nerdy librarian argument: Where to put Harry!

[orangerful]

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (the rehearsal script) will be published on July 31st and cataloging librarians are having fun debating where this book should live (when it eventually gets to a shelf...which might take awhile

Comments

[_profiterole_]

Do you have some special display for new books? That would solve the "easy to find" issue for the next couple of months, and then you could put it in the 800s where it sounds like it belongs.

[orangerful]

Yes, after the holds are gone we would display it (currently not too many holds, 170 and we ordered 160) so I don't think interest is quite as high as people think. I almost feel like we should wait for the reviews to roll in before we attach a call number to it LOL

[_profiterole_]

You ordered 160? How big is your library? Or do you return some copies/give them to smaller libraries after a while?

[orangerful]

We have 15 branches in our library system so that is for the whole system, sorry :) Many of them won't survive, believe me LOL. And then we will just sell them cheap after they are no longer popular.

The rule of thumb for most larger library systems is that for every 5 holds on an item, you by a copy.

We are also buying 45 copies for 7 Day circulation (these are special book that don't have holds on them and if you see it on the shelf, you can take it home for seven days ONLY and bring it back, but for a script, that shouldn't be a problem)

[_profiterole_]

Okay, ~10 by branch is the kind of number I expected, so that makes sense now.

I suppose books aimed at a younger audience survive less than others.

[yourlibrarian]

This was going to be my suggestion as well -- it seems like an excellent opportunity to get people browsing in that section and looking at other plays if they come to it via the catalog. Maybe it could even be part of a collection of childrens plays if the branches have a decent selection of them.

[orangerful]

From what I'm reading in the reviews, it sounds too dark to be with children's plays, maybe the teen section or adult. It is kind of tricky. I am wondering how many comments we will get after the fact, people wondering why it is a script because they didn't know. (we've had this happen with James Patterson books - people place anything with his name on hold and then they are confused why they have a children's book on their list)