Manhattan Public Library Analyzing and trimming the children's collection LI855 Alphild Dick, Ruth Harries, & Melendra Sanders

2010 CensusNumberPercent Total Population52,281 White alone43, % American Indian & Alaska native alone261.5% Asian alone2, % Black or African American alone % Native Hawaiian & other Pacific native alone83.16% Hispanic or Latino origin3, % Other race alone % Two or more races1, % Community Served: Manhattan, KS

Some MPL statistics for 2011: o 10,757 children hold library cards to MPL o 44,248 items currently in the Children's collection o Children's materials circulated 345,508 times Children of Manhattan According to the 2010 Census, in Manhattan, there are: o 2,902 newborn to four-year-olds (5.6% of population) o 2,193 five to nine-year-olds (4.2% of population) o 1,792 ten to fourteen-year-olds (3.4% of population)* * U.S. Census Bureau: American FactFinder: DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics 2010.

Others served by the collection Manhattan: Parents and guardians Teachers KSU education and literature students Children & Parents of surrounding communities: - Geary and Pottawatomie Counties - Fort Riley

The Collection Policy Children's librarian responsible for children's collection Materials selected: o Reflect community demographics and areas of interest o Are based on popular demand, timeliness, positive reviews, artistic merit, etc. Collections are intended to: o Stimulate the imagination o Provide materials to read, view, and listen for pleasure o Support early literacy o Help patrons find, evaluate, and use information

Children's Collection at MPL: Formats BoardbooksJuvenile fictionBook discussion kits Novelty booksJuvenile non-fictionProfessional collection Discovery packsJuvenile graphic novels Parents & Teacher Shelf Easy ReadersJuvenile foreign language Readers' Advisory Toddler booksLarge print Storybook BoxesMagazines

Scope and Levels FormatTargetLevel BoardbooksInfant-2 years1 Easy ReadersK-2nd grade2 PicturebooksPreschool-2 years2 Novelty BooksK-6th grade1 Storybook Boxes1 year-1st grade1 Toddler BooksInfant-3 years1 Discovery PacksK-6th1 Juvenile Fiction3rd-6th grade2 Juvenile Non-fictionK-6th grade2 Juvenile Graphic NovelsK-6th grade1 Juvenile ReferenceAdult2

Scope and Levels, par deux Parent's ShelfAdult2 Juvenile magazinestoddler--6th grade2 Juvenile AudiobooksPreschool-6th grade1 Juvenile DVDsBaby-6th grade1 Juvenile Music CDSBaby-6th grade1 E-booksPreschool-6th grade1

Current State of the Collection Books o For very young readers  Board Book: 770  Easy Reader: 2,984  Picture Books: 10,856  Toddler Book: 951 o For older readers  Fiction: 7,940  Graphic Novel: 1,420  Non-Fiction: 9,571  Reader's Advisory: 129 o For teachers and parents  Parents' Shelf: 698

Current State of the Collection, cont. Media o Audio Book Bag: 342 o Blu-Ray: 157 o Book on CD: 785 o DVD: 2,121 o Music CD: 627 Miscellaneous o Book Discussion Kit: 13 o Discovery Pack: 50 o Magazine: 32 titles (not included in children's budget) o Storybook Box: 46

Assessing the collection: Turning data into action!

Current Book Budget Allocations Easy Readers4,000 Juvenile Fiction13,000 Juvenile Graphic Novels5,500 Storybook Boxes, Discovery Packs500 Juvenile Spanish or other languages300 Juvenile Large Print Fiction200 Juvenile Nonfiction9,000 Novelty books200 Special events giveaways500 Parent & Teacher books1,000 Juvenile Picture books/Toddler books/ Board books18,000 Juvenile Reference - Readers' Advisory300 Professional Collection500 Totaling $53,000

Current AV Budget Allocations Audiobooks3,200 Music CDs800 DVDs10,000 Blu-rays2,000 Totalling $16,000

CollectionLifetime CirculationItemsAverage use/ itemBudget Children's Discovery Pack3, Storybook Boxes5, Children's Blu-Ray7, ,000 Children's Audio Book Bag9, ,200 Books on CD30, Children's Music CD26, Children's Picture Book526,41011, ,000 Toddler Book47,5271,10143 Board Book25, Children's Graphic Novel49,8281, ,500 Children's DVD164,5922, ,000 Children's Easy Reader194,7893, ,000 Children's Fiction238,1238, ,000 Large Print FictionUnable to distinguish in this report 200 Children's Nonfiction281,56810, ,000 World LanguagesUnable to distinguish 300 Juvenile ReferenceNon-circulating141Non-circulating 300 Novelty booksUnable to distinguish in this report 200 Parents & Teacher books13, ,000 Special events giveawaysDo not remain in collection 500 Professional CollectionStorytime Resources & Professional Development 500 Collection Areas, Circulation Statistics, & Budget Information

Strategic Thinking Low-hanging fruit o Collections with low circulation or that few people use o Collections with associated technology issues o Collections that do not "belong" in the children's area

Initial Cuts to the Budget 15% budget cut = $10,350 Easy Decisions: o Novelty Books = $200 o Parent & Teacher Books = $1,000 o Readers' Advisory Books = $300 o Professional Collection = $500 Total = $2,000 Left to cut = $8,350

CollectionLifetime CirculationItemsAverage use/ itemBudget Children's Discovery Pack3, Storybook Boxes5, Children's Blu-Ray7, ,000 Children's Audio Book Bag9, ,000 Books on CD30, Children's Music CD26, Children's Picture Book526,41011, ,425 Toddler Book47,5271,10143 Board Book25, Children's Graphic Novel49,8281, Children's DVD164,5922, ,000 Children's Easy Reader194,7893, Children's Fiction238,1238, ,425 Large Print FictionUnable to distinguish in this report 0 Children's Nonfiction281,56810, World LanguagesUnable to distinguish in this report 0 The rest of the cuts: $8,350 + previous $2,000 = $10,350!

Future Strategies Develop a collection development policy specific to children's materials o Use criteria such as supplying classics, collecting popular materials, and books with awards Assess data regularly to determine whether or not to continue collecting in certain areas Regularly evaluate standing order circulations o Determine which series to eliminate, increase, or find read-alikes for Plan for the future inclusion of electronic resources in the children's collection

Future Assessment of Budget Cuts In 5 years, assess whether and how proposed eliminations have affected: o Library patrons o Library programming o Library services, such as Readers' Advisory o Children's material circulation statistics?