Urban branches: 8 ways to increase circulation

Ohio Libraries, Winter 2003 by Dutton, Brenda

Two years ago Carrie Narcelles, then Assistant Manager, and I started looking for a solution. We were both experienced librarians. We had led our former suburban branches in making significant circulation gains. We tried our entire bag of tricks. Circulation was down, but we weren't done yet. We decided to experiment and try any idea that might raise book circulation and be handled without overburdening our small staff. Later when our department director asked what we had done, we had to stop and think back over 18 months to pinpoint what had worked and why. We came up with eight points.

1. KNOW WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS WANT.

2. WITHIN REASON AND BUDGETARY CONSTRAINTS, MAKE WHAT IS WANTED AVAILABLE.

3. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE ADVERTISING WHEN APPROPRIATE.

4. REWARD THE BEHAVIOR WANTED.

5. BE OPEN TO IDEAS.

6. IDENTIFY BARRIERS AND FIND CREATIVE WAYS TO REMOVE THEM.

7. CELEBRATE ANY PROGRESS.

8. SELF EVALUATE WHAT IS TRIED. KEEP WHAT WORKS AND TWEAK. ABANDON WHAT DOESN'T WORK QUICKLY AND WITH NO REGRETS.

KNOW WHAT YOUR CUSTOMERS WANT

* Ask them.

* Keep track of requests for items not owned and look at what is reserved.

* Ask groups where you speak what they would like to find more of at the library. Cruise your favorite bookstore.

* Try to see the orders from Scholastic Book Club or any other mail order club sold in local schools.

* Accept that people in poverty value people and things that provide entertainment more highly than those that don't.

* Connect books to the audio-visual materials customers request. Horror and scary movies are asked for continuously. We bought more vampire books, displayed them and verbally enticed customers to try a few.

* The same approach works with music. The same singers and groups are requested over and over again. We stocked up on LOTS of copies of books on the artists. Each time an audio reserve was placed and none were in, we pushed taking a book until the reserve arrived. Magazines with articles about the groups were available and promoted at teen programs. Artists and groups fade quickly, so promote as rapidly as possible.

MAKE WHAT IS WANTED AVAILABLE

* What about magazines? Franklinton has the lowest magazine budget in our system. Long ago standard titles like Time, NY Times Book Review and parent-child magazines were replaced by National Enquirer, Star, Country Music Weekly, Sophisticated Hairstyles and Video. Why? Because when given a choice of what they don't want to read, our customers chose nothing. Be honest-don't your customers do the same?

* remember cussion a number of urban branch staff had years ago with our then "Rush Committee" about Snaps, Yo Mamma, Redneck and "You'll Know You're Ghetto" books being "deserving" of rush ordering. We lost the argument and the great circulation the titles would have generated in an urban setting where humor is based on relationships and put downs-not literary value.

* We buy huge numbers of Pop-Up books. They circulate themselves to early withdrawal, It is cost effective when compared to lovely books withdrawn due to low or no circulation.

* Find out what the latest book "fad" is. Pokemon and Digimon have run their course and we are weeding out remaining titles as we search for SpongeBob Squarepants titles, new Sailor Moon ones and graphic novels.

CAPITALIZE ON FREE, BIG BUCK ADVERTISING WHEN APPROPRIATE

* Disney spent $489,100,000 on advertising their products two years ago. Buy those books that are movie related as soon as available, in sufficient quantity and watch the circulation numbers rise.

* Tuck Everlasting, from the wonderful book by Ohioan Natalie Babbitt, opened in theaters October 11. We plan a book discussion starting when we think the most Disney ads will be aired and finishing just after the movie opens. What great posters they provided!

* Many libraries had Harry Potter programs or pulled together everything on the Titanic for promotions. Ride the demand created by the big advertisers for book related materials. Urban families value entertainment highly and may buy the video or DVD, but not the books. Have the books at the library and promote them shamelessly!

* Did you promote anime, tattooing and henna? We may not be as comfortable with those topics, but our customers are.

* Remember the "classic" rock of today was considered unfit compared to classical music by many adults in the '60s.

REWARD THE BEHAVIOR WANTED

* We knew we wanted people to check out materials to read. With children that meant we reinforced three behaviors: getting cards, bringing the card when they came to the library and checking out books when we got them interested through programs, displays and personal contacts.

* We work through the schools to get applications passed out. With one school we run contests by working with the school librarian. The K-2 and 3-5 class with the highest percentage of usable cards gets invited to the branch for a special program and to make ice cream sundaes.

Funding comes from the Friends of the Library and the school PTO.