As I just finished with my yearly inventory I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness that was done. Then, I heard of another elementary school that only does inventory every few years. So my question is…how often do you do inventory in your library? Yearly? Or just every so often? Then I’d like to ask, how did you decide how often is best?
For me inventory is the perfect opportunity to review my collection and deselect those books that are worn, damaged, or out of date. As my aide and I finish each section we typically have a cart full of books that need review, either to delete from the system or repair and return to the shelves. Personally while the simple task of inventory makes me feel a bit pressured, I enjoy knowing it is complete and I have about as accurate of a title count as possible.
