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ST as focus group question: Can I throw some library-related numbers and thoughts at you?

Posted by mara Oct 10 '13, 10:12

I guess the basic question is, should our CD and DVD collections be expanded in size.

Let me show you the numbers first. These are what I call inactivity rates.

In a print nonfiction collection of 124,000 items, 60% of those items have not been checked out in the last 12 months.

In a print fiction collection (50,000 items), that rate is 50%.

In the CD collection (spoken word audiobooks and music both, at 21,000 items), that rate is 12%.

In the DVD collection (TV shows, movies, documentaries, at 18,000 items), that rate is 5%.

Now, increasing the number of items (without increasing the number people checking them out) will eventually raise the inactivity rate. So I think inactivity rates help gauge whether collections are too large or too small.

The "sweet spot" for inactivity rates, however, varies with the material. Highly academic nonfiction books have, and should have, a higher inactivity rate than recreational, popular, "how-to" nonfiction. So there's nothing wrong with DVD and CD inactivity rates being lower than print. The question is, how much lower.

Thoughts? Sorry this is so boring, but I feel like an outsider perspective would be useful.

Responses:

those numbers say to me two things. 1) that libraries are not doing a good job of making people aware of CDs and DVDs being available. 2) don't do hug - zork Oct 10, 10:23 4
- i wouldn't count on the rights holders being all gung ho about libraries freely lending their content digitally....nm - x Oct 10, 10:31
- And I think you're nuts. An inactivity rate that low says that everyone knows about CDs and DVDs -- nm - Amanda Oct 10, 10:26
- Ummm, that's an 88% usage rage and higher....people know the stuff is there and are borrowing them often. -- nm - Will Hunting Oct 10, 10:25
- I don't think digital lending is something you can count on. How long has it taken libraries to embrace ebook lending? -- nm - Amanda Oct 10, 10:24
I think that inactivity rates that low might translate to perceived poor customer service. Strategic expansion is called for. -- nm - Amanda Oct 10, 10:22
I wouldn't look at it based on anything like that. I'd base it on the requests for things you don't have and the time-delay for what you do have - Will Hunting Oct 10, 10:17 8
- I thought about suggesting this as well, but I'm not sure that looking at an average wait time would give you a sense of how the category as a whole - znufrii Oct 10, 10:20 7
  - My goal of an inventory agency that relies on diminishing budgets is to make sure I allocate my money to the best bang for buck - Will Hunting Oct 10, 10:24 6
    - I agree with will on how to expand the collections. -- nm - Amanda Oct 10, 10:26 2
      - Thanks to you and Will, this is a good perspective to have. -- nm - mara Oct 10, 10:28 1
        
        I'm not saying the inactive rate is useless, but I think it's only one part of the equation - Will Hunting Oct 10, 10:32
    - I'm not saying you're wrong by any means, but it just seemed like the answer to a different question than the one she's asking is all. -- nm - znufrii Oct 10, 10:25 2
      - Embrace the focus group znu...embrace the focus. -- nm - Will Hunting Oct 10, 10:26 1
        
        Hee! -- nm - mara Oct 10, 10:28
wouldn't inactivity rates being be a good thing? it means they are popular items, correct? i would feel that items with the lowest inactivity rate - Andie Oct 10, 10:17 4
- There's a "sweet spot" for inactivity rates. Too low means less variety to choose from (items on the shelf at any given moment), and it means you're - mara Oct 10, 10:22 2
  - i can't say it's "surprising" because i don't know the norms, but if i was guessing, i would say it sounded too low and that people are looking for - Andie Oct 10, 10:24 1
    - What's fun is I don't know the norms either! I really want to poll the so-called 5-star libraries and see what theirs are. - mara Oct 10, 10:26
- errr. wouldn't inactivity rates being LOW be a good thing -- nm - Andie Oct 10, 10:17
My first question would be how do the inactivity rates for each category compare with those of other libraries? -- nm - znufrii Oct 10, 10:16 1
- my hunch is that its low, so the size of those categories should be increased. -- nm - znufrii Oct 10, 10:27
exand -- nm - decline Oct 10, 10:16
[stops reading after first sentence] Yes, of course. -- nm - Dr.Vermin Oct 10, 10:14

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ST as focus group question: Can I throw some library-related numbers and thoughts at you?

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