Library Inventory

Inventory Policy

An inventory of the library collection must be completed for every campus library collection once per school year. The value of the library collection as a whole (estimated $300K for an average 15K item collection) means it counts as a fixed asset and AISD policy requires fixed assets to be inventoried annually. 

The only exceptions are:

• If you are a late hire and start work at your campus after the first nine-week grading period is over, you are not required to complete inventory for that school year. (But you may want to; it’s a good way to learn your collection, and it will make inventory the following year easier.)

• If the campus is without a librarian for an extended period of time during a school year, inventory is not required for that year. However, a long-term library sub or library clerk may complete the inventory with the approval of both campus administration and the LMC. 

• Campus principals will receive confirmation from the LMC when the library inventory has been completed for the year.

Scheduling Inventory

At the beginning of the school year, each librarian should schedule inventory with Birdie.

• Inventory must be completed within a window of one calendar month.

• Scheduling is done on a “first come, first served” basis, and a maximum of 30 campuses can schedule inventory for any one month.

• The months available for inventory are August, September, October, November, December, January, February, and March.

• The inventory window starts on the first day of the scheduled month and ends on the last day. If the month includes a break (e.g, Thanksgiving Break in November, Winter Break in December, Spring Break in March) the inventory start and end dates are still the first and last days of the calendar month.

• Inventory can be rescheduled, but once it has been started, it cannot be stopped and restarted, and it must be completed by the end of that month. No extensions can be given due to the number of reports that run daily for every campus whose inventory is open, and the capacity of the server.

Three Steps to a Successful Inventory

1. SCANNING the barcode of every physical item in the library collection to inventory it. The “Inventory Item” wizard is available under “Special Circulation Functions” in the CIRC WorkFlows profile and "Common Tasks" in the AIDE WorkFlows profile.

   • Don’t forget barcoded items that are located somewhere other than the shelves in the main library such as an AV room, professional section, display area, workroom, office, etc.

   • Use post-its and/or mark off completed shelves on a library map or checklist to keep track of what has and has not been inventoried, especially if you have helpers.

   • Assisting with inventory is a good task for volunteers, unassigned subs, TAs, and other helpers. Inventory laptops with scanners can be borrowed from the LMC for up to two weeks; it's recommended to reserve these with Birdie ahead of time, but you can also check to see if any are available at point of need. Contact Birdie to make arrangements for pickup and return. (Please don’t pass on inventory laptops to another librarian unless you have cleared it with Birdie; those laptops may already be reserved for somebody else to use next.)

2. SEARCHING for any items on the “missing” reports once all items have been scanned. 

   • When you start inventory, you will consult with Birdie to establish a “target number” of missing items for your inventory, based on the size of your collection, numbers from past campus inventories and any other special circumstances that might affect the number of missing items. The maximum target number is 200, but for most campuses it will be significantly lower.

   • Once you are done scanning, you will be working from two reports - one of items that have NEVER been inventoried and one of items that were inventoried BEFORE the inventory start date for the current year. These reports will not include digital items (like eBooks) or items that are checked out, overdue, billed, marked as lost, or discarded. Try to locate as many of the items on this list as possible and inventory them to remove them from the “missing” lists.

   • If you have a large number of items on your “missing” reports, it is often because a shelf or section was skipped during scanning, or a box of new books has not been unpacked, or there are groups of items housed outside of the library that weren’t scanned. Look for patterns or “runs” in the call numbers on the “missing” reports.

   • If you have thoroughly searched for all missing items and are having trouble reaching your target number, contact the LMC for assistance BEFORE the last day of your inventory month.

3. CLOSING the inventory. Birdie will do this once a good faith effort has been made to locate any missing items AND the number of items left on the “missing” reports is at or below the target number. 

   • Closing inventory changes the status of any items still on the reports to MISSING so they no longer show as available in the catalog. It is important that at this point, the only items left on the “missing” reports are items that are actually missing. If you accidentally skipped a shelf or box or stack of books while scanning and you don’t catch it before you are “set to missing”, all of those items will be removed from your collection and you will have to add them back one by one later which is very time consuming. So don’t stop searching for missing items as soon as you hit your target number - look for every item on the lists.

   • Inventory must be closed by the last day of the designated calendar month. This is not to be mean; it is due to the number of reports that run daily for every campus whose inventory is open and the capacity of the server. If your inventory isn’t closed by the end of your designated month, it interferes with opening inventory for librarians scheduled for the following month.

Important to Know

• Library materials can be checked in and out during inventory. Items that are checked out are automatically inventoried by the system, so checking items out will not land them on the missing list.

• It can be helpful to have uninterrupted time to scan and search for items; however, it is also important for students and staff to maintain access to library resources and services. The library should be closed for no more than three days for the purpose of doing inventory.

• If you have questions about inventory or run into any issues, contact Birdie as soon as possible - don’t wait until the last minute!