Book Buying Survey 2007: Circ's Up, Budgets Leap
LJ's annual survey shows a rosy picture, even if the Internet is behind the lens
By Barbara Hoffert -- Library Journal, 2/15/2007
From the ascendance ofthereference database and web sites offering endless opportunities for cyber-promotion to the crowds swarming through the doors to avail themselves of new computers, the Internet has transformed the way public libraries do business. That's not news. What's exciting, though, is how the Internet continues to change public libraries, even if, at times, it can be a double-edged sword.
Take circulation, the success story of LJ's annual book-buying survey, which began in 1998. According to the survey, a snapshot of a select group of public libraries (the LJ 100) distributed evenly throughout the country by size and type, circulation has been flowing upward since a slight dip in the late 1990s. Just over half of this year's respondents report an increase in circulation—almost as good as last year's 55 percent and appreciably better than 1999's 32 percent—and circulation rose on average by over four percent, the survey's biggest leap yet.
Buying smart
Over the years, circulation increases have often been attributed to the decision to buy smart, as librarians refocus their collections by tuning into what patrons really want. That means buying best-selling or high-interest titles, terms that pop up repeatedly on this year's survey as well. In particular, with patrons satisfying many of their information needs by browsing the web and then maybe looking for a little entertainment at the library, respondents have found it expedient to buy more fiction. Once accounting for not much more than a third of the book budget, fiction soared two years ago to claim half, a division of funds that held this year. “Our director earmarked more for fiction and it shows,” says James Gill, Tuscarawas County PL, OH, of his library's five percent circulation increase.
In addition, respondents have routinely reported that more browsing materials have meant more circulation, and this year is no exception. Budget increases have a lot to do with the increased availability of browsing materials, and the news about budgets is the best this survey has reported in years. Book budgets are definitely looking up after the freefall of 2003–04, with 44 percent of respondents boasting increased budgets and only ten percent reporting decreases. Moreover, the nearly five percent increase is the biggest reported by this survey since 1999.
The online advantage
By far the biggest reason for can't-tamp-it-down circulation, cited by half of LJ's respondents and beating out increased browsing materials by ten percent, is the ability to reserve from home. Going online to reserve materials at the local library is nothing new, but it has come of age, helped along by better software and a greater effort to make the service known. “You could always reserve from home, but it was too difficult,” explains Elaine Miller, Westbank Community Lib., TX. “Now we have new software, and publicity has made more people aware of what they can do.”
Of course, if eager readers just dropped by the library to pick up only what they reserved, circulation might not be hopping. But plenty of people stick around to check out what else the library has to offer. “When the items arrive, that brings them into the library, and they usually select additional items during the visit,” says Helene DeFoe from Mashpee PL, MA, where circulation has risen seven percent.
Reserving from home isn't the only online tool for boosting circulation. Even a simple act like emailing patrons about reserves or overdue books can do the trick. Notes DeFoe, “Emailing has increased interaction with patrons, who are more likely to get the message than when we called. They make more trips to the library to pick up and return items”—which, as any librarian can tell you, likely means that more stuff will go out the door.
E-efforts elsewhere range from stepped-up promotion on the web site to online readers' advisory, exemplified by Williamsburg Regional PL's, VA, longstanding form-based readers' advisory and a high priority at places like Seattle PL and San Francisco PL as well. “Improved readers' advisory features on our web site—including improved Chinese-language and Spanish-language pages—certainly help with circulation,” says San Francisco's Laura Lent.
New Canaan Lib.'s, CT, blogs, Martin County Lib. System's, FL, e-newsletters, the multiple links found on Tuscarawas County PL's web site, the lists of new books posted by Tulsa City-County Library, the reviews (some staff written) found on library web sites nationwide—all are online initiatives that have helped keep public library circulation flying. Another online opportunity frequently cited as a circulation booster by this year's respondents is the downloadable audiobook, with downloadable videos, music CDs, and ebooks meriting some mentions as well.
Multiplying multimedia
Certainly, AV materials in general add punch to circulation, only partly because they turn over more quickly. In many places, like Fort Worth PL, TX, “AV drives circulation,” notes Sallie Swank. Circulation may be down three percent at Swank's library, but that's for books only. Factor in AV materials, and you get a whole different story, which explains why the library took money off the top of the budget to start a downloadable audiobook collection.
If downloadable audios are hot now, ebooks may also have a future. Over one-third of this year's respondents purchase them, most often in practical areas needing quick updates, like computer science, business, and health/medicine. But nearly half of respondents who purchase ebooks say general fiction is a leading ebook circulator, and nearly one in four claim that patrons enjoy e-romance as well.
Clearly, when it comes to getting more books to more patrons more quickly than ever before, the Internet has been a great tool. But not for everyone. “A larger portion of our customers come in strictly to use the computers and may never check out materials,” laments Priscilla E. Emrich, Murphy Memorial Lib., TX. Indeed, where circulation has slipped, eight of ten respondents blame the Internet, whether patrons are getting what they need by browsing the web at home or trotting in to use the library's computers without a glance at the shelves. The problem is not just that “patrons will choose online even when a book is easier to use,” as Nancy Dail, Richland County PL, SC, grumbles. It's that the Internet user's attention is otherwise engaged. As Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Township Lib., PA, notes, “Computer use hasn't just reduced time spent borrowing books; it has reduced the time devoted to reading.”
Are libraries with slowing circulation simply failing to exploit the Internet's outreach capability? Not necessarily. Upper Merion Township's web site lists staff picks, best sellers, most requested titles, and news/events, while also facilitating an online book club. Patrons can also check out the latest on Helicher's author interview series, broadcast on local TV. Ultimately, every library's situation is unique, and today's circulation losers may be next year's winners. If nothing else, as the survey discloses, they have at their disposal an exciting new array of tools to help them along.
Hot circulators
Circulation may be up overall, but some areas inevitably attract more readers than others. As always, health/medicine ranked first this year among top circulators; over 60 percent of respondents said materials in this area were most likely to go out the door. Other areas have shown significant movement, too. Cited by only seven percent of respondents in 2002, current events titles now get the nod from one in four; interest in this area has trended up sharply in recent years with election tensions and the war in Iraq. History, too, made a good showing, ranking third among top circulators. Explains Westbank Community's Miller, “Current events and world affairs books seem to be driving interest now.”
How-to books again proved popular, holding steady among respondents' top five circulators, but cookery turned out to be a real winner. Whipped up by all those glamorous TV cooking stars, enthusiasm for cooking has risen in the last few years, pushing it solidly into the number two slot. In 2002, only one in four respondents cited cookbooks as crowd pleasers, but this year half ranked them as such.
Surprisingly, self-help books slipped, cited this year by only 13 percent of respondents as especially popular—half of last year's rate. Perhaps collections are saturated or religion is filling the gap. In fact, with double the number of devotees as last year, religion/philosophy/spirituality is doing very well indeed. “Religion is circulating better than it would have five years ago,” notes Lynn McIntosh, Chickasaw Regional Lib. System, OK, “owing to interest in differences of religions with regard to the Middle East conflict.”
As already indicated, public librarians find themselves upping expenditures on adult fiction; more than one in four respondents reported it as the area that really cost them this year. Nearly one in five said they were spending more on large print, with demand evidently driven by myopic baby boomers on the verge of retirement. And for the first time, both graphic novels and Christian fiction ranked as top dollar eaters, reported by nearly 20 percent and over ten percent of respondents, respectively.
The vendor question
Ultimately, circulation depends on what gets selected for the collection. Yet librarians are more pressed than ever to find the time to pick and choose materials. Of course, they have long depended on standing orders, and many have come to depend on vendor-generated lists as well, selecting what they want from the customized suggestions their vendor provides. Now, some librarians are going one step further and turning over selection responsibilities to vendors, providing detailed profiles and in return receiving books aimed at meeting the library's needs.
The movement is still embryonic. Barely one in ten of LJ's respondents opt for vendor selection, and those who do mostly let vendors select in circumscribed areas only, like audiobooks, graphic novels, music CDs, children's easy readers, or foreign-language materials. Others, however, cede responsibility for the entire fiction and/or nonfiction collection, arguing that vendor selection radically speeds the process and delivers the high-interest materials they would be ordering anyway.
Profiles and regular oversight mean that librarians don't completely lose control. Says Susan Simpson, Carlsbad City Lib., CA, of her automatic shipment plans in large print and music CDs, “Once we established that the general content of these plans was satisfactory, we continued them. We do always keep an eye on what is circulating and make adjustments to the plans.” Still, if some librarians see vendor selection as a godsend, others consider it a betrayal; isn't selection the core of librarianship? Stay tuned for an upcoming feature.
Ten years ago, who could have imagined that patrons would be indulging in a little online readers' advisory, checking out their favorite librarian's blog, and then reserving their finds from home? Or that current events titles would outcirculate self-help? Or that some librarians would turn over part of the selection process to vendors? No matter. Librarians have always been good at dealing with shifting cultural and technological imperatives. The solutions may differ from library to library, but the challenge remains the same: keep those patrons coming and get them engaged in books.
| Subject | Highest Circulation | Highest Expenditure |
| Medicine/Health | 61 | 59 |
| Cooking | 50 | 38 |
| History | 38 | 46 |
| How-to/Home Arts | 38 | 37 |
| Arts/Crafts/Collectibles | 38 | 33 |
| Biographies | 38 | 31 |
| Travel | 37 | 34 |
| Current Events/Political | 25 | 31 |
| Business/Finance/Careers | 20 | 23 |
| Computer Books | 16 | 13 |
| Religion/Philosophy | 14 | 12 |
| Self-Help | 13 | 18 |
| SOURCE: LJ Book Buying Survey 2007 | ||
| Population Served | Total Operating Budget | Materials Budget | Total Book Budget | Total Adult Book Budget | Adult Fiction Budget | Total Children's Budget | Adult Titles' Circulation |
| Under 10,000 | $371,000 | $52,000 | $36,000 | $23,000 | $13,000 | $13,000 | 30,000 |
| 10,000-24,999 | 598,000 | 78,000 | 51,000 | 33,000 | 19,000 | 18,000 | 70,000 |
| 25,000–49,999 | 1,747,000 | 207,000 | 129,000 | 114,000 | 38,000 | 28,000 | 206,000 |
| 50,000–99,999 | 4,093,000 | 462,000 | 292,000 | 209,000 | 90,000 | 84,000 | 513,000 |
| 100,000-249,999 | 5,601,000 | 741,000 | 468,000 | 341,000 | 141,000 | 127,000 | 853,000 |
| 250,000–499,999 | 12,055,000 | 1,679,000 | 1,166,000 | 745,000 | 320,000 | 421,000 | 1,171,000 |
| 500,000–999,999 | 34,091,000 | 4,876,000 | 2,387,000 | 1,555,000 | 645,000 | 833,000 | 3,565,000 |
| 1 Million or more | 55,226,000 | 7,275,000 | 4,292,000 | 2,786,000 | 1,208,000 | 1,506,000 | 5,439,000 |
| Because libraries break down book budgets differently, adult's and children's budget may not equal total. SOURCE: LJ Book Buying Survey 2007 |
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| Versus last fiscal year, adult book budget has... | 2000 % | 2001 % | 2002 % | 2003 % | 2004 % | 2005 % | 2006 % |
| Increased | 48 | 49 | 43 | 31 | 42 | 43 | 44 |
| Stayed the same | 34 | 39 | 34 | 36 | 36 | 39 | 46 |
| Decreased | 18 | 12 | 23 | 33 | 22 | 18 | 10 |
| Net change | +3 | +3.1 | +3.5 | -3.3 | +0.18 | +4.65 | +4.93 |
| SOURCE: LJ Book Buying Survey 2007 | |||||||
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