Procedures of Conducting Library Stock Verification

 
            As per general rules and practices, physical verification of library stock is generally undertaken once in year for library not having more then 20000 volumes. If the Library having more then 20 000 to 50,000 volumes once in 3 year and if above 50 000 volume sample physical verification.

(See the Rule194 of the Indian Financial Rules 2005.)
(http://finmin.nic.in/the_ministry/dept_expenditure/gfrs/GFR2005.pdf)

1. The Library Advisory Committee considers this matter and makes Recommendations to the Head of the Institution for constituting a Library Physical Verification Committee. Generally, the Committee is headed by a Chairman nominated by the Head of the Institution.  Each Department in the institution may also nominate a person to represent it on the Committee. The Librarian would also depute one or two persons from the Library to assist the Committee.   In case of small libraries, the strength of the Committee can be up to 5 persons, including the Chairman.  In case of larger libraries, the strength could be raised to about 20.

1. Based on the recommendations of the Library Advisory Committee, the Head of the institution issues a Notification duly constituting the Physical Verification Committee.

1. The Committee then holds a preliminary meeting to discuss the Modalities, allocation of duties and responsibilities among the members of the Committee.  The actual work of physical verification then begins.  Broadly, the procedures for conducting the actual physical verification can be as follows:
    
    1. Note down the accession numbers of books and Documents already issued by the circulation counter in a separate sheet. Acc. Nos. of documents issued during the period of physical verification is also noted in this sheet.  
          
   2. In respect of books remaining in the library racks, separate sheets of paper are prepared for each library rack.  Each Member of the physical verification committee are given one set of sheets and is asked to note down the accession numbers of books held in the library rack that is specifically assigned to him. Book Scanners are available in the market, you can save the time.

 3. Once the work of noting down of accession numbers of books already issued through the circulation counter and those still remaining in the shelves is over, all the sheets of paper containing the accession numbers are pooled together.  The accession numbers can then be input into a computer for consolidation. Some of the Library software having this facility in the package it self. If not you have to do manually,

4. After all the accession numbers of books are thus input and re-arranged sequentially, a comparison with the Library Accession Register has to be done and gaps in accession numbers in the physical verification sheets are to be identified and noted down in a separate Missing Books List.
 
      5. The Missing Books List is further checked with the reports of the previous physical verification committee, if any, and the Accession numbers of books already written off from the Library Accession Register may be rounded off.  The Missing Books List may also be circulated to all the sections/divisions in the Institution to ascertain whether any one is actually having the book or books declared as missing.
 
     6. After all these exercises are completed, a final MISSING BOOKS LIST has to be prepared and signed by the Chairman and other members of the physical verification committee.  The Chairman can then forward the list to the Head of the Institution with a covering letter containing findings of the committee whether the responsibility for the loss of books, if any, could be fixed on  any person or persons or not.  The committee can also make recommendations as to measures to be taken to avoid losses of library books and documents in future.

7.  The head of the institution then takes action based on the recommendations of the physical verification committee.

8.   There might be better methods - manual as well as computerized - than what I have suggested above, and I am sure members of this forum would send you their own suggestions for your guidance.   AS PER GFR 2005 Rule 194.Physical verification of Library books:

(i) Complete physical verification of books should be done every year in case of libraries having not more than twenty thousand  volumes. For libraries having more than twenty thousand volumes and up to fifty thousand volumes, such verification should be done at least once in three years. Sample physical verification at intervals of not more than three years should be done in case of libraries having more than fifty thousand volumes. In case such verification reveals unusual or unreasonable shortages,
complete verification shall be done.
 
(ii) Loss of five volumes per one thousand volumes of books issued / consulted in a year may be taken as reasonable provided such losses are not attributable to dishonesty or negligence. However, loss of a book of a value exceeding Rs. 1,000/- (Rupees One thousand only) and rare books irrespective of value shall invariably be investigated and appropriate action taken.
 
 

Ganta Srinivasa Rao
Asst. Professor in LIS
Vignana Bharathi Institute of Technology
Hyderabad