Mike Wolanin | The Republic A view of a welcoming message over an entrance/exit to the Bartholomew County Public Library in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Oct. 21, 2022.
Mike Wolanin | The Republic A view of a welcoming message over an entrance/exit to the Bartholomew County Public Library in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Oct. 21, 2022.
Bartholomew County Public Library officials say they use a variety of sources to select and curate materials for the library’s catalog.
Local librarians — most of whom have master’s degrees in library science — strive to be as encompassing and unbiased as possible when selecting books and other materials for the library, said Bartholomew County Public Library Director Jason Hatton.
“We are professional librarians, and this was part of our training,” Hatton said. “What we do is we curate a collection for the communities we serve. So, every library is going to be a little bit different in terms of what it is that the community needs and wants. Our librarians try very hard to understand our patrons, understand who we serve, and to make sure that we are selecting the best books that we believe are things that they would want.”
Officials often turn to professional journals including Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, among others that include reviews by professional librarians and reviewers, Hatton said. Staff also look at catalogs of books and other sources “to make sure we’re trying to be as you encompassing as possible.”
In addition, library officials also look at bestseller lists, including The New York Times bestseller list, and the number of copies that publishers are printing to determine the potential demand for the books.
Once a book is available at the Bartholomew County Public Library, staff will monitor its “hold ratio,” referring to how many people place a hold on it.
“If a book has more than four holds on it, we will order another copy of it,” Hatton said. “We constantly monitor that to make sure that we have enough copies on hand to be able to satisfy demand.”
At the same time, the Bartholomew County Public Library also has books and materials available in several foreign languages that are spoken by members of the community, including Spanish, French, Mandarin, Hindi, among others.
Hatton said the library works in conjunction with populations in the community who speak those languages to get feedback on the materials the library has.
“We take it very seriously to understand what it is our community wants,” Hatton said.
