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ABSTRACT
The Health Information Center (HIC) added a leisure reading collection to a consumer health collection (CHC) in a hospital library. A carefully designed collection development policy was created. The new Leisure Reading Collection (LRC) included bestselling titles within 3 years, award winning fiction, and classics. Librarians also set criteria with clear parameters related to gifts, donations, and collection maintenance. Thirty-seven books were selected for the LRC’s debut in September 2018. After circulating the collection for a year, there was a 148% increase in the number of books checked out per month. Monthly HIC memberships have also increased, averaging 21 new members per month compared to 11. Furthermore, library staff informally observed the increased use of the LRC by hospital staff, who frequently borrow books for themselves and on behalf of patients. The addition of the LRC has led to a rise in new members, an increase in circulation statistics, and has provided a more valuable and comprehensive collection to its patron base.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.