Inventory

Inventory of all materials is taken each year. This may be done at the end of the school year or may be conducted throughout the year. Library media specialists may establish a running inventory, checking certain groups of materials each month and report a cumulative result in June. Regardless of the method used, the library media specialist must keep accurate, up-to-date records of acquisitions and withdrawals.

 

Electronic Inventory

This inventory is done continuously. The collection is inventoried via directions from Media Technical Services and The Library Corporation.

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​Gift Policy

While we appreciate the generosity behind gift giving, the materials in the library must meet the county's selection criteria. Please visit this page for more information or feel free to email me so I can help make sure your donation fits into our library and can be enjoyed!

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Weeding

Our mission is to strengthen our community through literacy and lifelong learning by providing access to high quality and relevant materials. We weed materials that are out of date and no longer useful throughout the year. The county allows up to 5% of the collection to be weeded. Generally the following categories are considered:

• Books with pages missing or badly torn

• Books with minute print, poor illustrations, and/or unattractive bindings when better editions are available

• Materials which have not circulated for a considerable time

• Numerous duplicates of seldom-used titles

• Series books of mediocre quality

• Items with inappropriate reading or interest level

• Materials which are out-of-date or inaccurate

• Fictionalized representations of life that have contributed to false and stereotyped concepts.

Criteria to consider when weeding include:

• Content – should be relevant to the needs and curriculum of the school

• Physical condition – if in poor condition, repair or replace; does repair make sense?

• Number of circulations – This information can be found in Library.Solution Reports (Titles & Items -> Items in a Selected Holdings Code…..). If an item hasn’t circulated for several years, consider weeding.

• Superseded – Is there newer information available?

• Copyright

More information on weeding can be found here (HCPSS Media Handbook).

With our growing collection of digital media, we’re helping to engage with a new generation of learners and establishing the foundations to bring people, ideas, and information together into the future.

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​"Collection Development." Handbook for Library Media Specialists and Administrators. Howard County Public School System. www.sites.google.com/a/hcpss.org/library-media/collection-development. Accessed 8 July 2020. 

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"Collection Maintenance and Record Keeping." Handbook for Library Media Specialists and Administrators. Howard County Public School System. www.sites.google.com/a/hcpss.org/library-media/collection_maintenance. Accessed 9 July 2020.