Research question
- Will the library’s books from lower shelves circulate as well as rotating books?
Research suggests that shelving rotating books at the front of the library would attract patrons away from the library’s own books shelved further back in the library. Research also proves that lower library shelves are not browsed as much upper shelves. So books on lower library shelves are less likely to have been seen by patrons. Since rotating books are year 2000 or newer, this experiment moves 2000 and newer library books from lower library shelves at the back of the library to the rotating book shelf at the front of the library. We hypothesize that library books will circulate as well as rotating books.
Previous research
- Summary at http://tinyurl.com/mad48z of “The influence of sloping shelves on book circulation” by Ralph R. Shaw, The Library Quarterly,Vol. 8, #4, October 1938, pp. 480-490.
- Summary at http://tinyurl.com/lcjtvr of “The display phenomenon: An exploration into factors causing the increased circulation of displayed books” by Sharon L. Baker, The Library Quarterly, Vol. 56, #3, July 1986, pp. 237-257.
Testing Hypothesis
- Circulation per title of library books on rotating shelves will be closer to the circulation per title of rotating books than the total circulation per title of books on the rest of the shelves.
Instructions for conducting the experiment (Print version)
- Choose only enough rotating books fill half to three-quarters of the rotating bookshelf.
- Since rotating books are year 2000 or newer, pull library books 2000 or newer from the lower library shelves near the back of the library. Pull books from the lower library shelves because these shelves are less browsed and, therefore, these books are less likely to have been seen.
- On the library books, put a sticky dot beside the bar code or on the green check out card to remind the circulation staff to mark down a circulation.
- Measure circulation of rotating books and these library books through one rotation. Circulation tables are on page 2.
- The top table is for making hashmarks.
- The second table is for writing down circulation totals.
- To receive credit for completing this experiment, either email as an attachment the completed circulation tables in the printed instructions.
- Optional completing the worksheet called "Exp6RotatingLibraryBooks" in the Excel spreadsheet.
What a failed experiment looks like in the Excel spreadsheet
