Stock Policy

 

  1. Introduction

 

Royal Borough of Kingston (RBK) Library Service provides a wide range of stock that is relevant to the needs of the community and delivers a value for money service. Based on the borough demographics and performance data from bibliographic tools the libraries will select stock to meet community need. Our aim is to support reading for pleasure, literacy, learning and information reflecting the diverse communities in Royal Borough of Kingston and to support the Libraries Connected Universal Library Offers Communities can access the library resources/stock in a number of ways. Stock includes both physical stock (printed books, talking books etc.) and digital stock available online (eBooks, eAudiobooks etc.). 

Royal Borough of Kingston (RBK) Library Stock Policy supports the statutory responsibility ‘to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service for all persons desiring to make use thereof’ (Public Library and Museums Act 1964).

The RBK Library Stock Policy sets out the objectives, standards and guidelines relating to the selection, acquisition, management, presentation and disposal of library materials. The RBK Library Stock Policy aims to enable staff and volunteers to manage library stock efficiently and to provide:

 

‘A range of material that reflects the demography of the area and the policy priorities agreed for the library service.’  (MLA guidance on the management of controversial material in public libraries).

 

  1. Objectives 

 

The objectives of the RBK Libraries Stock Policy are:

 

  • To focus on the stock being reflective of the borough demographics and the need demonstrated through data performance

  • To develop a coherent and cohesive approach to the selection and development of library stock within RBK Libraries. 

  • To ensure a consistent approach to stock management 

  • To ensure the efficient and effective use of resources 

  • To align the service to the Universal Offers  and Reading Well 



  1. Legal Obligations

 

The governing factor in the selection and retention of stock is that such items are within the law. All decisions regarding stock are made within the following statutory framework: 

 

  • Children Act 1989

  • Computer Misuse act 1990

  • Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988

  • Data Protection Act 1998

  • Disability Discrimination Act 2005

  • Equalities Act 2012

  • Freedom of Information Act 2000

  • Human Rights Act 1998

  • Library Charges (England and Wales) Regulations 1991

  • Local Government Act 1999 (2003)

  • Obscene Publications Act 1959 (amended 1964) 

  • Protection from Harassment Act 1997

  • Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 

  • Race Relations Act 1976 

  • Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000

  • Sex Discrimination Act 1986

  • Terrorism Act 2006

  • Video Recordings Act 2010

  • General Data Protection Regulation 2018



  1. Intellectual Freedom 

 

Within the ability of our budget, our stock will represent all shades of opinion. In fulfilling our legal obligations we accept the statement on censorship produced by CILIP (Chartered Institute for Library and Information Professionals): 

 

CILIP is committed to promoting a society where intellectual activity and 

creativity, freedom of expression and debate, and access to information are

encouraged and nurtured as vital elements underpinning individual and

community fulfilment in all aspects of human life. It is the role of a library and

information service that is funded from the public purse to provide, as far as

resources allow, access to all publicly available information, whether factual

or fiction and regardless of media or format, in which its users claim

legitimate interest. 

 

Access should not be restricted on any grounds except that of the law. If

publicly available material has not incurred legal penalties then it should not 

be excluded on moral, political, religious, racial or gender grounds, to satisfy 

the demands of sectional interest. The legal basis of any restriction on 

access should always be stated. 

 

CILIP 2005

 

We will also take into account the MLA’s 2007 “Guidance on the management of controversial material in public libraries.”

 

 

  1. Responsibility for Selection 

 

All stock will be selected within the guidelines laid down by the RBK Libraries Stock Policy. Day to day responsibility for selection and retention rests with the Library Development Manager and relevant Development Officers.  The Development Officers with responsibility for stock will ensure that stock reflects the needs of the community through analysis of data and through community outreach activities.

 

Any complaints or disputes, which cannot be resolved locally, will be first responded to by the Development Officers for Stock and if issues still remain by the Library Development Manager.



  1. Stock Selection Methods 

 

We will select our stock by a variety of means: 

 

  • Use of performance data via bibliographic tools and demographic data to inform selection of adult and children and young people stock

  • Regular standing orders for adult non-fiction; popular authors, genre fiction, large print stock, audio books and  limited reference material

  • Requests from users for items not already in stock 

  • Local, specialist and independent publishers

  • Requests by staff which reflect local need 

  • Local publications as selected by the Heritage Service

  • Community outreach events and activities

  • Showroom visits and suppliers’ special offers

 

We will review all standing orders each year and during the year if a new author becomes apparent.

 

We will use booksellers’ websites, pre-publication lists, published reviews, prize lists and media promotions to ensure our new stock is comprehensive and representative of current publishing.  



  1. Principles of Stock Selection 

 

Our key principles of stock selection are:

  • response to known and anticipated demand through performance data via bibliographic tools

  • customer profiling through demographic data for the borough

  • evidence based stock management, and management information reports from our Library Management System and other bibliographic tools

  • value for money

 

Our primary objective will be to provide an extensive range of titles and resources. We will assess all stock purchased against the perceived needs of the communities served by each library. This includes the provision of material in new formats. 

 

We regard every library as part of a network which includes The Library Consortium (TLC) boroughs. Material acquired for any one service point will not be viewed as the sole property of that library, but as a shared resource to be exploited through stock circulation programmes and inter-library lending. We will make as much material as possible available for loan. However, due to fragility, rarity or cost, some material may be restricted to use only within a library. 




  1. Selection Criteria 

 

Any item purchased for stock will be assessed on the following grounds: 

 

  • Popularity of author, subject or genre (including bestsellers & promotional events)

  • Authority and reputation of the author or publisher in the subject  

  • Under-represented subject area in current stocks 

  • Item provides value for money 

  • Item is part of a series 

  • Potential use of item 

  • Item is new edition, especially in a subject area of rapid change 

  • Item reflects social and cultural diversity. 

  • Item reflects local content

  • Physical presentation is appropriate for library usage. 

 

The following categories of stock will not be purchased: 

 

  • Books written with practice in another country in mind (e.g. teaching children to read in America, Australian nursing manuals, etc)

  • Books with additional and detachable objects which form an integral part of an overall package (except where it is possible to include in the book e.g. cds for language courses & lifelong learning).

  • Items unsuitable in format unless the information they contain is unavailable in any other form. 

  • Expensive luxury editions except where of unique local interest. 

  • Workbooks primarily intended for use with or by a teacher or intended for individual ownership. 

  • Self-published or vanity titles except where the content is of local interest or of local family interest for the Local Studies rooms. If local writers wish to donate a copy of their book we will consider it for adding to stock.

  • Specialist collection material, where a collection is better represented at another institution.

  • Materials found unsuitable due to date of publication, and items in breach of relevant legislation.



  1. Stock for Adults 

 

Stock in all libraries will include a range of fiction to meet educational, cultural and leisure needs. Our collections will provide a varied and balanced stock, representative of all types of fiction, designed to satisfy all tastes and levels of reading ability. 

 

Our non-fiction stock will support educational needs, lifelong learning, contribute to personal development and encourage a positive use of leisure time, health and well-being.

 

We will supply a wide variety of stock covering subjects at a range of interest levels up to and including higher education level. We will stock a selection of higher education texts where their subject is appropriate.

 

In addition we will supply:

 

  • Skills for Life/Lifelong learning

  • Resources (books & multimedia resources) to support adults & emergent readers with basic literacy skills

  • ESOL resources



  1. Stock for Children and Young People

 

We will provide a wide variety of stock for loan and information purposes to satisfy the needs of children and young people, regardless of age, ability or culture. Material will be relevant from birth through teenage years, to suit all levels of reading ability.

 

We will provide materials which will: 

 

  • Encourage a love of reading for entertainment and enjoyment 

  • Develop language skills and expand vocabulary 

  • Extend skills and knowledge 

  • Develop an ability to read for information 

  • Stimulate imagination and curiosity 

  • Develop an understanding of and respect for themselves and other people 

 

Non-fiction stock will support both leisure and study needs. It will reflect and support the National Curriculum.

 

Some foreign and dual-language titles for children will be provided to reflect the languages spoken by local communities.

 

Stock will include separate collections for young people selected according to our general criteria but of particular relevance to teenage culture and interests. 

 

The library service does not act in loco parentis and whilst all reasonable efforts will be made to ensure that children and young people do not have access to items of an unsuitable nature, the ultimate responsibility for what children and young people read rests with their parents or guardians. 



  1. Large Print Stock 

 

We will provide large print stock to allow access to our services for those unable to read standard print size including the Community Library Service.

 

Service points will provide an appropriate collection of large print books to meet known or expected patterns of demand. The recommendation is to set up standing orders to circulate the collections based on issues and concentrate collections to display the largest possible selection.




  1. Audio Visual Stock  

 

Collections of spoken word will continue to be maintained including to supply the Community Library Service in order to give access to people who are visually impaired. Standing orders will be put in place for these collections.

 

Collections of both CDs (language courses) and DVDs in English and community languages are less well used and changing delivery options such as streaming have made the collections of less relevance and no longer self-financing. Therefore we will be reviewing the purchasing of DVDs and CDs, taking account of customer needs and value for money. 



  1. Community Language Stock  

 

Materials in community languages will be provided for those whose first language is not English in order to promote cultural and recreational development. Digital services to provide this resource will be sourced.

 

A selection of stock in some other languages is provided in libraries where local use has been identified. We will endeavour to identify the current usage of these collections and use community profiles to engage with the wider community and purchase stock accordingly, emphasising the top five community languages as identified by the demographic profiles, but reflecting the needs of emergent communities where possible. Community days will support this work.

 

We use a number of specialist stock suppliers to select community stock and online resources. 



  1. Information and Reference Stock  

 

Due to the constant changes in technology we now purchase and provide most reference materials online, and where feasible will provide quick-access terminals for this information via the People’s Network.

 

Core reference materials such as dictionaries and atlases will continue to be provided in book format.



  1. Digital Library Offer 

 

Provision of access to licensed online resources is maintained within available budgets and in line with current demand, local and national initiatives and library-led programmes. Depending on the above it might consist of e-books, e-audiobooks, e-magazines, e-newspapers, reference materials and any other relevant format and category. Subscriptions to online materials are re-evaluated at the time of renewal to ensure that they are still fit for purpose.




  1. Newspapers and Periodicals  

 

We will provide a range of titles for information and leisure, this will increasingly be in a digital format. The range and quantity will be determined by size of library and levels of use. We will review provision annually and investigate new methods of procurement and delivery such as online newspaper and periodical services to support a broader range of interests within our budget.



  1. Donations 

 

We accept donated items on the understanding that they are subject to the same selection criteria as apply to stock we have purchased. We reserve the right to decide on the most suitable location for donated items and to dispose of materials not required or unsuitable for addition for stock. 

 

Donations are accepted on the understanding that they become the property of the library service. The conditions on which we accept donations are as follows:

 

  • Books should be in excellent physical condition, e.g clean, no torn or yellowing pages

  • Books should be suitable for library use.

  • Staff cannot guarantee that items will be added into stock.

  • Unwanted donations will not be returned to the donor 

  • Unwanted donations will be disposed of appropriately and responsibly.

  • The Development Officers for Stock have the final decision

The library is unable to accept donations of DVDs or CDs as those sold for private viewing may not be lent out by a library

 

  1. Unsolicited Items

 

Items sent to the library service without having been ordered by us will be assessed by our usual stock selection criteria. If it is decided not to purchase the item it will not be returned to the sender unless postage and packing have been included. We reserve the right not to purchase stock that does not fit within our selection criteria.



  1. Stock Circulation 

 

Stock in good physical condition may be circulated between service points on a regular basis in order to maximise the availability and usage of individual items and ensure that the stock in each library is constantly renewed. We will utilise evidence-based stock management systems to help us with this circulation.



  1. Stock Maintenance

 

The maintenance and promotion of stock are key activities underpinning all functions of the library service. It is therefore essential to maintain the currency and physical condition of stock to a high standard. Stock should be user-focused and easily accessible. It should be arranged, placed, displayed and promoted to maximize appeal and access to different users in meeting their needs.

 

All stock should be edited annually and the stock performance tool used to indicate the withdrawal of stock no longer required.

 

We will:

 

  • Review condition, range and currency of stock

  • Minimise the stock levels not on open access by reviewing the reserve stock

  • Keep items of stock in good condition and well used

  • Circulate if issues have stopped but the item is in good condition and current / relevant

  • Withdraw if in poor condition, out of date, dated appearance, or no longer meets customer needs.

  • Consider replacement if non-fiction and part of a series or in demand and still current.



  1. Requests Service  

 

We will provide a request service to provide equal access to the lending stock of all our libraries to all customers. The service will also provide access to items which do not form part of local stock through purchase or by borrowing through The Libraries Consortium. Kingston Libraries are part of TLC and as such can reserve stock through the shared TLC library catalogue. 

 

We will buy items which are available for purchase where they fulfil our general criteria for selection. 

 

We will accept requests for audio-visual items when they are available within RBK libraries. We will not normally pursue requests for these items through the inter-library loan network, with the exception of audio books for visually impaired customers.



  1. Disposal of Stock 

 

Items identified as redundant to stock on condition, currency or by other criteria suggested by evidence-based stock management will be withdrawn.

 

Disposal of unwanted items will be through commercial companies, who will resell on a commission basis, or through book sales in branches. 

 

We are committed to disposing of such stock in an environmentally responsible manner.

 

The content of some items, especially those of a religious nature, demands that their disposal should be undertaken in a sensitive manner and these will be treated appropriately.

 

Local or national book dealers may be contacted where withdrawn items are considered to be of significant value.

 

 

  1.  Stock security

 

Security systems will be installed where appropriate and within the limitations of the budgets. Some special collections (such as local history library collections) might require specific storage conditions and therefore direct public access to them may not be possible.

 

 

  1. Stock lost or damaged

 

It is the responsibility of a borrower (or their guardian) to return or renew items at the end of the lending period. Failure to do so may result in the accumulation of fines on the customer’s library account, preventing any further loans until the items are returned and fines paid or the costs of replacement are paid. Cost of replacement is determined by the library staff for every individual item lost or damaged.



  1. Performance Information

 

RBK Libraries aims to make the most effective and efficient use of stock. The service measures the effectiveness of its stock management activities through a number of performance indicators. These are:

 

  • User satisfaction levels for the range of stock available (obtained from the Public Library User Surveys for children and adults)

  • The number of ‘new to library’ titles added to each service point each year

  • Number of items added to stock per 1000 population each year

  • The percentage of the library’s stock out on loan (volumes in circulation)

  • The length of time it would take to replace all items in stock (replenishment rate)

  • Evidence-based stock management systems and LMS reports

 

The information is provided through the Library Management System, performance tool, and monitoring by staff. 



  1. Promotion and Marketing 

 

We will promote our stock to library customers and to the wider public in order to: 

 

  • Encourage library membership and use 

  • Bring as wide a range of stock as possible to the attention of each customer 

  • Provide advice and guidance to individual customers in their reading choices 

  • Maximise the usage of stock 

  • Encourage diverse reading habits 

  • Support national and regional campaigns

  • Improve literacy

  • To comply with the priorities of the Royal Borough of Kingston

We will present our stock in an attractive and accessible way with regular displays to 

maintain interest and stimulate use. 

 

We will promote our stock by a variety of means, for example visits by authors and other promotional events, displays in other locations, media coverage and talks by library staff to groups. 

 

We will provide facilities, promote and support reading groups within our libraries. 

 

We will provide training to library staff to facilitate the promotion of library materials.



  1. Revision of the RBK Library Stock Policy

 

We will review the contents of the RBK Library Stock Policy annually, taking into account the views of library users and staff, as well as developments at a national and London level. 



























Appendix 1

 

Stock maintenance process (damaged stock)

  1. Branch staff identify an item that is not fit to remain on shelves. This may be due to scribble, being torn, being dirty or too tatty, missing pages, broken binding, severely yellowed pages etc.

  2. Branch staff to withdraw the item by issuing to the borrower “DISCARD”

  3. Branch staff to check the item history and other copies in RBK. If it is deemed to be worth replacing, add to the stock suggestions spreadsheet, for 2020/21

  4. The Development Officer: Stock and Resources to decide whether to purchase a new copy of the item and order as needed. Action taken will be noted on the stock suggestions spreadsheet



Appendix 2

 

Stock withdrawal process (dead stock)

  1. Dead stock is stock that has not been borrowed for an extended period of time. CollectionHQ is used to identify items, and stock is currently classed by CHQ as dead if it has not issued in the past 12 months. However, we can set parameters to increase this length of time according to the stock category and branch

  2. The Development Officer: Stock and Resources will regularly send branches dead stock lists with instructions on items to mark as missing, withdrawn or to send for re-allocation to another branch. These lists may have been modified by the DO to omit certain items which may not issue well but we may want to be keep for stock, e.g. dual language children’s items

  3. Branch staff can use these lists as a guide for withdrawing stock and therefore ensuring our collections are well-used and relevant. They are not prescriptive and colleagues are able to judge for themselves if they wish to keep in stock any items identified as dead 

  4. Items listed that are not found on the shelf should be issued to “MISSINGRB” and items to be withdrawn should be issued to “DISCARD”



Appendix 3

 

Donations 

  1. Donations can be accepted according to the conditions in Section 17. Branch staff to do initial weed to ensure all items accepted meet these conditions

  2. Donations can be kept aside within the branch and the Development Officer: Stock and Resources notified. Or the items can be sent directly to Anita at NM (children’s and teen donations) or Chris at HK (adult donations)

  3. The DO will decide on the items to be added to stock and for which branch. They will either add the item to stock on the LMS or send the items to the relevant branch with instructions for adding to the LMS

  4. Branch staff to ensure donated items are shelf-ready by adding spine labels, dates labels, tags etc