Inventory is required to be done on a regular basis, which will be towards the end of every school year. The library should not be closed due to inventory taking place.
Information on Inventory
Steps of an Inventory
Information on Inventory
- The process can be completed during the school year instead of all at one time.
- The librarian can only start and finalize an Inventory. Library staff and volunteers can scan copies into an Inventory.
- A laptop on a cart and hand-held scanner is needed. Multiple laptops and scanners can be used to do Inventory at the same time by different people.
- There is no need to remove the book from the shelf as barcodes are on the back top right corner of books.
- For fiction sections that are not classified by Dewey, do not select "check shelf order."
- For nonfiction sections that are not classified by Dewey, set up one single inventory. Do not select "check shelf order."
Steps of an Inventory
- Finalize, cancel, and remove old inventories that show they are still in progress.
- Delete books from the catalog that were marked lost and probably will not be found.
- Chunk the process into separate inventories for collections that follow Dewey.
- Remember to keep track of progress.
- Start a new inventory or choose an inventory already created.
- Choose the "check shelf order" box to hear a sound when a scanned book is out of place.
- Put cursor in the "Scan or enter one-at-a-time" box.
- Begin scanning.
- When stopping, note the date, time, and last title and call number scanned.
- Scan any books that are not located on the shelves and ignore the sound signaling the book is out of place.
- Finalize inventory and repeat with another chunk.
Below is a full guide to the inventory process.
Below is a progress chart to help keep track of what weeding and inventory has taken place.
Information on this page was taken and/or adapted from Baltimore County Public Schools School Library Inventory Guide and Baltimore County Public Schools Librarians Resource-PD Wiki.
Works Cited
BCPS School Library Collection Inventory Guide. Baltimore County Public Schools, 8 Nov. 2016,
bcpslis.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/108717790/BCPS_Inventory_Guide.pdf.
"Weeding and Inventory Progress Chart." BCPS Librarians Resource-PD Wiki, Baltimore County Public Schools,
bcpslis.pbworks.com/w/file/108742780/Weeding_Inventory_Progress_Chart.docx. Accessed 11Jul. 2018.
bcpslis.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/108717790/BCPS_Inventory_Guide.pdf.
"Weeding and Inventory Progress Chart." BCPS Librarians Resource-PD Wiki, Baltimore County Public Schools,
bcpslis.pbworks.com/w/file/108742780/Weeding_Inventory_Progress_Chart.docx. Accessed 11Jul. 2018.