What's There and What's Missing: An Inventory of Library Collections

Abstract

When was the last time your library did an inventory? Librarians love to build collections that connect and fulfill patrons' information needs. But do you really know what's on your library's shelves? What percentage of your collection is lost, missing, or in poor condition? Prior to these projects, the University of Evansville Libraries (UEL) collections had never been inventoried. This session will describe UEL's various inventory projects, including their scope, technical details, and the labor involved. Over time, UEL's inventory projects evolved from matching a system generated shelf list for the most heavily used Library of Congress classifications to a whole library barcode scanning project. UEL can say with confidence that 96% of the collection was on the shelves. Come away inspired to replicate this success at your library.