Merchandizing your collection part 2

Merchandizing Your Collection

Adapting Retail Practices to a Library Setting

Andy BarnettMcMillan Memorial Library490 East Grand Ave.Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsinabarnett@scls.lib.wi.us

Our Situation in 2005

Budget crunch - Industry layoffs, city-wide cuts on horizon, static population / tax base

Library - 1970 building, with room to expand internally

Advantages – Strong sense of mission, shared system, support of local foundations, library endowment

Excellence on a Budget

Long range plan - community survey, focus groups, staff and board retreats

Consultation with architect

Best practices & PLA Conferences

Mantras: Leading edge of what has been proven Adapt not adopt

Role Models

Richmond (B.C.) Public Library – Power shelving

Retail and Hospitality leaders Bookstores not good models Marketing guru Paco Underhill Third place

2 ½ Strategies

A three zone library including a Community Commons

Maximize self-service options when consistent with quality service– Display oriented library

Display Oriented Library

Implementation will vary depending upon size and type of library.

Display / merchandise as much as possible, focusing on new materials and AV

Genre / BISAC subject collections Browsing areas not shelving units

Size Matters

In smaller libraries, entire collection can be displayed

In larger libraries, only a small portion of the collection can be displayed

At McMillan, 20% of fiction is on display and 30% in genre collections. 15% of Non-Fiction is displayed.

Why New Materials/AV?

Don’t they go out anyway? Already a high traffic area Busy optimal Easy metric Bite size Incremental and evolutionary

Genre / BISAC Collections

New Adult books go into display collections 12 Fic genres and 17 BISAC NF categories After ~a year, items age into stacks Temporary stickers (collection and date) Display shelving and space

Browsing Areas vs. Stacks

More room = more circulation Stack aisle = one person A destination Permanent collection with dynamic content Displays and permanent genre collections YA = browsing collection, not a clubhouse

Our Gradual Implementation

Display shelving for New Book area Genre / subject collections of New Books Display shelving for AV Additional permanent genre collections Creating display areas wherever possible We still have stacks

Critical Mass

Enough items to reward repeat attention from a browser

Coherent and popular A constant stream of new materials After local browsers have seen, move them

out

Benefits to Readers

Simplest, easiest, most successful experience – Each reader, their book

Better service = better browsing Displays lead readers to new authors and

genres New authors lead readers to older titles

Benefits to Library

All authors/books get a chance at maximum display - Each book, its reader

Provides selection / weeding data 50%+ of displays checked out Displays lead readers to stacks Rewards patrons who visit library

Embracing Branch Library Status

As part of a shared system, McMillan is a branch of a large virtual library– Display collections an interior branch– Stacks are local storage– Shared collection is remote storage

Just in case vs. just in time Being the best branch

If we were a bookstore…

Our new books and AV = bookstore Stacks = used bookstore Shared collection = Amazon Bestsellers are where it breaks down

Lessons Learned

Display units don’t belong in aisles Maximize books patron can see at once Browsing areas – open, room-like Seating and tables in display areas Stacks - where books go to die Never use bottom shelves – anywhere

Lessons Learned (cont.)

Weed thoroughly – you can’t market what people don’t want

Fiction ≠ Non-Fiction Magazines a browsing collection We are all branch libraries now Direction of change > speed of change

Things we did wrong

Collections without critical mass AV Display Aisles - now six feet wide Children’s a tougher nut to crack

Getting started

Wall units Outside edges of stacks – x2 factor Display shelving – expensive and not always

ready for prime time Cul de sacs, C or L shaped areas

Our Fiction Collections

New Fiction Collections New Fiction New Mysteries Science Fiction Fantasy Christian Fiction Suspense Thriller Crime Historical Fiction Romance Adult Graphic Novels Rental

Permanent Fiction Collections Fiction Mystery Science Fiction Fantasy Christian Fiction Classics Adult Graphic Novels YA Fiction / YA Graphic

Novels Large Print Fiction, Mystery

and Western

New Non-Fiction Collections

Hot Topics Pop Culture Food & Celebrations Health & Fitness Self-Help & Psychology Art & Art Instruction Crafts Around the House Sports & Recreation

Memoirs & Autobiography Biography General History 20th Century History Travel & the World Science & Nature Religion & Spirituality Finance & Business

Library Entrance – with no signs

Commons and Booths

Commons - Magazines

Commons - DVDs

Commons - Coffeehouse

Commons

Staffed Self-check

Adult Room - Signage

New Adult Displays

New Adult Displays

New Adult Displays

Young Adult

Adult Fiction

Genre Collections

Reference

Laptop use