A Study of Video Collections at Three Branches of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.

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39

Branch Libraries; Childrens Television; Coding; Correlation; Fiction; Films; Library Circulation; Library Collections; Library Research; Literary Genres; Nonfiction; Public Libraries; Tables (Data); User Needs (Information); Videotape Cassettes; Videotape Recordings

This study evaluated the circulation of videotapes at three branches of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County (Ohio). The study focused on what types of videotapes patrons were most likely to check out; the categories examined included fiction, nonfiction, and children's videotapes. Data were gathered for a one-week period, and a total of 1,093 videotapes were recorded as being on loan during this period. Results showed that the size of the community and the number of videotapes in the collection affected the total number of videotapes that circulated at each branch. The larger the population and size of the collection, the greater the rate of circulation. Fiction videotapes had the highest rate of circulation, with drama being the most popular. Nonfiction had the second highest rate of circulation. Although children's videotapes had the lowest circulation, preschool video selections could be linked to storytime programs at the branches. Seven tables present data on: circulation of all materials by branch; videotape circulation by branch; videotape collection size by branch; circulation of videotapes by branch and day of the week; distribution of fiction videotapes by genre; distribution of children's videotapes; and distribution of nonfiction videotapes by Dewey Decimal Number. Annotation coding sheets are appended. (DLS)

1999

ED424860