Bibz Selector

Posted on in Posts in 2018 by Brodart




The latest release of Bibz includes some helpful new features. As a selector, I use Bibz every day, and I am excited about these new enhancements, which will make selection much easier for me—and for you as well. Here are some examples.

Clicking on "Collapse Header" is a new way to maximize the number of titles that are viewable on the screen at one time, without scrolling down. This will also reduce the total number of pages that users may have to click through in a given search or list. Personally, when I select materials for a library, I like to see as many titles on the screen at one time as I can, so I plan to use this feature a lot.

The quick search bar has also gotten an upgrade. This enables simulataneous keyword searches across subject, author, title, and series fields, without having to go to the main search screen.

But the enhancement I’m most excited about is being able to filter lists by starred reviews and journals. If I want to limit my list to titles that were reviewed in my favorite journal, I can just click on "Reviews" in the search filters column, then select my favorite journal.

You can read all about the new features here: Bibz Release Notes

Now I’d like to share some selection tips I’ve learned through my experience working in collection development.

  1. Get the no-brainers out of the way first. If you have series or authors that are always in demand, make those your first line of selection. If you receive series FASTips or TIPS lists from Brodart, ask us to include subseries for the most popular series at your library. Why waste time trying to decide if you should order the next Geronimo Stilton series? Patrons will be clamoring for it, so make it an automatic purchase. That will free you up to spend more time on the tougher decisions.

  2. Don’t depend entirely on reviews. Review journals are a great help, but I don't recommend using them as the basis for all of your selections. As we all know, there are many popular or worthwhile titles that will never be reviewed. Furthermore, titles that are reviewed may not be reviewed until close to or after publication. Brodart sources are a great way to find titles that merit consideration, but may not be reviewed. My personal favorites are "Picks for Public Libraries" and "Children and Teen Nonfiction Picks," which feature practical and fun nonfiction titles that are typically not reviewed.

  3. Don’t forget to factor in demand. Even if a title hasn't been reviewed, if it’s getting a lot of buzz and everyone else is reading it, your patrons will want it, too!

  4. When in doubt, ask. As always, if you have any questions or want to discuss selection strategies, we’re happy to help. We love talking about collection development, sharing our approaches to selection—and hearing all about selection tips and tricks that work for you.
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