Libraries in search of ways to stretch their budgets during tough economic times are turning to "floating collections" as a solution. The premise behind floating collections is simple: items remain where they are checked in, whether because they've been brought in as a customer hold, or ended up in the book drop. Rather than "routing them home", materials are simply shelved at the return branch. Budgets are helped by reduced deliveries and routing, and collections are refreshed every day!
Among the many questions and concerns librarians face with floating collections is the effect on Reader's Advisory. After all, a formidable part of any RA librarian's arsenal has historically been having that collection learned, if not memorized. "Know thy collection!!" was pretty much a standard tenet thundered at us from any number of RA experts and articles, in library school and beyond.
So what happens when your collection shifts and morphs every day? In a floating environment, those shelves you've memorized become less than useful, to say the least. A customer in Branch X requests a book from your branch, and if she returns it there, there it sits, rather than returning "home" to your shelf. While the bare bones of the collection as you remember it may be there ("the "T's" start here, right?"), the books, titles, and authors become more mutable. In an instant, Readers' Advisory lurches from something you can do with your eyes shut to something that requires your full attention. As floating happens, you now have to process new information about your inventory constantly.
If it makes you tired just thinking about that, you're not alone. So, ready for the good news?
If you had that collection memorized, so did the customers. Small wonder the vast percentage of circulation comes from the new book area. Librarians bemoan the customers' reluctance to browse the stacks, but that may be in part because they know those stacks as well as you do, and know there's nothing they haven't considered taking out before. A fun part of an RA librarian's post-float job is thinking up new ways to convince customers it's worth their while to try the stacks again, and it can be as simple as inviting them. ("Mrs. Jones! If you have time to browse next time you're in, we've got lots of new titles in fiction!")
You've just been handed the world's easiest marketing opportunity. And smart RA librarians recognize it immediately. You now have the resources to make your collection look fresh, new and inviting, and you never have to go past the stuff waiting to be shelved to make it happen. Those intriguing titles that have never seen the light of day in your building before will appeal to all those customers who think they know what to expect from your collection. Don't wait to see what floating washes up on your shelves—feature "today's catch" on a prominent table or endcap in as close proximity to the new section as possible and watch 'em fly. Just don't tell your department head or branch manager how ridiculously easy this is!
Weeding becomes a daily reality, not a lower ranking item on an endless to-do list. With less dreck on the shelves, both you as an RA expert, and the customers enjoy better selection. Think about walking a customer through your science fiction section. You're headed toward Connie Willis, and as you stop to find To Say Nothing of the Dog, your eye goes past six or seven books that haven't circ'd since you took this job. With a floating collection, functionality demands zero tolerance for shelf sitters. The result? You can find better stuff faster … and so can your customers. The browsing experience is instantly improved system-wide, overnight.
RA is driven by customer behavior, not staff opinion. How? By requesting items or dropping off their choices in your book drop, customers are providing you with real time selection information that retailers pay top dollar to research. Librarians who would have bet their next paycheck that that none of their customers read romance or urban fiction are suddenly confronted by volume after volume of Stephanie Laurens and Teri Woods. The reading preferences of customers who have been forced to request their favorites all this time suddenly become as visible as the ones who approach us and ask for our recommendations. Romance and urban fiction are great examples of genres whose readers may feel little connection to RA librarians. The beauty of a floating collection is that now they have a voice and the opportunity to "vote", as their selections begin to make themselves readily apparent.
Staying current becomes a way of life. If your New Year's Resolution was to explore paranormal romance or learn about Urban Fiction, guess what? Your colleagues who work with floating collections have already taken the plunge. Titles that float in, particularly in those sub-genres you were sure didn't "go" in your branch, makes your RA knowledge gaps extremely obvious. You'll be taking home Sherrilyn Kenyon titles sooner rather than later when you see the werewolf romances begin to appear!
Obviously, "Know Thy Collection" just became a much bigger job. But if you love RA, I don't have to tell you that's a very exciting concept. No longer confined to recommending what traditionally lived on your shelves, you can recommend what you know and have read about. Your RA prowess is unlimited! Now new and different titles and authors appear, and you have at your fingertips books that were formerly only available at your main branch, for example. It's an embarrassment of riches for RA librarians, and really exciting for you and for your customers. Particularly in an era of tight collection budgets, it's heartening to know that far from having to offer the same old tired titles, RA librarians can count on a constant influx of new great reads. So if you're lucky enough to be floating, relax and enjoy the ride!
WENDY BARTLETT is the Collection Development Manager at Cuyahoga County Public Library outside Cleveland, Ohio, where she led the implementation of a floating collection for their 28 branches.