Babs Harris has the following question:
Due to the slow down after Covid and a loss of workers, our library now has a backlog of ordered and paid for DVDs (mostly preschool) to catalog.
Do we spend the time to enter these into the catalog when so few are being checked out?
We also have a large collection of audiobooks on CDs, which have not been weeded. These fill an entire tall bookcase.
Are these items on the way out? Do people own DVD/CD players any more? New vehicles no longer have CD players so people won't be able to listen to audiobooks while traveling.
I realize that Promotion can help, but are these technologies already obsolete? ( As far as audiobooks are concerned, we are slowly moving towards offering ebooks but it could take awhile.)
What are other libraries doing with audiobooks and DVDs?
Thanks,
Babs Harris
Replies
We have cut our Children's DVDs to about a fourth of what we had. We kept the main ones that still checked out or the ones we thought Sunday School teachers might want on Bible Stories and cartoon biographies. They are checking out better now that it's a smaller collection. I think people get overwhelmed with too many options especially when some are dated. We did the same with adult DVDs. We also have a QR code to take them to Right Now Media where they can watch some more current Children's videos. Our very small collection of books on CDs got even smaller (like maybe 12). We are considering just getting rid of those completely. Adventures in Odyssey CDs continue to go out on a consistant basis so we kept all of those.
I haven't purchased any Children's DVDs in the two years that I have worked there and I don't plan to ever purchase more. I have purchased a few Adult DVDs (the Chosen and Kendrick Brothers). I do keep up on Adventures in Odyssey since we have several avid fans.