Staff responsibilities and training
Frontline staff play a central role in managing the stock within their libraries. Stock purchase takes place centrally to exploit economies of scale, but for stock to be targeted to local communities, staff feedback is integral.
Staff are encouraged to highlight waiting list information, specific book requests for their customers, stock gap areas in their library, as well as feedback on what items or subjects are not performing well.
Guidance highlighted in this document can help staff understand the criteria for making decisions about dead and grubby stock. Frontline staff should use their discretion to make decisions about stock, and should be supported by their managers to recognise they are the experts about stock within their own libraries.
We have a comprehensive training programme for our Stock Champions whose role is to advocate good stock management, support reader development and cascade to other members of staff.
In May 2021, Stock Champions were introduced to the library service and they are being trained in the following:
- CollectionHQ
- Stock presentation
- Stock editing
Stock Champions’ responsibilities
Essex Libraries has recruited Stock Champions within the service to achieve its stock management goals and keep the importance of stock promotion and maintenance at the heart of what we do.
They will:
- Provide a much-needed link between frontline staff and the stock manager
- Oversee the stock editing within their library group, help staff understand why we edit stock, ensuring that stock editing is undertaken regularly, and that staff are confident that the right stock remains on the shelf
- Oversee the delivery and completion of stock reports via Symphony or Collection HQ.
- Encourage staff to look for and escalate any stock gaps or replacement stock requirements
- Encourage staff to actively pursue opportunities for conversations with customers about reading choices, and help staff build confidence in their ability to advise and recommend stock
- Be fully aware of our online offer, both with what is available and how to access it; and to help cascade this understanding to all frontline staff
- Encourage staff to highlight stock issues or changes in customer borrowing
- Encourage staff to try new ideas eg displaying things differently – more face-on display; mix genres and fiction stock with suitable non-fiction
- Support libraries by creating suitable displays to support local events and initiatives or requesting stock in preparation for future planned events. Select stock that can support reader development activities
- Work with Book Group Coordinators to ensure suitable stock is available for book groups in the right quantities and formats
- Help keep stock policies and procedures up-to-date by participating in policy review working groups
- Review and assess items donated from self-publishing authors (Stock Champions based at the Library Support Unit only).
Frontline staff
All frontline staff will receive a comprehensive introduction to stock management and reader development which will be overseen by the local Stock Champions, Team Managers, LSU library specialist and the Stock Manager.
This will cover:
- Editing stock (stock gaps, missing, grubby, dead and out-of-date)
- Displaying stock (shelving, express zones, dumpbins, display shelves)
- Promoting stock (answer stock enquiries, recommendations, understand reader trends)
- Process stock reports from Blue Cloud Analytics (Missing reports, unfilled holds).