Training Example: Addition - Circulation of Other Physical Items

[klow-air]

Name:
Tim Rohe

State/Affiliation:
New Hampshire

Description of Change:
Circulation of Other Physical Items should include circulation of all physical items other than print books (450), physical audio units (452), physical video units (454), and serials, including renewals. These are materials in a fixed, physical format available for use outside the library. These can include a variety of items types, such as wi-fi hotspots, sewing machines, cake pans, tools, telescopes, board games, video games, etc.

Justification:

• Many libraries offer such non-traditional physical items for “use outside the library,” but unlike other physical collections (print materials, audio-physical units, and video-physical units), there is no data element on the PLS with which to account for their individual circulation. Therefore, without such a data element, the PLS does not accurately reflect the current state of circulation of collections across the US.
• Data element 553 Physical Item Circulation (PHYSCIR) accounts for, “The total annual circulation of all physical library materials of all types,” including these “other” physical items. While most items included in 553 are also counted as part of separate data elements for their unique physical collections (print, audio, and video units), there is no corresponding data element to track the circulation of these other physical items in the collection. Hence, I am proposing one that would account for these items and close that gap in the summation of 553.
• The three data elements I am proposing (Other Circulating Physical Items 459, Total Physical Items in Collection 460, Circulation of Other Physical Items 557) should be considered together, as they do not make sense to implement individually.

Potential methodological issues:
None

States already collecting:
Connecticut, Iowa, Arkansas, Ohio, Virginia, Illinois, Mississippi, Georgia, Rhode Island