摘要：This article examines the concept of floating collections in Finnish public libraries. Floating collection refers to a collection management method where items do not have an owning branch designation. If an item is checked out at one branch of the library network and returned to another branch, it stays at the branch where it was returned to. In Finland five public libraries have begun to float their collections during the 21^st^ century. Four of these libraries participated in this study which aimed at finding out what planning procedures and practical measures need to be done before implementing a floating collection, how does a floating collection affect the customers and staff and what are the pros and cons of the concept. Research data was collected by means of interviews and survey questionnaire. It seems that floating has several implications for collection management one being the introduction of a new collection management method called rebalancing. Through the use of floating collections smaller libraries of the library network are able to get materials that have previously been out of their reach. However, a down-side of the concept from customer perspective seems to be that reserving materials becomes somewhat compulsory. The concept has not yet been studied very widely and quantitative research on the development of collections and customer satisfaction is needed.
