Library Management Software · Guide
Library Stock Taking and Lost Books Checklist
Stock taking is the annual health check of a library. Done well, it finds misplaced books, identifies damage, confirms what is truly missing and gives your management reliable numbers. Done badly, it takes weeks and still leaves arguments about what is lost. The checklist below suits a school, college or community library, and works with a paper register or software.
Choose the time
Pick a period when use is low, such as a holiday break or the days after final exams. Announce the dates in advance, ask members to return all books by a deadline and tell them the library will be closed or limited during stock taking. Arrange enough helpers: two people per section works well, one to read and one to tick.
Prepare the records
- Complete all pending entries of new books and donations
- Post all returns and issues up to the last day
- Print or copy the accession register or catalogue list by shelf location
- Prepare a sheet for each shelf or section for ticking
- List books currently issued, so they are not counted as missing
- Take a backup of the catalogue before you begin
Recall outstanding books
Two weeks before stock taking, send out notices and SMS reminders to members with books on loan. Visit classes or departments, and ask teachers to remind students. Offer a short amnesty on late fines for books returned before the deadline. This one step often brings back many books you had assumed lost, and costs only a little foregone fine income.
The shelf check
- Work shelf by shelf in the order of your classification
- For each book, check the accession number against the list and tick it
- Note any book found on the wrong shelf and move it back
- Note any book with damage or missing pages
- Note any book on the shelf but absent from the list, such as an unregistered donation
- Mark the sheet with the date and initials of the checkers
With barcodes and a scanner, this becomes much faster: you scan each book and the system compares the scans with the catalogue and lists those not found.
Make the missing list
After the shelf check, compare ticked and unticked books and remove those on loan. The remainder is the list of books not found. Search once more in staff rooms, classrooms, the storeroom and the reading room. Leave the list open for a defined period, for example a month, in case books turn up. Then classify each item.
Decide the status of each missing book
| Status | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Found | Located after the search | Reshelve and update location |
| On loan | Issued to a member | Follow up per overdue policy |
| Lost by member | Member admits loss | Apply the lost book charge |
| Missing unknown | No trace | Propose write-off to management |
| Damaged | Present but unusable | Repair, replace or withdraw |
Write-off with approval
Do not simply delete missing books. Prepare a list with accession number, title, price if known and the reason, and present it to the principal or committee for a written decision on write-off. Keep the signed list with the register. Follow any rule that your institution or funder applies to disposal of assets, and ask them if you are unsure. In the catalogue, mark the books withdrawn rather than erasing them, so the history remains.
Learn from the results
Look at what was lost. Were they popular textbooks, reference books or certain subjects? Were they lost from a particular class or department? Were they lost soon after issue or after a long time? This tells you where to tighten the process, such as limiting issue of reference copies, making a reservation list for popular books or checking bags at certain times. Compare the number lost with the previous year to see whether your changes work.
Report to management
Prepare a short report: total books at the start, added, withdrawn or lost, found, and the end total; number of members, issues and fines collected; a list of damaged books needing repair; and a request for purchases. A clear report helps you ask for budget with evidence.
Next step
Schedule your stock taking date, send out the recall notice and prepare the shelf sheets. If you want to make next year's stock taking faster, see our library management software with barcodes and stock taking reports, and for school libraries, the link to school management software. Message WebsNP on WhatsApp for a demo.
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