Managing stock is really about ensuring that the right items are available in the right quantities in the right places at the right times within the constraints of acquisition and operational budgets.

Traditionally this was done by the application of instinct and experience. As much of Western industry and commerce has discovered over the last 40 years, instinct and experience can be a poor substitute for decisions made on the basis of hard numbers. There is therefore increasing pressure in many areas to justify decisions on the basis of good data – whether in evidence-based medicine or the selection of baseball players in the USA.

In University libraries, one of the many benefits of Talis Aspire is that it can provide evidence for the library that feeds into the acquisitions process. In the public library sector, at least one Talis partner: (Bridgeall with their SmartSM product) specialises in stock management.

It is also possible however to use Talis Decisions to manage stock. We have produced a free paper which illustrates with example workflows and reports how Talis Decisions can be used to manage stock in Public Libraries:

For your copy, contact your account manager, or email sales@talis.com.