Inventory control: It is the process for ascertaining the physical availability of collections which have been procured and recorded in the stock register. In libraries, inventory control or stock verification or stock taking involves cheeking the library collection on the shelves against the catalogue records. 

Inventory control is followed in the library due to following reasons:

I. To maintain accountability and transparency: The staff is accountable for each and every thing procured or bought in the library. Stock verification helps in maintaining accountability and transparency and highlighting the losses and damages suffered by the library.

II. To maintain accuracy of the catalogue records: Inventory control helps in finding about the lost books. Accordingly, the catalogue can be updated. If it is not updated, the discrepancies or gaps between the library’s actual holdings and catalogue records occur.

III. To evaluate the condition of materials on the shelves: Inventory control also helps in revealing the physical condition of the items. The items may be damaged, mutilated. As per condition, the item is repaired or removed.

IV. To evaluate the quality of the cataloguing record: The inventory control process may bring to light the errors in the catalogue records of items held by the library.

V. To analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the Library collection: Inventory control highlights the subjects areas or disciplines in which library has rich, strong collection and areas in which collection needs to be strengthened.

VI. To find out and assess the efficiency of the security system of the Library: Inventory control brings to the fore the lost items for which the system has no information otherwise. It also helps in assessing and evaluating the efficiency of the security system deployed in libraries.