Collection Development

1. Collection Development January 30, 2002

2. Topics • What is collection development? • Why is collection development important? • What does collection development mean to my library? • What does collection development mean as a member of the consortium?

3. Overview • Select and purchase materials • Rid your library of obsolete material • Maximize time spent on collection building • Examine policy • Provide collegial atmosphere to discuss issues

4. Collection development is: • Identification • Selection • Acquisition • Evaluation... of a collection of library resources

5. Functions • Acquisitions/selection • Gifts/Donations • Weeding • Preservation • Intellectual Freedom

6. Selection • Ranganathan • Books are for use • Every reader his book • Every book its reader • Save the time of the reader • A library is a “living organism”

7. Quality vs. demand • Which statements are true? • Libraries are funded by taxpayers therefore we should provide high demand items that the public wants • Libraries should provide materials that raise the cognitive level of the user (library as people’s university)

8. Both statements are true! • Its our job to balance between the two philosophies • How do you make demand vs quality decisions in your library? • Does your library mission statement address either or both philosophies?

9. Know your community • Patron reading levels • Occupations, businesses, recreation activities in your community • Socioeconomic status • Mean age (average) • Education level • Ethnic groups

10. Examples please • What specific criteria do you use to better know your community?

11. Stay current • News • Events • Popular culture trends • TV, Movies, Theatre • Talk radio • Current best sellers • Visiting artists, authors

12. Selection Criteria • Subject matter • What weaknesses exist in the collection? • How suitable are subject, style, reading level? • How accurate is the information?

13. Selection • Potential use • What kind of demand is there? • What level of use justifies purchase? • How relevant is it to my community?

14. Selection • Relation to the collection • How will item strengthen, fill a gap, complement the collection? • Are the materials available elsewhere in the community? • What about OWLSnet? • Is there fair coverage of opposing viewpoints?

15. Selection • Bibliographic considerations • Reputation of the publisher • Is the type of publication or format appropriate to your library? • What is the reputation/significance of the author? • What do book reviews say? • Book club edition? • Bookstore editions • Barnes and Noble?

16. Selection • Cost • Expense vs. worth • Ranking materials for worthiness • Prioritize by collection need

17. Selection • Construction quality • Is the item well made? • What is the paper and print quality? • Examples of poor quality? • Scholastic • Will it stand up to multiple uses? • http://www.bmpl.lib.me.us/shame.htm

18. Books • Fiction • What are community interests and needs? • What is library mission statement? • What is guideline for multiple copies? • How much space do I have to allocate? • Should I have books from all major authors, or just some? • How do you decide? • What is the impact on or in spite of the consortium?

19. Nonfiction • Authority of author/publisher • Currency • Duplication • Scope • Interest level • Organization

20. Nonfiction continued • Format • Special features • Cost • Accuracy • Impartiality

21. Selection tools • Book reviews • descriptive and evaluative • compare with other works • be aware of the objectivity of the reviewer

22. Limitations of book reviews • length of time between publication and review • small % of books actually published • small presses often not reviewed • many books only reviewed by one source

23. Booklists http://www.ala.org/booklist/ • LJDigital http://libraryjournal.reviewsnews.com/ • NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/index.html • Oprah’s list http://www.2think.org/oprah/oprah.shtml • Publishers BookWire http://www.bookwire.com/ • Magazines for comic reviews • http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/lml/Collections/docs/comicmag.html • Best books 2001http://sfpl4.sfpl.org/newbooks/bb2001.html

24. Reviews • Online bookstores – do not overlook the reviews posted at online bookstores! • http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ • http://www.amazon.com • http://www.altbookstore.com/ (search by subject)

25. Great info but… • I don’t have time to read reviews

26. Hints for saving time • School Library Journal, 2001 (in folder) • Don’t read reviews for books you know you will order! • Look for paperbacks- cost less but weigh against use, wear and tear and processing costs • Look at starred or highly rated reviews • End of year lists you will purchase anyway • For NFI know your dollar amount before you start reading reviews • Have your calculator at your side for totals!

27. Hints for saving time • Anticipate need- devote the $ • Know school curriculum • Types of ongoing projects (5th grade state reports, biographies)

28. Hints for saving time • Skim reviews • praise or criticism is usually at beginning or end • zero in on age appropriateness • Go to bookstores (in your spare time!) • What is on display? If it doesn't move its gone the next week! • Can this apply to your library?

29. Hints for saving time • Don’t be swayed by each positive/negative comment • Read the summary • Watch the wording • “challenging” in what sense, can be good or bad! • Beware of age recommendations • consider the source, not all reviewers are children's librarians!

30. Hints for saving time • SLJ • http://slj.reviewsnews.com/ • PrePub Alerts • http://libraryjournal.reviewsnews.com/index.asp?layout=sectionsMain&verticalid=151&industry=PrePub+Alert • Alan review • http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/alan-review.html

31. Selecting AV materials • Why do we collect audiovisual stuff? • ADA requirements • Provide audio and music for sampling and listening • Provide appropriate materials to people who require graphic displays for comprehension • Provide people with access to scores, games etc to support educational pursuits • How do you decide what is educational?

32. Selection Criteria for AV • Consider primary users • What is the available budget? • Durability? • Visual and audio quality? • Ease of repair if damaged? • Type of equipment required to view or listen? • Likelihood of technology to last?

33. Video and DVD materials • Expensive • Require machine to view • Short lifespan (VHS) • Easily damaged • Popular for short time - much like bestsellers

34. Video considerations • What is the level of violence, comedy, sexual content? • What is the age appropriateness? • What message is conveyed by the video? • Does your library act as a video store? • Use your library Mission statement, philosophy of board as guidelines

35. Audio considerations • How does the audio collection support your library goals? • Do you duplicate or supplement print titles? • Does the collection focus on certain genres? • Will you collect complete works or abridged versions? • How durable is the product (cassette vs. CD)? • What is overall quality of the recording?

36. Periodicals • How do you select periodicals? • How does being an OWLSnet member affect your purchasing decisions? • Discussion

37. Periodical purchasing considerations • Track Ill requests • Build core collection by addressing • general needs collection • need for currency • costs • cost to bind • photocopy use • back issues/claims • time consuming _and_ expensive

38. Periodical selection • What is the intended: • Scope • who are the editors, publishers, associations? • Audience • how do you know what it is? • Examine table of contents, publisher, vocabulary, writers, contributors • Purpose • does it fill a need for your patrons?

39. Periodical criteria • Local interest • Accuracy- how do you know this? • Indexes- where is the title indexed? • Cost - consider all the costs involved • Demand - can you justify its use? • Is the use so low that you can get issues from within the consortium?

40. What about OWLSnet databases? What do you have in print vs. what is available online? How do you verify this? • Badgerlink • Gale databases • First Search • Netlibrary

41. Online periodical lists • Do you check to see if the serial is available online? • Online serials: • http://www.ipl.org/reading/serials/ • Online newspapers: • http://www.ipl.org/reading/news/ • Serials in cyberspace: • http://www.uvm.edu:80/~bmaclenn/

42. What about comic books? • Evaluating comic books: • Popularity. Monthly lists of the top-selling comics titles are readily available in fan magazines and trade journals. • Tie-ins to TV shows, movies, video games, and toys. • Writing quality, including originality of plot and characters, overall appeal, character development, dialogue, and pacing

43. Comic books • Evaluating • Artistic quality, including layout, dramatic impact, storytelling flow, drawing skill, coloring (where relevant), and lettering. • Artistic style, especially regarding distinctive styles such as manga or cartoon art. • Reputation of writers and artists, many of whom have strong fan followings

44. Comic books • Evaluating • Reputation of publisher (mature themes, controversy) • Awards and recognition received. Industry awards include: Eisner, Harvey and Kirby. Fan awards include: Comics Buyers Guide Fan Awards and Usenet Squiddies. • Color versus black & white. Newer readers may not be used to b&w comics. • Age appropriateness

45. Comics • Evaluating • Genre. Super-hero and fantasy titles continue to be most prevalent but also consider: • sci fi • humor • realistic fiction • other styles • http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/lml/comics/pages/selection.html

46. Comics Code Authority • Self-regulated by publishers • http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/lml/comics/pages/cca.html

47. Discussion- Purchasing and adding comic books, tabloids to your collection • Coverage in mission statement • Peg Burington - Waupaca Library

48. What about women? • Depiction of women in comic books • Discussion

49. Depiction of women in comics • Familiarize yourself with the two genres: • bad-girl • Dirty pair • Danger girl • babe comics • Xena • Vampirella • Alley Cat • ect • http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/lml/comics/pages/depiction.html

50. Collections in other languages • How many libraries have other language collections? • What languages are represented within OWLSnet?