National Library Week Goes Behind the Stacks

• 04/20/2026
• 15:44
• Mary Lovell

This year, we’re celebrating National Library Week by giving you a behind-the-scenes look at some of our “invisible” work.

Collection Maintenance

We circulate a lot of books throughout the year here at Seymour Library, including ones borrowed from other libraries. To ensure that all books are showing as in and available and that all materials that are owned by other libraries are returned, we inventory all of our collections. 

When we run our inventory, a section of the collection (like Fiction, Crime, Nonfiction) is chosen and each item from that section is hand-scanned to mark that it’s here before moving on to another section. If a book is not here, and was not checked out, the book will be changed to “missing.” This keeps items from displaying on the website (or OPAC – Online Public Access Catalog) so that you won’t expect an item to be in and available, when it is not. Inventory also catches any errors that may have occurred, like an item accidentally being shelved without being checked in, or an item that belongs to another library being shelved at ours.

Inventory also allows an additional check on our material’s condition. Whenever an item is returned to the library, we do a quick check to see if any repair or replacement is needed, but sometimes small repairs can be missed. When we inventory the books, we are running additional checks for repair, relabeling, or replacement. This helps keep our shelves clean and well-organized and is essential to the library.

Book Purchasing, Purchase Requests & the Holds Queue

Continuing on with our behind-the-scenes series, our next stop is book purchasing, along with purchase requests and the holds queue. Our librarians do their very best to anticipate which books will be popular among readers. We attend webinars on upcoming releases; we read magazines and journals that review upcoming books; we read ARCs (Advanced Reader Copy or Advance Review Copy) of upcoming books; we watch YouTube, TikTok, and stay up-to-date with trends and pop culture to help us make our purchasing decisions.

Even with our best effort, a book may still slip between the cracks, so we encourage patrons to fill out a purchase request. Purchase Requests allow librarians to know that there is an interest in a particular book. We will then look into whether the book is in print and able to be purchased. We often do monthly orders with a major book supplier, so it is important to note that requested books won’t be immediately available, but we will do our very best to purchase your request when able. Purchase requests may be made in person at one of the circulation desks or online.

When you fill out a purchase request, you will be added to the holds queue for the item. A library hold is a service that places you on a list (queue) to reserve the item, i.e., it will be held for you to pick up at the library once it’s available. Librarians also receive reports on items that have multiple hold requests to assess whether we need to purchase more copies of popular materials.

It is important to note that while you may seem to be at the bottom of the queue, you are a preferred borrower at your home library, meaning that Seymour Library’s copies will go out to our patrons before filling requests at other libraries. You may be 30 on the system’s queue, but only 2 within Seymour Library’s.

Holds & ILLs

This time, we’re taking a look at holds and ILLs.

A library hold is a request placed for a book or item to be kept on reserve for you to pick up at the library. You can place an item on hold at home through our website, by phone, in person at the library, or by placing a purchase request for an item. When the item is ready for you to pick up, you will receive an email or phone call letting you know that you have an item on hold for you. Holds are kept on special shelves near the circulation desk and are stored alphabetically by your last name’s first two initials, followed by your first and middle (if available) initials.

ILLs are Interlibrary Loans. These are books that are borrowed from other libraries. We share books within the Finger Lakes Library System (FLLS). There are 33 member libraries, including Seymour Library, in the Finger Lakes Library System and this is the best option for borrowing books that are not available at Seymour Library, but FLLS also participates in WorldCat. 

WorldCat is a global library catalog which allows for Out-of-System Interlibrary Loan (ILL). These interlibrary loans are books borrowed from libraries outside of our library system. This is a great resource for books that are hard to find, such as out-of-print titles. Out-of-System ILLs have different borrowing guidelines and are subject to overdue fines and larger fees for lost and damaged materials, so you should always check to see if the item is available locally first. For more information on Out-of-System Interlibrary loan, visit the Out-of-System ILL page from the Fingerlakes Library System.

Requests for Out-of-System ILLs must be made through the OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog) by clicking “Not finding what you want? Expand search to libraries outside the Finger Lakes Library System” beneath the search bar and selecting the box for WorldCat (Out of System Inter-Library Loan). Out-of-System ILLs are kept on a separate reserves shelf and must be asked for and checked out at the circulation desk. These holds will also have a goldenrod wrap with the item’s details and due date. These wraps must not be removed from the books.

We currently receive deliveries three times a week (sometimes less during holiday weeks). We all do our part to get you the books and materials you want as soon as possible!

Another cool fact is that whenever an item is not readily available at Seymour Library, other libraries in the Finger Lakes Library System (FLLS) will fill the hold if they have a copy of the book available. These books are picked up by FLLS delivery drivers at each library throughout the system and returned to the main Finger Lakes Library System building, where they are sorted into bags for each individual library before being delivered to us to fulfill your hold. Out-of-System ILLs arrive at the FLLS building from all over and require special attention before being sent in the delivery.

We hope this special behind-the-scenes look gives you a fresh perspective on and appreciation for the work being done at the library! And now that you know just a little bit more about us, stop by and “find your joy at the library.” We look forward to seeing you!