Creating any new collection in an academic library can be exciting and challenging for library staff. The challenge is amplified if the items in the collection have not typically been borrowed from libraries and the catalog records are not discoverable in a bibliographic utility. The idea of libraries circulating items that are not informational media is growing. This presentation will discuss the idea of a library of things in an academic library, from conception to its current state of circulation. The presenter will provide information and lessons learned each step of the way and how your library can begin a similar collection to provide a needed service to your patrons.
Instructor
DeAnn Isenhower
Adjunct Trainer
DeAnn Isenhower is the Cataloging and Technical Services Librarian at George A. Spiva Library at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri. She has a Master's of Library and Information Science degree and five years of experience cataloging in academic libraries. DeAnn enjoys making resources available and searchable in the library catalog to students and faculty. The patrons of Missouri Southern State University needed household, recreational, and technological items for short-term use. DeAnn created the Library of Things at Spiva Library to meet this need. The creation of the Library of Things included the original cataloging of nonprint materials, establishing circulation rules, packaging and security of the things, and the finding a location for the things in the library. DeAnn presented this topic at the 2024 Brick and Click conference and wrote a paper accessible through the ERIC database: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED661492.