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Library Collection Management 101

Library Collection Management 101. Instructor: Julie Italiano jitalian@ccclib.org An InfoPeople Workshop Spring 2006. This Workshop Is Brought to You By the Infopeople Project.

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Library Collection Management 101

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  1. Library Collection Management 101 • Instructor: Julie Italiano • jitalian@ccclib.org • An InfoPeople Workshop • Spring 2006

  2. This Workshop Is Brought to You By the Infopeople Project Infopeople is a federally-funded grant project supported by the California State Library. It provides a wide variety of training to California libraries. Infopeople workshops are offered around the state and are open registration on a first-come, first-served basis. For a complete list of workshops, and for other information about the project, go to the Infopeople website at infopeople.org.

  3. Introductions • Name • Library • Position • Why are you here?

  4. Workshop Overview • Types of materials • Community needs assessments • Budget considerations • Evaluating and selecting • Collection assessment • Collection maintenance • Challenges • Future trends

  5. Types Of Materials • Adult • Youth • Reference • Electronic

  6. Adult Core Collections • Adult Fiction • current • retrospective (modern/classic) • Adult Non-Fiction • self-help or legal • test guides • personal finance and job searching • health • travel

  7. Youth Core Collections • Teen • contemporary fiction • teen topics • Children’s • picture books, easy readers • homework assignment material • animals • biographies

  8. Reference Core Collections • Almanacs • Dictionaries • Encyclopedias • Others?

  9. Electronic Resources • Ebooks • Newspapers • Magazines • Databases • Digital formats • audiobooks • music • videos

  10. Collections Should Be: • Appropriate • Diverse • Circulating • What people want

  11. How Do You Find Out What People Want In Your Library? Conduct A Community Needs Assessment

  12. Why Do A Needs Assessment? • To identify gaps in service and collections • Find out who uses the library and materials • How the community is changing • Determine if staffing patterns and library hours are adequate • If space and building are adequate

  13. Needs Assessments Include Info That Is… • Descriptive • Allows the library to use information to create collection profiles based on community interests • Statistical • Enables an objective approach to building collections based on data and trends

  14. Descriptive Information • Historical interest • background of community • Cultural organizations • social groups • Educational institutions • values in community • Recreational opportunities • community interests

  15. Statistical Information • Demographic data • ethnicity • race • language • Geographical data • growth patterns • population distribution • transportation routes

  16. Ways To Collect Needs Assessment Information • Surveys • user surveys • non-user surveys • Groups • key informants, such as educators, public officials, business leaders • community forums involve groups with shared interests

  17. Share OutcomesWith Community • Communicate • post results of surveys online • display questionnaire in library • Report • attend faculty meetings at schools • Chamber of Commerce luncheons

  18. Small Group Exercise #1 Community Needs Assessment

  19. Budget Considerations When Can I Start Spending?

  20. Budget Decisions • Distribution • past spending patterns • circulation • turnover rates • Standing Orders • formats • subjects

  21. Alternative Budget Funding • Friends/Foundations • Grants • governmental • private • Gifts • memorials • trusts

  22. Evaluating Gift Materials • Acceptable gifts for the collection • replaces a missing copy • replaces a copy in poor condition • replaces an older edition • Unacceptable gifts for the collection • shows excessive wear • format not consistent with collection • previous rental store use or ownership

  23. How Much Does A Gift Cost? • Evaluating • Cataloging • Processing • Weeding • Disposing

  24. How Do You Handle Gift Donations In Your Library? Unique Stories To Share?

  25. Evaluating Collections • Collection should reflect quality • appropriate for community • diverse opinions • Collection should reflect demand • circulates • what people want

  26. Ways To Be A Good Selector • Read reviews - Library Journal • Preview publishers materials • Consult bibliographies - Fiction Catalog • Review patron suggestions • Acknowledge staff recommendations

  27. Investigating What To Buy • Bookstores • online • in town • Award lists • Caldecott/Newbery • Popular Culture • current events

  28. Making Purchasing Decisions • Subject matter • Construction • Potential use • Relation to collection • Cost

  29. Selection Criteria For Material • Accuracy • Authority • Currency • Impartial • Organization

  30. Unique Criteria for Electronic Selection • Licensing • Remote use • Special equipment • Technical support • Telecommunications costs

  31. Small Group Exercise #2 Evaluating and Selecting

  32. Assessing Your Collection How collections are measured Comparing collection with lists

  33. Quantitative Measurements • Number of titles • physical count of titles from shelves • Age of materials • range and distribution of publication dates • Use • circulation statistics • turnover rate • Per capita measurements • how many titles per population

  34. Core Collection Lists • Verifies selection decisions • Comparisons with other collections • Provides information for purchasing

  35. Collection Maintenance • Weeding • discarding • withdrawing • Changing formats • Replacing materials • Rotating collections

  36. Why Weeding is Necessary • Uncovers gaps in collection • Provides new space • Increases circulation

  37. Criteria For Weeding • Misleading or factually inaccurate • Ugly (worn out beyond mending) • Superseded by a newer edition • Trivial ( no literary or scientific merit) • Irrelevant to community needs • Elsewhere (borrowed elsewhere)

  38. Why Weeding Doesn’t Happen • It takes too much time • If tossed today, will need tomorrow • Unable to throw away public property • Won’t have enough books • Admits to collection mistakes

  39. How To Weed • Discard damaged materials • Withdraw outdated items • Dispose of materials • sell • give away • recycle/destroy

  40. Weeding Examples • 004-006 Computers 3/1 • 025.04 Internet 3/1 • 030 Encyclopedias 5/x • other 000s 5/3

  41. When Should You Change Formats? • Demand • Availability • Durability • Costs

  42. What Is A Replacement List? How do you create one?

  43. Replacement Options • Subject areas • Title suggestions • Weeding reports • Rotating collections • Last copies

  44. Small Group Exercise #3 Weeding Collections

  45. Challenges For Libraries Reach Out Research Respond

  46. Intellectual Freedom • Who might be a censor? • government • community groups • individuals (including librarians) • Need materials representing all sides • balance in collection

  47. Have You Faced A Challenge? What Was Your Experience?

  48. Types Of Censorship • Labeling • Obscenity • Racism • Gender/Sex • Illegal acts • Questionable truth • Stolen items

  49. Defending Material Challenges • Formal policy and procedure • Promote Library Bill of Rights • Communicate intellectual freedom

  50. Small Group Exercise #4 Facing A Challenge

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