Definition
A count of the stock items held in each library, by the item type.
How the data can be collected
This data will be recorded in the library service’s Library Management System (LMS).
Library management systems will have the means of extracting and reporting data, and so this should be able to be automated. This may include automated publishing of the data at regular intervals.
If starting from scratch, this template file can be downloaded and opened using spreadsheet software.
Sample data row
| Local authority | Local authority code | Library name | Count date | Type | Items |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnet | E09000003 | Burnt Oak | 2019-10-07 | Adult audiobook | 208 |
A full sample can be viewed at Barnet stock summary.
Field notes
Local authority code
The Government Statistical Service (GSS / ONS) 9-character code for the local authority (e.g. E09000003 for Barnet). This links directly to the parent library services dataset.
Type
The type will be the item type the item is categorised under in the library management system.
This should ideally be a human readable value rather than a code. For example ‘Adult Fiction’ rather than ‘ADU_FIC’. The set of types will be those that are used by each library service.
Potential problems
Non-standardised item types
Using item types as used by each library service will mean variation between similar types of items. For example one service may write ‘Child Fiction’ and another ‘Fiction - Child’.
How the data is updated
To update stock summary data, library services can either publish a new file for each count period or append new count dates.