JLG Case Studies
Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System
Albuquerque, NM
Annette Colbert, Collection Development Manager
SITUATION: Decreasing staff and a tight budget for a city/county system that must provide a strong year-round program for its patrons.
The Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System serves a population of about 600,000 people from its sixteen branch locations. Library outreach programs such as class visits and promotion of summer reading program create a year-round demand for children’s and young adult materials. A materials budget of $1.5 million covers all formats for all ages.
Recent economic conditions have resulted in changes to the way the library manages collection development. In the past, says Annette Colbert, Collection Development Manager, each branch selected from lists supplied by their primary book vendor and added titles they needed. A new centralized acquisitions process uses selectors to choose materials for all the branches in four divisions: Juvenile Easy, including Easy Readers; Juvenile Fiction; Juvenile Nonfiction; and Young Adult. Although the library has several standing order profiles and regularly replaces classic titles, the greatest challenge is maintaining the quality of the collection with a tight budget and fewer staff engaged in selection.
Junior Library Guild Web site engages selectors.
The move to centralized selection still provides youth services branch staff with the opportunity to participate in collection development decisions. Colbert encourages youth services staff to review the Junior Library Guild (JLG) Web site carefully. Using the detailed information on the Web site, they can see the collections they subscribe to and make decisions about which levels the system as a whole should purchase. “If we had an infinite amount of money, we would choose every level. Without question we like what we get,” says Colbert.
Currently the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System subscribes to ten levels for all sixteen branches. Youth services staff also find the backlist catalog very helpful in determining if there are titles they have missed selecting throughout the year. “Everyone has access to the JLG Web site to review the options available to them. The lists and backlist catalog are great resources for our busy staff.”
SOLUTION: Junior Library Guild makes it easier to cope with staff and budget cuts.
Colbert says she really appreciates how easy JLG makes it to manage their budget. “With sixteen branches, managing our acquisitions budget can be a real challenge. JLG makes it easy for us to purchase what we need and can afford by providing set pricing for each level.” Because JLG offers fixed pricing per level, the library can quickly calculate the investment associated with providing all the branches with ten levels. “For a set amount of money each year, we know every branch will get ten new titles every month and that the JLG selections will be well-reviewed and future award winners.”
The system selectors view the materials they receive from JLG as the core of their collection, preselected high quality titles they don’t need to worry about ordering on their own from their limited budget. The selectors review the lists from their primary vendor and can immediately eliminate any titles that have come or are forthcoming from JLG. “JLG does such a good job of selecting titles that we can immediately reduce the titles we need to consider from our primary vendor. The JLG titles have already been paid for, so that gives our selectors more money each month for additional titles from our primary vendor.”
RESULTS: A county library system that meets increasing demands with decreasing resources thanks to JLG quality and convenience.
Colbert says she thinks the staff at JLG must have a crystal ball when it comes to selecting titles for their collections. “Their track record for picking materials is incredible. All of us in collection development are always concerned that we’re getting what we need. Determining which titles will be favorably reviewed and become award winners is not easy and JLG does it better than we do.”
In addition to the diversity in type of material and the quality of the selection, Colbert also appreciates the ease of ordering, with just one renewal time, set pricing for each level, and one bill. “What we get from JLG is quality material that fits the budget, without having to think about it. With the ten levels we subscribe to, JLG has simplified getting ten books a month to each of our sixteen branches. With reduced staff, this is a tremendous service that we really value.”
UPDATE: May 2011:
The above interview with Annette Colbert was conducted about 18 months ago. When we talked recently, she said that she was hoping that passage of a bond measure scheduled for the November 2011 ballot would bring some additional money for materials to her library system. There is, however, no windfall in the future for the system staffing budget. Additional cuts have forced the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Libraries to use increasing numbers of temporary workers to staff the branches. “We haven’t reduced our hours or services—so we use a lot of temps,” she said.
Addition of new levels and JLG processing eases stress. The shortage of staff makes the centralized acquisitions process Colbert began a few years ago more important that ever. “We’re centralizing more functions all the time,” she said. But she still relies on collection development input from the remaining youth services branch employees. Together, they decided to increase their purchases from 160 items to 192 items monthly. They’ve added SLJ Series Nonfiction levels, as well as Graphic Novels Mid/High to their mix.
In addition, to help cope with the stress of functioning with a smaller staff, Colbert has started ordering processed books from JLG. “We just don’t have the time to do it ourselves,” she said. “This is new for us and we really need the help.”
JLG services help county libraries do more with less. Colbert said that she has always been satisfied with Junior Library Guild, and now she is counting on JLG quality and service to help get the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Libraries through an especially difficult time.
^ back to top
North East Independent School District
San Antonio, Texas
Richard L. Hasenyager, Jr., Director of Library Services
SITUATION: When all new books arrive at once, not only is the district processing center challenged by the workload, but librarians suffer because there are no new books to offer students later in the year.
North East Independent School District (NEISD) serves 65,000 students with forty-two elementary, thirteen middle, and seven high schools. Each librarian manages collection development for his or her school, with the flexibility to order from any of the more than one hundred book vendors on the approved bid lists. The librarians generate lists of the titles they want to order, get approval from their principals, and send the lists to the district’s processing center.
According to Ric Hasenyager, Director of Library Services, district-wide ordering can present a challenge in managing the volume of books that arrive at one time. In one hour, he says, the processing center had 53 boxes arrive. Not only does this create a high volume of work, it also means the school librarians receive most of their new titles at one time, with few new books to promote later in the year.
SOLUTION: Junior Library Guild keeps high-quality, new titles arriving throughout the year.
Junior Library Guild supplements volume orders and ensures new titles arrive throughout the school year. “One of the real advantages of JLG is that the librarians receive new titles every month to display in the library. We know that new book displays encourage kids to select books to read and the more they read, the better readers they become.”
With JLG, Hasenyager says, the librarians can choose collections based on the specific needs of their school. For example, he says, one of the challenges for librarians now is collecting Spanish language materials to serve the district’s large Hispanic population. Several of the librarians in the district subscribe to JLG’s Primary Spanish collection to ensure there will be new high quality titles every month to meet the needs of this population.
Hasenyager says they appreciate the caliber of JLG’s title selection, noting that the books JLG chooses always appear on other lists, such as state recommended reading lists or national book award lists. “Our librarians do a very good job of selecting titles for their collections. But the way our funding works, they are likely to receive new books just once or twice a year. JLG provides great new books every month throughout the school year.”
RESULT: NEISD turns to Junior Library Guild backlist for opening day collections.
In the fall of 2010, NEISD will be opening two new elementary schools. Hasenyager says their first step in selecting materials for the new schools was to turn to the JLG backlist inventory. JLG compiled a list of appropriate titles and sent them a large spreadsheet to review. “My experience with JLG gave me confidence that the titles they selected would be high quality and appropriate for the libraries of our new schools.”
Benefits of Junior Library Guild
Hasenyager cited three key benefits of membership in Junior Library Guild.
- Selection of books within levels. With JLG, librarians can be certain that each book is quality literature that students will enjoy reading. Getting preselected books that will most likely end up on a variety of recommended reading lists is a real plus for the librarians.
- New books every month. School library funding often means new books arrive in bulk just a few times throughout the year. JLG gives the librarians new materials every month to display and make available to students.
- Variety of titles. The JLG selections support curriculum needs as well as general interest reading. The books that students enjoy reading, teachers might also use for instructional purposes.
“When I was a campus librarian and using JLG, in six years there were only about two titles I asked to return and have substitute titles sent. In all my years working with JLG, I have found them a sure-fire way to acquire good books at all reading levels.”
UPDATE May 2011:
The above interview with Richard L. Hasenyager, Jr., was conducted about 18 months ago. Growth has remained a constant for the North East Independent School District. The two new elementary schools Hasenyager mentioned opened on schedule in fall of 2010, bringing the total number of NEISD campuses to sixty-four, now serving over 66,000 students. “We’ve been growing at a rate of about 1500 students a year,” Hasenyager said.
He purchased backlist books from a special list of appropriate titles compiled just for the new buildings by JLG, plus all elementary levels for two years for each new school. “Junior Library Guild books are so well vetted—I can acquire high-quality books at a reduced price,” Hasenyager said. He added that he appreciated the service he received throughout the ordering process. “Our district requires some things to be done differently, and our sales rep was very responsive,” he said.
^ back to top
Tremont Elementary School
Upper Arlington, Ohio
Claudia Fett, Media Specialist
SITUATION: Elementary School Media Specialist short of time and money and must meet diverse needs
Located in a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, Tremont Elementary School serves students in grades K-5. The proximity to The Ohio State University creates a diverse student population including some children who don’t speak English when they first come to the school. The library is staffed by a full-time Media Specialist and an assistant. Parent volunteers assist in the library every day.
Media Specialist Claudia Fett is responsible for all collection development. “I pretty much eat, sleep and breathe children’s literature 24/7,” Fett said. “Since I’m in classes just about all day every day, keeping up with reviews of new books on my own time can be quite a challenge.” In addition to adding new titles to her collection for general interest reading, Fett also has to acquire materials to support curriculum changes, many of which are directed by the state. For example, she said, the study of sound had been part of the second grade curriculum. When it moved to be part of fifth grade, she needed to find all new materials. “What was appropriate for a second grader was too elementary for a fifth grader. I needed to find age-appropriate titles to support this curriculum change. All of this takes time, and as a media specialist, time is what I don’t have much of!”
SOLUTION: Select from JLG’s thoughtfully chosen reading levels and supplementing with backlist titles.
With a limited budget and many demands on her time, Fett said she has to choose materials wisely. With Junior Library Guild (JLG) she can select specific categories and grade levels (e.g., easy readers, independent readers, mysteries, etc.). The titles available through JLG support general interest reading at all levels as well as providing some of what’s required to meet curriculum needs. “With JLG, I know that all grades are covered. I’m able to choose bands of books and know that they are at a certain level. The collection development I do on my own supplements the solid core collection of items I get from JLG.”
Fett says the range of categories offered by JLG is excellent. She recently reviewed the categories she was receiving and noted the need to add the Biography Elementary and Graphic Novels categories to what her library receives each month. To further assist with collection development, Fett reviews the JLG backlist and other catalogs, where she’ll often find titles to meet curriculum or general interest reading needs.
According to Fett, one of the great tools JLG provides are the grade level posters that highlight the titles scheduled for the year. She tapes the posters for each of the collections she subscribes to on her office door. As she reads reviews or sees a starred title in School Library Journal she can quickly see whether the book is coming through JLG. She gets two copies of each poster and cuts one of them apart, laminating the pieces to promote newly-arrived titles at the check-out desk. “These mini-posters create interest in new titles at specific reading levels, making it easy to target an age group. Kids love seeing the front covers of the books on these mini-posters. This free marketing tool encourages them to seek out new books to read, even when I’m not available in the library.”
RESULTS: Quality collection development that saves time and money
Fett has been a Media Specialist for many years. She says subscribing to JLG is the best way to ensure quality books are added to the library’s collection on a regular basis. “The JLG book choice is exceptional. JLG has an eye for choosing award-winners—I love when awards are announced and I can see that I already have the title from JLG or am scheduled to receive it in an upcoming month. As a JLG subscriber, you know you’ll get quality books and that really takes the pressure off selection.”
Recommending JLG to other School Media Specialists Fett says, “Every librarian wants to get the best books you can with the budget you have. With JLG you know you are using your money wisely.”
^ back to top
![[?]](/img/help.png)