on Target:Perspectives on Floating Collections Barbara Spruill Branch Services Division Director Gwinnett County Public Library 2010 PLA National Conference

  2. Some background . . . • Began floating entire collection in March, 2004 • Pilot floating collections • Books on CD • Adult browsing fiction • Children’s DVDs • 11 branches across the county • Migrated from Dynix Classic to Horizon

  3. Centralized selection • Over 1,000,000 items • Circulation of 6,172,537 • Two compelling reasons to float entire collection: • Save courier time • Reduce customer wait time

  4. Today’s Reasons to Float • Maximize resources • Maximize Materials Budget • Allow customers to determine where items are needed • Use courier service efficiently • Decrease wait time • Create a more productive system collection

  5. GCPL Today • 2009 total circulation = 7,528,750 • Items placed on hold = 1,365,972 • 94,009 holds placed in December • Soon to have 15 branches

  6. Impacts of Floating • Constant flow of materials -- the floating philosophy embraces movement of items to their audience: • Each branch’s collection becomes dynamic • 20,000 items moving through system to satisfy hold/requests in a 5 day period • Branch staff devote time to movement of materials • Expired holds • Request Pull List

  7. Impacts . . . • Materials may “float away” • Online vs. physical browsing communities • Encourage browsing customers to browse catalog as well as the shelves • Monitor shelves for gaps as well as duplicates • If item lands in branch where it is not used, staff must consider system circulation potential before weeding

  8. Impacts . . . • Redistributing • Determine if snapshot or big picture view is needed • Must use system thinking and 360 degree view to determine if rebalancing is needed • Place system reporting tool in hands of branch staff for quick view of system • ILS and WebReporter

  9. Range: 500 to 530s @ one branch compared to other branches

  10. “Just Looking” copies • Help insure that copies of blockbuster titles are available for browsing • 25% of initial distribution • Minimal processing • Do not accept holds

  11. “Just Looking” • Green d0t identifies • Staff change status after initial demand wanes • May weed or place back into circulating collection

  12. Weeding • A “system team” effort • Branch Collection Development Librarian oversees • More considered effort needed to weed at system level • Constant weeding on condition at check-in • System Weeding Manual • Annual Weeding Schedule with monthly reports

  13. GCPL Annual Weeding Schedule

  14. Special Benefits • Greater circulation out of fewer copies • Budget constraints more easily absorbed • Even with decreases in Materials budget AND fewer open hours, system saw only a slight change in our Holds Ratio—from 3:1 to 4:1

  15. Feb. YTD Circ and Holds -6.96 % + 6.89%

  16. A few tips . . . • Take full advantage of your holds pick up area • Expect to restock displays often and with mixed formats • Purposeful users should have an easy path to their intended goal

  17. Questions? Barbara Spruill Branch Services Division Director Gwinnett County Public Library bspruill@gwinnettpl.org

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