1. Set Your Books Free – An Alternative Concept in Collection Management Ann Cress PLA Presentation February 27, 2004

2. Jefferson County, Colorado  Jefferson County size – 774 sq. miles Pop. – 527, 056 (2000 Census)  Jefferson County Public Library 10 libraries & bookmobile 1.1 million items Circulation – 3.8 million Decentralized system Decentralized materials selection

3. 1994 – Crisis Point  Issues demanding immediate attention Faced with hiring more staff, buying more vans Increasing ergonomic injuries  Planning for the future Population projections New libraries Purchasing a new integrated library system The volume of materials being moved among libraries was escalating at a rapid rate.

4. Shared Collection Concerns  Staff apprehensions Negative patron response Shift in workload Knowledge of the collection  Collection Management Issues Paradigm shift for staff Distribution of the collection Selection/weeding

5. Testing the Concept  Observations Delivery volume dropped by 67% 30,000 more items/month were available on the shelves vs. “in transit” Worker’s compensation claims went from 6 to 1  Responses Patrons – better browsing Staff -mixed reaction

6. Shared/Non-Shared Collections Monthly Delivery Comparison

7. Decade of Change  Cultural shift for staff One library, one collection  Collection management Issues Development of new processes and procedures  Unresolved issues Shared vs. non-shared Changing demographics

8. Benefits of a Shared Collection  Continuously refreshed collections Better browsing  Cost savings Development of new selection patterns  Partnerships Union Catalogs

9. Opportunities with a Shared Collection

11. More Information on Shared Collections at JCPL Contact Ann Cress Jefferson County Public Library acress@jefferson.lib.co.us acress@jefferson.lib.co.us

12. Presentation available at: http://info.jefferson.lib.co.us/2004presentations