Library staff outline how collections are chosen, cataloged and processed; 27% of book budget goes to digital formats

Senior librarians detailed how the Carlsbad City Library acquires, catalogs and maintains materials at the March 25 meeting.

"Of the total allocation, 27% went toward online and 73% was for physical" formats for books and audiobooks, Jackie Petrie told trustees when describing the prior fiscal year's distribution. Katie Dupari described related circulation: "ebooks and eaudiobooks had a circulation of 228,000, whereas their physical counterparts circulated almost 930,000 times."

Staff said those three elements—budget, circulation, and collection size—are linked and that the collection development policy (approved last September by the board and the California State Library) guides purchases. Petrie said the policy lists selection criteria such as positive reviews in professional literature, expected local demand and production quality, and requires electronic resources to protect patron privacy.

The presentation mapped the workflow from vendor vetting and ordering to receiving, cataloging and processing. Dupari said catalogers make more than 1,000 cataloging entries per month and that about 350,000 items are listed in the online catalog. Processing includes spine labels, RFID tags, repackaging media and protective coatings; typical turnaround from receipt to shelf is a couple of weeks, with items on hold prioritized and sometimes processed in one day.

During board Q&A, Trustee Chelsea Scheffler asked how patron purchase requests are prioritized. Petrie said hold requests are prioritized in processing and that any purchase request is evaluated against the collection development policy. Deputy Director Sheila Crosby added: "There's a purchase request form that's available on the website," and staff review requests weekly.

Trustee and participant questions included sources staff consult when evaluating materials (New York Times, Library Journal, Kirkus, Booklist, Horn Book and School Library Journal; staff said they sometimes consult Goodreads). No formal policy changes or budget reallocations were proposed at the meeting.

The board accepted the presentation for information.