INSIGHT
‘‘ Building collections
The big catch up A
T the point of writing this, the country is starting to emerge, if not into a post- Covid world, into a world where we are
able to live alongside it. Future lockdowns notwithstanding, we are taking steps into shaping a new model for societal life going forward.
For public libraries, a year of full and partial closures has had mixed impacts. On one hand it has driven forward a stronger remote, digital offer, and the legacy of that will remain. On the other, for physical services, the period has been one of destabilisation. Even for many of our previously regular and dependable audiences, the habit of library use has been broken and needs rebuilding. We also need to regain confidence in library interactions, striking a balance between the messages of ‘we are freely open’ and ‘we are safe’. Suffolk Libraries have launched a campaign to do just that, to raise awareness that we are back, and to encourage people to catch up on all the vibrant library activities and services they have missed. It’s a high-profile public campaign, including highly visible advertising on billboards and on buses. We’ve called it The Big Catch Up, because catching up is the key thread across all of our audiences: catch up with friends, with each other, with your learning, your reading, your wellbeing, and so on.
Social impact A big focus is the social activity and interaction that libraries facilitate so well. However, it equally applies to all physical library elements, including use of our resources and collections. So, what role can physical library resources play in encouraging the rebuilding of the library habit? And how can we select, manage and present
46 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
It is likely that people are not confident in spending extended time in public buildings and won’t be lingering in our spaces longer than is necessary.
The role of physical book collections in the regrowth of the physical public library offer.
content to best effect for the regrowth of library use?
It is likely that people are not confident in spending extended time in public buildings and won’t be lingering in our spaces longer than is necessary. For those not looking for anything specific, just a spontaneously chosen next good read, we need to provide inspiring selections of titles available as quick choices – attractive and varied collections of intriguing, pick-up-able fiction and narrative non-fiction titles that are easily accessed and browsed. Stock librarians need to curate these collections carefully to suit a breadth of local tastes and interests. Local insight is key to this, that’s why in Suffolk our collections of this type are branded as Suffolk Loves. To ensure a constantly available quantity and range of choices for the on-spec browser, we can put stock management parameters in place, such as making those collections unavailable for reservation. To meet the needs of those seeking specific titles, we can ramp up our reservations offer. In Suffolk, reservations are already free of charge which will certainly help encourage people to pre- select and reserve their choices for quick collection. The stock acquisitions team keep a close eye on LMS data, identifying areas of heavy demand and applying criteria such as copy-to-reservation ratios, quickly stocking up on titles with increased demand. The art of this is to meet demand without over-saturating our collections with too many copies of titles, which we’ll be stuck with once initial demand wanes. Stock librarians are adept at foreseeing and anticipating local demand. At the frontline, strong inter-personal reader development skills are crucial in making this all work. Library staff need to be empowered and equipped to talk to people about books and help find the right book for that reader at that time. Behind this, the job of the stock librarians is to ensure there is a rich pool of book stock available for frontline staff to draw on.
Paul Howarth (
paul.howarth@
suffolklibraries.co.uk) is Head of Content and Resource Development, Suffolk Libraries.
www.suffolklibraries.co.uk
Promising signs We can also draw on key events and activities to encourage engagement. The Summer Reading Challenge, for example, has been a core part of our campaign to encourage families back into our libraries and rebuild that habit of borrowing and reading. Of course, most of these factors were already relevant pre-Covid, but the current situation has definitely escalated their importance and urgency.
It is too early to know what the long-term picture is, but in Suffolk the signs are promising. So far, since reopening, we have been achieving around 75 per cent of pre-covid levels of physical lending. When digital figures are included, across all formats we are looking at levels equal to or even greater than those pre-2020. Confidence in visiting public spaces will be influenced by a range of external factors. However, with the right balance of message, between openness and safety, and a strong emphasis on the things we’ve all been missing out on, we can encourage people back. And by having the right content and resources offer available when they do come in, we can rebuild and reset the library habit. IP
September 2021
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