Library Corner: What’s New? The Art and Science of Library Collection Management in 2026

At Weston Library, we are looking forward to the new year and to implementing ideas gleaned from our recent work with a long-range planning consultant. Our first task is to perform an in-depth analysis of the library’s collections and we will be making changes to achieve several objectives.

What changes? What objectives? I’m so glad you asked!

There are many, but first and foremost we want to elevate the collection by weeding out items that have been sitting for too long and adding in more copies of new, in-demand titles. This will create more shelf space and make browsing easier and more enjoyable.

We will be evaluating space needs and collection locations for optimal placement. This means that the next time you are in the library, your favorite collection might have been moved to a new spot. We are looking at factors such as lighting, collection size and foot-traffic flow to help find the optimal locations.

Last but not least, we are interested in connecting Weston patrons to the materials that are of most interest to you and your family. Reallocating funds from physical media purchasing to expanding digital options and print materials that are in high demand will increase our inventory of new items and facilitate access to the most popular materials. Changes in borrowing habits are driving these discussions.

The pandemic changed the way that many patrons use the library. During the shutdown, our digital lending increased dramatically as print materials were not available. If you were living in Weston in those days, you might recall that we asked everyone to hold their library materials at home since staff couldn’t be inside the building to retrieve and re-shelve materials. When we were able to return to working inside the building, we were quarantining library materials to make sure that they didn’t contain and spread pathogens. Understandably, lots of people turned to digital media for their reading and viewing entertainment. Reviews of two of our digital lending platforms show a nearly 74% increase in digital borrowing, with 28,092 checkouts in 2020 to 48,846 checkouts in 2025. Changes in technology have also impacted use. Many new cars do not have CD players and we’ve seen a significant drop in the circulation of our spoken word collection.

While many Weston patrons make use of the digital library, there are a lot of borrowers who prefer print books over e-readers or other devices. We recognize this important nuance as well, especially for sharing children’s books or reducing exposure to the blue screen before bedtime. We will make print offerings a priority as well.

We welcome your feedback as we make collection adjustments. There is both an art and a science to collection management. The art is the intuitive, creative response to one-on-one interactions over patron requests and suggestions. The best ideas frequently come from patrons or our interactions with patrons.

The science is the data. What are Weston patrons borrowing? How do changes made to the collection or to the environment around the collection affect its use? I welcome you to share your reactions about the changes with me at jwarner@minlib.net.

Jennifer Warner is the director of the Weston Public Library.