New Life for Reference Books
Posted by: Rebecca Vnuk
I’m here in Portland OR at the Public Library Association conference. Earlier today someone from a public library outside Chicago stopped by the Booklist booth to tell me he’s been following the posts on this blog about shifting books out of the reference collection and onto the circulating shelves. He just started that process in his library and said he’d let me know how it goes. He’s not planning on keeping any books in reference; he just doesn’t get the kinds of reference questions anymore that his collection used to support. And getting rid of his reference collection means he can add a new teen space. If you have stories you’d like to share about paring down–or eliminating–your reference collection, feel free to add a comment on this blog. Or you can e-mail me at mquinn@ala.org. And don’t forget our survey about the titles you’ve kept, or would keep, as reference.
March 26th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
We have held back five titles for now: The American Heritage Dictionary, The Physicians Desk Reference, Illinois Manufacturers Directory, Illinois Services Directory, and Dorland’s Medical Dictionary. The other reference books are still shelved as reference for now but they are free to leave the building. We are starting a quiet launch of the change, but have already had a couple of happy clients.
We made the teen space when we moved what remained of the reference collection into space made when we cut back the magazines. The new teen space has been a big success, and the reference books are closer to the reference desk.
We seem to be winning all around so far.
March 29th, 2010 at 9:29 am
Our library st Middlesex Community College in CT moved most of reference into circulation and wrote about it in Library Journal http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6669020.html
We left sets of encyclopedias in reference as well as other items. It’s probably time to revisit them and make more decisions. Maybe this summer…