Most schools do inventories on a regular basis, often at the end of the school year. If you have a large collection, you may inventory only a portion of your collection each year with a plan to cover the entire collection every two or three years. Libraries that have automated can inventory in less time by using a portable scanner and barcodes on the books. Inventories are time-consuming and tedious but there are a number of advantages to performing them.

Reasons to inventory:

1. Determine what items are missing and should be replaced.
2. Provide statistics. Administrators like the accountability of accurate numbers.
3. Provide an opportunity to discover mistakes in the shelf list and/or labeling of materials.
4. Clear patrons of overdue and lost book charges and discover missing items.

Advantages of annual inventories:

1. As you look at each book, you become familiar with the collection.
2. You discover problems that might otherwise be overlooked.
3. You can easily spot worn books for repair, replacement, binding or discard.
4. You become aware of some gaps in your collection.

Inventory suggestions for a non-automated collection:

• Arrange all shelves in call number order. Your shelves and your shelf list should be ordered the same way. (If you have some books permanently set aside, such as oversized books or books for a particular program, your shelf list cards should reflect that same arrangement.)
• Compare shelf list with the books on the shelf. Work with teams of two people. One pulls a book from the shelf; the other checks the card to be sure the title and call number are correct. Be sure to read from the book to the card…not vice-versa.
• If any book needs attention (torn, dirty, a candidate for weeding, no circulation card in the pocket, call number differs from that on shelf list card, etc.), the inventory team should put a pre-made note into the book so it sticks out of the top pages. The book should then be placed on its spine so that the note sticks out on the shelf.
• If a book is missing, turn up its card in the shelf list tray; do not mark the card until the end of the inventory as the book may simply be misshelved and may show up sooner or later.
• Make temporary shelf list cards for books with no cards. Turn them up in the drawer also. You may find the real card is simply misfiled and it will turn up later in the inventory.
• If a missing book hasn’t turned up by the end of the inventory, slip a paperclip on the top of its shelf list card and place the card back in the drawer. When you have finished, counting the paperclips will tell you how many missing books you have. If the books show up the next year (which is common), simply pull the paperclips off. If there are several copies of the same book listed on the shelf list card, pencil the year next to the book number for the missing book and put the paperclip on the card. If this book comes back, remove the paperclip and erase the date.
• Before deciding an item is missing, be sure to check circulation files, bindery records, the repair pile under your desk, the back of the storage closet, the teacher who uses the most library materials, etc. for missing items. May (the most common month for inventory) is notoriously harried for school folk, and many things are simply misplaced, not really lost.
• Go back through the shelves to attend to the notes sticking out of the books. Some of these books may be weeded on the spot. Be sure to place their shelf list cards in the “Withdrawn” pile.
• Withdraw items that are truly lost. (Usually it is best to do this after they have come up missing in two inventories. In other words, if a shelf list card with a paperclip is still missing the next time you do an inventory, you can be pretty sure that the item is missing permanently.) You can immediately withdraw cards for items that have been weeded, or destroyed. Pull these cards from the shelf list drawers.
• Go through the cards of withdrawn items to decide which ones should be reordered, or should have some kind of replacement ordered. Pull all the catalog cards of the books that are not going to be replaced.

Inventory suggestions for an automated collection:

• If you haven't already, contact your automation vendor or read the handbook or manual to see if there are special features or suggestions for a conducting an inventory with your particular system. In general you can follow the outline below.
• Get all shelves in call number order. (If you have some books temporarily out of regular order, such as oversized books or books for some particular program, put notes in the place they would usually be so that you can go to the odd shelf when reading that section.)
• Either use a hand-held wand or move your computer to a place where your wand cord will reach the shelves. (Be sure to check your automation system manual for instructions on moving the computer.) Beginning at the start of any section, read the barcodes in order through your collection. “Dump” the information when your hand-held device becomes full. (Again, check with your system instructions.)
• If any book needs attention (torn, dirty, a candidate for weeding, date due slip filled, call number seems strange, etc.), the inventory taker should put a note (these can be pre-made) into the book so it sticks out of the top pages. Then the book should be set on its spine so that the note sticks out of the shelf.
• The computer will automatically inventory any books that come in through the circulation system and they will not be marked missing. Any books found out of place in closets, lockers, or cupboards can be scanned at any time without disturbing the rest of your inventory.
• At the end of every day, print out a list of “Missing” books. Some of these will trigger a memory for you and you will locate them. If a book prints out as “Not in your records”, you will have to enter it using your system’s instructions.
• At the end of the inventory, when you are sure that the printed lists actually do reflect the status of your collection, “Finalize” your inventory and print a list. If your system will allow you to temporarily remove these items from your catalog, do so. If you can only remove them permanently, you probably should leave them in the system marked “Missing”, because many of them turn up over the summer or next year. Of course, things you have weeded or that have been destroyed may be permanently removed now, unless you intend to reorder them.
• Go back through the shelves to attend to the notes sticking out of the books. Some of these books may be weeded on the spot. Be sure to withdraw them from the computer.
• Use your “Missing” list to decide what needs to be ordered for replacement - either the exact item or another item on the same subject.
• If you have a large collection and do only partial inventories, keep a record and make a schedule for completing the inventory section at a time.

However you choose to inventory your collection, make sure that your inventory does not conflict with the student and faculty needs in your school.  The old custom in some schools of shutting the library for the last month of school is detrimental to your program.  Not only does this take books out of the hands of students at time when they may most need to finish projects or may even be assigned new projects, but it says to everyone that the school media center is "optional," not a vital part of the school's instructional program.

Celebrate your inventory:

Although this job that hardly ever comes to full closure, celebrate the end of inventory. It’s been hard work and you deserve to feel good about completing it!