Collection Development

Class #6

TCB• Guest speaker today • Oct. 28th class at ARHS Library 21 Mattoon

St., Amherst, MA

• Nov. 18th guest speaker• Switch assignments for 10/28 (will now be

Facilities and Technology, including circ/cat systems) and 11/18 (will now be Budget, Communications & Advocacy)

• WikiWikiWikiWiki posts

• 50% check-in

√Deliver the Right Information

√To the Right Person

√At the Right Time

√ In the Right Format

√And, in the Right Location

Taxonomies of the School Library Media Program, 2nd Ed. David V. Loertscher

To build a collection is to…

A Collection is…

• …a physical entity. (online???)

• …contains materials in various formats.

• …serves school goals and programs and meets all users’ informational and personal needs.

• …includes resource sharing.

• …is only one element of the library media program.

More than books“It is crucial to understand that the availability of

information in an electronic format does not reduce costs but rather shifts them.”

“Knowing who is using what, for what purposes, and how often, as well as knowing what sources exist that can supply the information in the most cost-effective way, is the keystone of present and foreseeable collection development work.”

Evans, G. Edward and Saponaro, Margaret Zarnosky. Developing library and Information Center Collections. Fifth ed. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited 2005 p. 5.

Collection development is…

The process of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of a library’s materials collection in terms of patron needs and community resources…

Evans, G. Edward and Saponaro, Margaret Zarnosky. Developing library and Information Center Collections. Fifth ed. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited 2005 p. 7.

Preparation

Utilization

Dissemination(END)

Identification(START)

Selection

Acquisition

Organization

Storage

Interpretation

Collection

Operations

Selection: a professional responsibility

…the process of deciding which materials to acquire for a library collection

• Multiple items on same topic

• Information value vs. price

• Durability, longevity

How do I know what they want?• Use fill-in forms (print and online)• Have a clipboard on circulation desk• Attend conferences and vendors hall shows when

possible• Read, read, read reviews!• Ask students and staff!!

BUT REMEMBER, ONLY YOU HAVE THE BIG PICTURE OF THE COLLECTION AND CAN MAKE THE FINAL DECISION ABOUT WHAT TO PURCHASE.

3 Elements

• Collection development – looking at the big picture

• Selection – looking for the best materials

• Acquisition – obtaining materials in timely, cost-efficient manner

Standards for Collections

H.W. Wilson’sChildren’s Catalog

Middle and Jr. High

Senior High

Benchmarks

• Sagebrush

• Follett

How does your collection measure up to an “ideal” collection.

Copyright date, # volumes, topics

Collection Development Policies

• ACQWeb’s Directory of Collection Development Policies on the Web

http://www.acqweb.org/cd_policy.html

• Resources for school libraries http://www.sldirectory.com/libsf/resf/coldev2.html#top

• WMRLS http://www.cmrls.org/policies/index.html

Why have a policy?• Defines nature and scope of collection

• Defines collecting priorities

• Forces thinking about organizational policies

• Sets standards for inclusion/exclusion

• Ensures consistency

• Guides in handling complaints

• Aids in weeding and collection evaluation

• Rationalizes budget expenditures

Selection

Materials should:

• Be directly tied to teaching and curriculum

• Serve range of student abilities

• Involve collaboration with teachers

Selection Aids

Booklist New York Times

School Library Journal Publishers’ Weekly

Horn Book Choice

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Multicultural Review of Books

Selection Web Sites

• Multicultural Resources for Children http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/multipub.htm

• School Libraries Online http://www.iasl-slo.org/chlitres.html

• Children’s Literature Web Guide http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/

• Amazon. COM – All things to all people – even librarians. Reviews of books, inside the book…

Types of Publishers• Trade

• Mass market

• Professional

• University Presses

• Specialty

Vendors and Discounts

• Baker and Taylor

• Ingram

• Follett

• Sagebrush

• WMRLS buying co-op

Other options to consider

• Circulation

• In-house usage

• ILL

• Preservation - bindery

Periodicals• Jobbers

– Ebsco– Magazine Subscription Service

• How long to keep?

• Keep subscription if available on-line?

• Circulation

Standardshttp://www.mslma.org/whoweare/standards/specs2.pdf

• 20 titles per students

• 70% within last 10 years

• Minimum 6,000 volumes

• Periodicals: HS: 91-125. MS: 71-90. Elem: 21-35

Professional Collection• Depend on staff and admin. for suggestions• Interlibrary loan collections that have access

to teacher’s materials, ERIC, etc.• Include sample textbooks, curriculum guides,

catalogs, etc.• Locate in an easily identifiable place• Update continuously • PR PR PR PR PR PR PR PR PR PR PR PR

with staff, school and district admin

Cataloging heresy

Q. What do you do with a square peg and a round hole?

R. Make a new square hole.

ARHS Professional Collection cataloging

Q. How do I avoid original cataloging?

R. Download from online sources.

Sources of downloadable records

Non-print• WWW – can info be counted on to

always be there?

• Subscription data bases– Hidden costs: paper, toner, hardware,

support

• DVD/VHS/ebooks/ipods/streaming – at what point do you adopt new

technologies?

More considerations

• Location and arrangement

• Repair, rebinding

• Inventorying

• Policy for equipment maintenance and replacement

Weeding• Crew method (Continuous Review, Evaluation and Weeding)http://www.tea.state.tx.us/technology/libraries/lib_downloads/

weeding1.pdf

• Sunlink http://www.sunlink.ucf.edu/weed/

• WMRLS http://www.wmrls.org/services/colldev/weed_it.html#What

Obstacles to Weeding

• Procrastination

• Staff resistance

• Negative reactions of users and administration

• Reluctance to admit selection mistakes

More obstacles to weeding

• Time consuming

• Cost

• “Sacred” quality of books

• FEAR

• “Anything is better than nothing”

Weeding tips

• “Spot” weed every day.

• Weed thoroughly every three to four years.

• Keep a running record of areas that have been weeded.

• ALA recommends weeding 5% annually

How to dispose of items

• Remove all identifying school markings

• School policy

• Offer some titles to staff and students

(Be careful here!!!)

• Reader to Reader

• Federally funded materials

• Dumpster

Don’t be surprised…