System Assisted Shelf-Reading Initiative to Assess Catalog Validity

What are the chances that a patron will find an item in the correct location? How many ghosts are haunting your catalog? Connecticut College employs a shelf list utility in conjunction with a structured approach to shelving to conduct a continuous inventory of its physical collection. As of May 8, 2022, 39% of the collection has been reviewed with a catalog validity of 96.9%. The program enables a data-driven approach to collection management. Results include timely recovery of lost items, prompt correction of misshelved items, quick identification of missing items and greater student engagement in collection management.