Collection Development Policies in Community College Libraries

Verdin, Andrew

AV

Mesling, C. F. (2003). Collection development policies in community college libraries. Community & Junior College Libraries, 11(2), 73-88. doi: 10.1300/J107v11n02_07

             Community college and other academic libraries need collection development policies, if one is not already in place, for reasons including communication between those involved internal and external to the library. While the process of creating a new policy might seem daunting and troublesome, this article provides insight on policy components and developing the policy, as well as excerpts of policies to facilitate the drafting process.

LGBTQ+ Collection Policies in the rural southern United States by Steven E. Kirby

 

Dawn Betts-Green (2020) “We Could Do Better”: Librarian Engagement in LGBTQ Collection Development in Small and Rural Public Libraries in the Southern U.S, Public Library Quarterly, 39:6, 510-536, DOI: 10.1080/01616846.2020.1737493

 By Steven E. Kirby

 

This article discusses an important aspect of the LGBTQ+ community as it pertains to libraries; Their representation and engagement within rural counties in the Southern United States. Though I have not studied the issue in detail it is a generally held belief that the southern United States is not a bastion for inclusiveness and tolerance. They explain this as : “Although it is certainly not relegated to only rural areas of the southern US, this region has higher rates of anti-LGBTQ sentiment, actions, and violence. This can be partially attributed to the notably higher instances of religious fundamentalism (Pew Forum 2008, 8) in these states, but generally conservative political views also contribute” (pg. 911)

The article goes over LGBTQ+ representation in libraries and how there is a fair amount of information on their community in terms of libraries because of a libraries need and focus on studying their community and the needs that they have. The writers strain that though there are negative connotations to the South and other peoples it is not necessarily how all LGBTQ+ peoples view those areas nor do they reflect on all of their experiences.

The article tries to gather a collection of data that reflects the collections of libraries as they pertain to LGBTQ+. They used key terms to determine what is in those collections such as: “Lesbian* (lesbian, lesbian couples, lesbians, lesbians’, and lesbianism), Gay (gay, gay men, gay couples, gays, and gays’), Homosexual* (homosexual, homosexuals, homosexuals’, and homosexuality), Bisexual (bisexual, bisexuals, bisexuals’, bisexual men, bisexual women, and bisexuality), Transgender etc.

The librarians that consented to the interview were very enthusiastic about discussing their collections, and all of them explained that it was a work in progress and that there was much to be done to improve. There was only one respondent that said that their collection policy had language for collecting materials and resources for diverse populations. Only two of the librarians interviewed said that there was not any community opposition to such materials. One respondent stated that there were no barriers to adding to the collection while the other stated that the only barrier was a financial one.

One of the things that were discussed was the relatively low participation of the libraries in the areas they were studying. The interviews that were conducted accounted for only ten percent of the respondents that were asked. This is important in having context for the article. So be aware that there was a relatively small portion of respondents that were hoped for.

Much of the information they received also came from interviews with individual librarians of their respective libraries to discuss the topic. This can be troublesome only because many people would be reticent on the subject of LGBTQ+ considering they are being recorded, though anonymously.

Either way I believe that this is an interesting look at the representation of LGBTQ+ people within one of the most contentious areas of the United States on this topic.

Rural Libraries and LGTBQ Collection Development

 

Carrasquillo, Marisol

“We Could Do Better”: Librarian Engagement in LGBTQ Collection Development in Small and Rural Public Libraries in the Southern U.S.  By Dawn Betts-Green

Out of all the material that I have read this semester, this article is one that impacted me the most. This article discussed the hostility that LGBTQ youth face in areas of the Bible Belt, being careful to express the higher instances of intolerance in the region can be related to other ideals outside of religion, but noting that there is a “higher instance of negative experiences in this area”. Giving everyone a safe place to gather and feel welcomed is what libraries symbolize and if a certain group within the community cannot or does not feel safe to explore then how are they being reached? This is the question that is asked throughout the article with emphasis on how library staff should try to avoid traps that lead to the assumption of who lives in their area and what materials to offer. The author expresses that there is still work to be done in gathering the experiences of those searching out and requesting information from rural libraries.

The research questions that were asked included:

• To what extent do the librarians and/or library staff of small and rural libraries in Alabama have an accurate conception of their library’s LGBTQ collection?
• How do librarians and/or staff actively promote and build the collection?
• What barriers does the library face in building the collection perceive to exist?
•   How are the barriers addressed?

Lack of funding and the inability to hire professionals to better add to the collections and programming was a noted factor. But in the end, the author expressed the invisibility of the LGBTQ community should push librarians to add books to the collection to “advocate for their patrons”.

Betts-Green, D. (2020) “We Could Do Better”: Librarian Engagement in LGBTQ Collection in Small and Rural Public Libraries in the Southern U.S., Public Library Quarterly, 39:6, 510-536, DOI: 10.1080/01616846.2020.1737493

 

Reviewing Library Collections

 Lambert, D. K., Atkins, W., Litts, D. A., & Olley, L. H. (2002). Guide to review of library collections: Preservation, storage, and withdrawal (2nd ed.). Scarecrow Press, Inc.

A library collection is subject to different kinds of review. This book opens by discussing some elements common to all kinds of reviews, such as the need for collection policy and staff training for collection reviews. It also addresses a few specific types, such as preservation, storage, and deselection review. The different review processes may have varying goals (i.e. identifying what materials should be stored, preserved, or deselected), but all should ultimately seek to align the collection with the library’s collection development policies. 

I thought this book provided an useful and much-needed overview of the collection review process that was complete, if not very detailed. I felt that this makes it a particularly good resource to consult when just starting to learn about collection management. It provides a summary of the necessary steps for the process of reviewing the library collection; at the same time, it does not overwhelm the reader with information.

 ALA Survey and Resources for COVID-19

American Library Association (2020). ALA Survey Shows Effects of Pandemic on Library Services. Retrieved From: https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/ala-survey-shows-effects-of-pandemic-on-library-services/

 

Plagman, Emily, (2020). Libraries Respond: COVID-19 Survey. American Library Association            (ALA). Retrieved From: http://www.ala.org/tools/covid/libraries-respond-covid-19-survey

 

Reed, Felipe E., (2020). Pandemic Preparedness: Resources for Libraries. American Library   Association (ALA). Retrieved From: http://www.ala.org/tools/atoz/pandemic-preparedness

            These articles are from the new American Library Association (ALA) and are a survey of US libraries, Libraries Respond: COVID-19 Survey, which documents a shift in services to support students, faculty, and communities at large during the crisis and phased preparations for the months ahead. Also provided is an article made up of a list of resources for Libraries and librarians to use during COVID-19 and an article describing the survey. While virtually all libraries report limited access to the physical building, survey respondents shared leaps in the use of digital content, online learning, and virtual programs. More than 3,800 K–12 school, college and university, public, and other libraries from all 50 states responded to the survey May 12–18. Survey responses show that libraries are involved in community crisis response, cautiously planning for reopening facilities, working to meet the educational needs of students and researchers, reporting increased use of digital services, and anticipating future demands. ALA As a follow up to PLA’s March 2020 Public Libraries Respond to COVID-19 Survey, a new American Library Association (ALA) survey of U.S. libraries documents a shift in services to support students, faculty, and communities at large during the crisis and phased preparations for the months ahead.

            A pandemic is an outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects an exceptionally high proportion of the population. (Merriam-Webster Online). This article provides information and resources about preparing for a pandemic, including library-specific policy suggestions and more universal resources on pandemic education, prevention and preparation. Some of the resources are specific to seasonal influenza outbreaks and the 2019/2020 COVID-19 pandemic but can be used more universally to help educate and inform decisions on pandemic prevention and preparedness. 

Egbert, M. (2016). Creating makers : How to start a learning revolution at your library. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Summary:

Makerspace materials have not typically been part of a library’s “collection”; however, programs that allow for the creation of various types of media are playing a vital role in attracting new patrons to the library. To utilize grant money for a library makerspace, the author approached its creation by studying human-centered design-thinking, that is, “what motivates makers, what  kind of learning takes place, and how can we help enhance their experience,” (Egbert, 2016, p. xiv).  She begins her book defining “makers” as separate from “crafters”--crafters are usually working in a solitary manner, focused on an end result, whereas makers are social innovators: collaborating, learning through mistakes, and gleaning new ideas from others. The goal of the makerspace should support the type of learning that leads to patrons taking risks and creating something entirely unique, or for a unique purpose. Through trial and error, the author realized that families are the most effective target audience to keep projects available to all ages and levels of expertise.  Older makers can support and encourage new ones, sharing their experience and most importantly, the maker mindset of learning by doing. In contrast to formal learning that expects a “correct” answer or result, makerspaces provide an informal learning environment that can lead to innovative thinking and empowered creators.  As stated in her title, they can start “a learning revolution at your library,” (Egbert, 2016).

Evaluation:

This book guides librarians to "dive deep" into the why of makerspace, before they begin rolling up their sleeves and spending money. Having a vision for the makerspace will help guide decisions about who will be reached, how they will be engaged, and the types of learning that will take place. If the library is to become a "learning commons," learning should be the cornerstone of all maker programs and expenditures.

COVID-19 Is Forever Changing How Students Experience Libraries

 COVID-19 is forever changing how students experience libraries . Retrieved 2020, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2020-11-19-covid-19-is-forever-changing-how-students-experience-libraries

This article takes a look at how covid-19 has changed school libraries. While librarian’s duties have not changed much, instead of allowing students to look at shelves and pick new books that way and  converse about them, they have to do it all virtually.. Many school libraries are currently closed. The East Baton Rouge Parish School System (EBRPSS) had previously aimed to have only 10% of their budget designated to online resources, but of course with covid-19 online resources are seen as being more beneficial,.  EBRPSS library director Susan Gauthier said that it has permanently changed how she sees collection development, saying she doesn’t want to be in a situation where she panics about all students having access.

One interesting thing to note was that Gauthier observed that it was high school students who had the most resistance to using e-books, but also thought that was due to the system’s priority of purchasing books that they can keep in perpetuity vs ones where the license expires. It is often the popular new titles that have those restrictions, vs older books with expired copyrights. For example, access would be lost to The Hate U Give after 26 borrows. Many places only license out books for 1-3 years so school districts have to continually repurchase items. This is a struggle between what students are interested in reading vs what libraries want to use their budgets for, and not a problem faced with physical books where people have that book until it falls apart. Another problem with the 1-3 year license is that if it's based on curriculum, there is only a short amount of time during the year that students need access to that book. These are challenges that are unique to the digital collections, and something that libraries and e-book sellers are still working out. 

The article notes that it is still a work in progress, and that there are some things that have changed, such as devoting time to Makerspace. Even so, Tampa school librarian Diana Rendina is hoping to add makerspace to the virtual curriculum in the future. Some schools are also still trying to give physical books and figure out how to make that work. 

This is a good article to read when wanting to see how covid-19 has changed school  libraries, how librarians think, and the use of digital books. In some ways they are useful because students can access them at any times, but there are still many unique legal challenges with them. It is also good to think about what to improve for future programs, such as how to incorporate makerspace and activities. The article mentions how useful Zoom has been, so incorporating Zoom workshops would be a good idea. It would be good to have a follow up article updating how these libraries have further adapted to digital spaces as the pandemic continues, and how much of a pivot to e-books there are as a result. 

A Guide to Starting an ESports Program in your Public Library

Koster, A., & Haines, C. (2020). Esports, a guide for public libraries. Webjunction. https://www.webjunction.org/content/dam/WebJunction/Documents/webJunction/2020-08/EsportsGuidePublicLibraries.pdf

Summary:

This guide, created by two MLIS students, outlines in detail the Pottsboro Public Library’s successful Esports program, a term that refers to video games played competitively by scholastic, club, and professional teams.  Funding for 10 gaming computers, as well as a part-time project manager to supervise team business, came from an IMLS grant.  The library worked collaboratively with the local high school, a nearby college (whose Esports club members acted as mentors), and the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF). Important factors are covered such as technical requirements, how to record and share game footage, as well as privacy considerations. A glossary of terms for video game dummies (like myself) is included, along with suggested games for Esports, and numerous reading resources to educate oneself about the connection between gaming and literacy.

Evaluation:

For anyone knowledgeable about gaming, this provides a clear guide to creating a successful Esports program. Those less “techie” will need to share this information with someone who has more experience and can guide them in their endeavor. I appreciated that this guide also included suggestions for simpler ways that libraries can include gaming as part of their outreach to youth, since not every library will have the resources for such an involved program.  Unfortunately, no ideas were given on how to run such a program virtually during this time of covid closures, but libraries can be planning ahead for the time, hopefully in the near future, when library doors will be open and people of all ages will be eager for social interaction.