Mesa County Public Library Central Branch Collection Assessment and Budget Cut

By Elise Forte and Matthew Kaip

District History/ Background

First library (Central Branch) built in 1897 Grew over the next century Currently 8 branches, spread over 7 Western CO towns/ cities Central Branch: 3 Buildings- administration building, collections and cataloguing building, and the library itself. Mission Statement: Mesa County Libraries provide information and enrichment to our community and connection to the world

2008-2011 Strategic Plan:

a. Mesa County Libraries promise to stimulate the curiosities of new and existing library users who will find what they want readily available and who will receive expert assistance. b. Mesa County Libraries promise to inspire children to discover the joy of reading and to become lifelong readers. c. Mesa County Libraries promise to improve the foundational literacy skills of adult learners throughout Mesa County.

Collection Policy
a. Demonstrated interest, need, or demand by library users or potential users. b. Contemporary significance, popular interest, or permanent value. c. Relevance to the experiences and interests of diverse populations. d. Quality, including accuracy, clarity, usability. e. Critics reviews. f. Significance of the author, including popularity, authority, and competence of the author/artist. g. Recent publication date or currency. h. Format, durability, and ease of use. i. Scarcity or availability of materials elsewhere. j. Value of resource in relation to its cost.

Childrens Collection and Young Adult

Childrens Section takes up 25% of space, has large play area. Books date from the 1890s to present, most are in good to great condition. Young Adult is smaller space between Childrens and Adult, contains computers, bean bag chairs, study spaces tech Tuesdays Space is heavily used Books are in great to new condition.

Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction

Takes up 50% of the first floor space. Divided into Large Print, regular print, and Genre fiction shelves/ areas. Both large and regular print are in good condition, very few paperbacks. Many of the Genre fiction are in poor condition, westerns esp. need updating or removal, Non-fiction dates vary depending on subject Non fiction is well cared for, and in good condition.

E-Resources
Accessed through the main web site Top 3 featured databases 43 subscription databases OverDrive E-Books and E-audiobooks, plus links to 8 free sites. Quick Refence Tech Guides and Tutorials

Budget
Adult Fiction Adult Non-Fiction Reference Periodicals Electronic Database Adult Media-Audio Adult Media-Video Adult Foreign Language Large Print Teen Print Teen Media-Audio Teen Media-Video Teen Media- Other Childrens Print Childrens Media-Audio Childrens Media-Video Childrens Media-Other Childrens Foreign Language Literacy Music Totals: $96,992 $100,000 $23,000 $18,000 $132,000 $56,327 $59,588 $10,264 $21,798 $22,432 $3,274 $5,900 $3,000 $105,000 $16,226 $35,000 $3,000 $3,536 $12,000 $5,000 $732,337 $90,043 $92,043 $18,000 $12,000 $111,000 $50,000 $50,000 $8,000 $17,000 $16,100 $2,200 $4,000 $2,000 $97,100 $11,000 $28,000 $2,000 $2,000 $8,000 $2,000 $662,486

Balanced Cuts
We adopted a balanced cuts approach. Some were bigger, some smaller Effective?

Questions?