collectionHQ Quick Reference Guide @Your Public Library
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) – data measured and monitored on an ongoing basis to improve performance
KPI
Grubby Material
Dead Material
Popular Author Provision
Goal
Maintain a physically attractive collection
Make useful and desirable items easily visible/findable
Provide a good selection of works by favorite fiction
authors on the shelf at all times
Provide a good selection of materials in the most popular
nonfiction subject areas on the shelf at all times
Remove unused and unwanted nonfiction items
Match supply to demand in nonfiction subject areas
Popular Subject Provision
Overstocked Subject Areas
Understocked Subject Areas
Informational (Overview) Reports – determine the condition of a collection
Fiction Module+
Nonfiction Module++
NonBook Module+++
Collection Use Summary
Collection Use Summary
Collection Use Summary
Grubby Items Summary
Grubby Items Summary
Grubby Items Summary
Dead Items Summary
Dead Items Summary
Dead Items Summary
+
Fiction Module: includes print and audiobook (AUD) formats
++
Nonfiction Module: includes print and audiobook (AUD) formats
+++
NonBook Module: includes music (MUS), visual (VIS), and lecture (LEC) collections
eBook Module
Action Plan Reports – take action to improve a collection
Fiction Module
Collection Check
Dead Items Refresh
Grubby Items Removal
Dead Items Removal
Popular Author Summary
Nonfiction Module
Collection Check
Dead Items Refresh
Grubby Items Removal
Dead Items Removal
Popular Subject Summary
NonBook Module
Collection Check
Dead Items Refresh
Grubby Items Removal
Dead Items Removal
eBook Module
Information Gathering Report Schedule
Jan
Feb
Mar Apr
Collection
Use
Summary
May
Collection
Use
Summary
Grubby
Items
Summary
Dead
Items
Summary
Dead
Items
Summary
Jun Jul Aug
Sep
Collection
Use
Summary
Grubby
Items
Summary
Oct Nov
Dec
Collection
Use
Summary
Grubby
Items
Summary
Dead
Items
Summary
Additionally, the Performance Module is to be used regularly throughout the year to identify areas for improvement
Catalog & Maintenance Report Schedule
Year 1
Jan
Feb*
Mar*
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Collection
Check
Collection
Check
Collection
Check
Collection
Check
Collection
Check
Collection
Check
Collection
Check
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dead
Items
Refresh
Grubby
Items
Removal
Dead
Items
Refresh
Grubby
Items
Removal
Dead
Items
Removal
Year 2
Jan
Feb*
Mar*
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Dead
Items
Refresh
Grubby
Items
Removal
Dead
Items
Removal
Dead
Items
Removal
Dead
Items
Removal
Sep
Dead
Items
Removal
Oct
Dead
Items
Removal
Nov
Dead
Items
Refresh
Grubby
Items
Removal
Dead
Items
Removal
Dead
Items
Removal
Dead
Items
Removal
Dec
Dec
Dead
Items
Refresh
Grubby
Items
Removal
Dead
Items
Removal
Dead
Items
Removal
Dead
Items
Removal
Collection Development Report Schedule
Jan Feb*
Popular
Auth Sum
(F)
Popular
Subject
Summary
(NF)
Mar*
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Popular
Auth
Sum (F)
Popular
Auth Sum
(F)
Popular
Subject
Summary
(NF)
Popular
Auth
Sum (F)
Popular
Auth Sum
(F)
Popular
Subject
Summary
(NF)
Popular
Auth
Sum (F)
Popular
Auth Sum
(F)
Popular
Subject
Summary
(NF)
Popular
Auth
Sum (F)
Popular
Auth Sum
(F)
Popular
Subject
Summary
(NF)
Popular
Auth
Sum (F)
Popular
Auth Sum
(F)
Popular
Subject
Summary
(NF)
Additionally, the Discover Module is to be used regularly throughout the year to identify titles for purchase
Report Descriptions
Collection Use Summary
Purpose: Compares the proportion of items in a collection with the proportion of circulation generated by that
collection to determine whether a collection is overstocked, understocked, or on target.
Goal: Identify collections to weed (overstocked) and purchase for (understocked).
Action: Review for an understanding of current collection conditions before running Action Plan Reports.
Grubby Items Summary
Purpose: Compares the total number of grubby items to the target grubby level (currently 10%) for each collection.
Goal: Identify collections to weed based on the grubby target for each collection.
Action: Review for an understanding of which collections are stocked with old and/or highly used items.
Dead Items Summary
Purpose: Compares the total number of dead items to the target dead level (currently 10%) for each collection.
Goal: Identify collections to weed based on the dead target for each collection.
Action: Review for an understanding of which collections are overstocked with unused items.
Collection Check
Purpose: Identifies potentially missing items by listing items that have not checked out in 4 years but are “on shelf”
according to the ILS.
Goal: Ensure that the ILS accurately represents the collection.
Action: Search shelves for items. If not found, have MS delete from the ILS. (If found, consider weeding.)
Popular Author Summary
Purpose: Determines the 100 most popular authors, based on total circulation, and calculates the number of items to
purchase (at the author level).
Goal: Ensure that at least 25% of items by popular authors are available on shelf.
Action: Purchase to fill gaps and add copies of the most popular/recent titles of understocked popular authors.
Popular Subject Summary
Purpose: Determines the most popular nonfiction subjects based on the average number of circulations per item.
Goal: Ensure that popular subjects do not exceed the high use purchase threshold (average of 20 circulations per title)
for the Dewey range.
Action: Purchase items to ensure strong, recent coverage of understocked popular subjects.
Dead Items Refresh
Purpose: Identifies items that have been heavily used in the past but have become dead, possibly as a result of
becoming grubby due to high use.
Goal: Ensure that high demand items are current and in good condition.
Action: Search shelves for items. Consider weeding and replacing with updated copy/edition.
Grubby Items Removal
Purpose: Identifies items to consider for weeding and replacement based on the cumulative number of circulations.
Goal: Remove or replace items in poor condition due to number of circulations.
Action: Physically examine items that exceed the grubby target and determine whether to weed, replace, or extend.
Dead Items Removal
Purpose: Identifies items to consider for weeding based on failure to circulate during the past 12-18 months.
Goal: Remove items that are not circulating in order to make room for titles with higher demand.
Action: Weed items from the collection.
Definitions
Collection –a cHQ hierarchy level, which can be a home location or group of home locations
Dead – item that has not circulated for 365 days or more
High Use – average number of circulations per item in the collection exceeds 20 (default). Can be changed to reflect
community use.
Overstocked –
Fiction & NonBook Modules: The proportional size of a collection exceeds the proportional circulations generated by
that collection [e.g. SFI accounts for 9.4% of the A Fiction collection, but 7.5% of the A Fiction circulation]
Nonfiction Module: more than 80% of items in that Dewey range have not circulated in the last 6 months
Relative Items – the percentage of items that makes up a particular collection relative to the total holdings for that
collection [e.g. YA GNs are 33% of all YA F collections (as defined by cHQ)]
Saturated – collection that is both Overstocked and High Use
Understocked –
Fiction & NonBook Modules: The proportional circulations generated by a collection exceed the proportional size of that
collection [e.g. A MST accounts for 19.9% of A Fiction circulations, but 17.8% of the A Fiction collection]
Nonfiction Module: more than 70% of items in that Dewey range have circulated in the last 6 months