[ISLMA-Share] inventory

Fri May 19 14:57:30 CDT 2017

We do one every year, per our district policy. The library closes 10 days
to 2 weeks before the end of school. We send notices to students who still
have items checked out, and we 'read' the shelves. Then we (2 of us) take
2-3 days to scan our collection of about 15,000 print items and a variety
of small technology. We don't send bills for lost materials until we've
scanned every item and retrieved things from under and behind shelves.

We also offer prizes to classrooms as they become 'all checked in' - a
little ice cream incentive always helps.

If an item has been marked 'lost' since the last inventory, we delete it,
making sure it's recorded in the 'Weeding Log'. I keep a pdf of both the
inventory log and the weeding log. We use the list to satisfy the powers
that be that we're keeping track of things and to justify replacement
purchases. Interestingly, teachers can be the worst offenders not returning
books and technology.

On Fri, May 19, 2017 at 1:52 PM, Email list for the Illinois School Library
Media Association <islma at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:

> I am librarian for two buildings with different sized collections, so I
> inventory half each year...Fiction in the even years and Non-Fiction in the
> odd years. I do it for all the reasons others have mentioned (find
> lost/incorrectly shelved items, cataloging errors...) but I also use the
> final list of missing books to make decisions about purchasing: am I going
> to replace those items?  Then I clean up the catalog.  There is nothing
> worse than the catalog saying we have an item, but it's not there...ever.
>
> Michelle Harris
> Heyworth
>
> On Fri, May 19, 2017 at 12:35 PM, Email list for the Illinois School
> Library Media Association <islma at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:
>
>> I can’t disagree more on the importance of inventory. Now that we have a
>> catalog that allows all 19 of our schools to interlibrary loan materials an
>> accurate inventory is critical. It finds the books that have been returned
>> but human error missed it at check in. It protects the fiscal obligation of
>> my student’s family because I’ve double-checked everything before sending a
>> bill (I still don’t get how we can bill someone for something that may be
>> in our library). It saves me time looking for a book that may or may not be
>> here.
>>
>>
>>
>> With that being said, manpower is the big issue. My district provides me
>> with summer hours to do inventory every other year (it is a budgeted item).
>> That’s the one where we do everything with no circulation going on. We are
>> well over 99% accurate afterwards.
>>
>>
>>
>> During the off year, we do 2 rolling inventories. A rolling inventory is
>> where we do one piece of the library at a time. For example, we will zap
>> everything in Fiction between F AAA and F DZZ in a week, then do another
>> section another week. I set it up in Destiny and then have student aides do
>> the zapping of materials. Remember, in Destiny a checked out book is
>> accounted for and is inventoried. It takes me about an hour or two a
>> semester to set it up and finalize it, but at least I have a 95% accurate
>> inventory (estimated guess) compared to not knowing.
>>
>>
>>
>> Hence, the answer to the original question is I do a full formal
>> inventory once every other year. and 3 other rolling inventories during the
>> same time period.
>>
>>
>>
>> Sincerely,
>>
>>
>>
>> Alan, Librarian serving Brooks Middle School
>>
>> holtzac at vvsd.org
>>
>>
>>
>> "What a school thinks about its library is a measure of what it thinks
>> about education."
>> - Harold Howe, former U.S. Commissioner of Education
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* islma-bounces at list.railslibraries.info [mailto:
>> islma-bounces at list.railslibraries.info] *On Behalf Of *Email list for
>> the Illinois School Library Media Association
>> *Sent:* Friday, May 19, 2017 11:40 AM
>> *To:* Email list for the Illinois School Library Media Association
>> *Subject:* Re: [ISLMA-Share] inventory
>>
>>
>>
>> I don't do inventory anymore.  I do run the shelves, putting books in
>> order, and making sure none have snuck behind.  I rarely have a student
>> claim he or she has returned a book that they are being charged for.
>> Inventory takes so long, and I can't justify the time for the benefits.
>> When I had an assistant to help, we could inventory pretty quickly, but
>> alone it takes many many (wasted) hours. If books are missing, they are
>> missing.  The fact that the inventory tells me they are missing isn't
>> terribly important.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Annette Mills
>>
>> School Librarian
>>
>> Triad High School
>>
>> 703 E. Highway 40
>>
>> Troy, IL 62294
>>
>> annette.mills at tcusd2.org
>>
>> (618)667-5409x7120 <(618)%20667-5409>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, May 19, 2017 at 11:03 AM, Email list for the Illinois School
>> Library Media Association <islma at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:
>>
>> I complete inventory (using inventory function of Destiny) during second
>> semester finals every year. For me, it is a snapshot in time when I know
>> where things are. We routinely find lost books, seriously misshelved books,
>> books with cataloging errors, etc. This makes the time very well spent.
>>
>>
>>
>> Inventory is only for my sake, although I could see how it would be
>> helpful to report up the ladder that 99.99% (or whatever your percentage
>> turns out to be) of LMC materials are accounted for.
>>
>>
>> *~Monica Tolva*
>>
>> *Library media specialist*
>>
>> *Google Educator*
>>
>> *Vernon Hills High School*
>>
>> *847-932-2039 <847-932-2039>*
>>
>> *monica.tolva at d128.org <monica.tolva at d128.org>*
>>
>> Currently reading *And Again
>> <http://titlepeek.fsc.follett.com/tp/query?action=3&subnumber=1206365&isbn=9781501116100&appid=4>* by
>> Jessica Chiarella (VHHS '05)
>>
>> Also re-reading the D128 Union contract
>> <https://sites.google.com/site/d128union/union-contract>
>>
>> Currently listening to *The Art of Secrets
>> <https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18267068-the-art-of-secrets> *by
>> James Klise
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, May 19, 2017 at 10:43 AM, Email list for the Illinois School
>> Library Media Association <islma at list.railslibraries.info> wrote:
>>
>> How often does everyone do a complete inventory of the print materials in
>> their library? Do you do this at the end of the year or during the school
>> year?  Is your inventory information reported to others, or do you use it
>> primarily to update your collection records?  Want to get a feel for how
>> others handle this task!
>>
>> Brooke Fleuette
>> Mercer County High School
>>
>> Currently reading: These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly
>> Currently listening to: Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
>>
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>>
>>
>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Michelle Harris
> District Librarian
> Heyworth CUSD #4
>
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