Intellectual Freedom and the Collection Development Process

Shauna Bailey

 

Reference:

 

Costello, L. (2020). Survey Applies Public Collection Development Librarians’ Support for Intellectual Freedom to Collection Process. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 15(1), 245–247. https://doi.org/10.18438/eblip29686

 

 

Summary: 

This study used an online survey to explore how 645 Midwestern public librarians’ attitudes around intellectual freedom and demographics influenced decisions concerning collection development. Intellectual freedom around the management of collections was the focus of the survey. It was found that the participants used many tools in the selection of collection materials. Just less than half indicated their library had a policy to assess collection balance, while just over half indicated their libraries did not have a policy in place to ensure a balanced collection. Almost ¾ of respondents felt local communities should influence collection development. Communities' political leanings did not have an impact on participants’ alignment with the intellectual freedom stance of the American Library Association (ALA), though holding an MLS degree did significantly affect respondents' stance and alignment with the ALA. Almost ¾ of the participants felt that collection development should be influenced by the government library funding leadership. A small number of respondents encountered pressure from their coworkers or communities to either purchase or restrict collection materials. Interestingly, almost 40% of respondents felt torn between their professional views on intellectual freedom and their personal values, though, there was support for intellectual freedom and alignment with the principles of the ALA in general.

 Evaluation:

 This article focuses on the implications of intellectual freedom around collection development in public libraries. I found it interesting that most of the participants indicated that their libraries did not have a collection development process in place to ensure a balanced collection. This article suggests collection development without a structured plan will stray off course, something we have also been learning in INFO 266. This article highlights public collection development librarians and their efforts to follow the guidance of the ALA intellectual freedom standards. Continued education for information professionals around intellectual freedom, and the importance of developing guidelines and policies to ensure a balanced collection development process cannot be stressed enough. Maintaining balanced collections, developed while following the principles of intellectual freedom, will ensure that public libraries remain vibrant, inclusive spaces for the communities that they serve.

The Practical Librarian's Guide to Collection Development

Parry, Lauren

Kalan, Abby Preschel. (2014). The practical librarian’s guide to collection development. 

Retrieved from https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2014/05/20/the-practical-librarians-guide-to-

collection-development/

This article details a suburban, medium-sized public librarian’s shortcuts for collection development and the ways in which she has honed her skills over the years in her position. She starts with weeding and expands her guide into acquisition. She also includes a few ideas for marketing to patrons and potential patrons.

I appreciate that this librarian shared her shortcuts to collection development and maintenance. As a library science student, I’m often thinking about the “rules” and standards of overall collection development. It was refreshing to read a guide that adhered to these standards, but in a slightly more informal- yet practical- way. I also liked that Kalan didn’t dance around the more difficult topics. She addressed issues like funding, staying within budget, and the importance of catering to your library’s audience instead of choosing materials that suit your particular interest.

Ward-Sell, Krista

Orlean, S. (2018). The Library Book. New York: Simon and Schuster.

The Library Book is an extraordinary book which is by turns a history, a crime novel, a biography, and a story of the phoenix-like resilience of an unusual lead character, the Los Angeles Public Library. 

Orlean uses the story of the most destructive library fire in the history of the United States as the start of a larger conversation with the reader of just what a librarian does for a collection. In between the biography of the library are chapters on Orlean’s time with the Librarians of the LAPL, sketches of their projects, their jobs, their passions. One sparkling addition are the chapters on the map collection, one of the most comprehensive in the United States, bolstered by the passing of a colorful hoarder, and a diligent and very lucky Librarian who rescued the collection from obscurity. Many other chapters touch on different aspects of the library’s services, programs and collections. 

Orlean also provides fascinating glimpses into the many small collection specialties in the Library today. Historic Photos in the Digitization Department, all the written works of the previous Head Librarian Charles Lummis. Every chapter is headed by catalog entries of random documents. 

Chapters also cover the fire itself, of the recovery process, the grief of the Librarians who had to come in to work to clean up after seeing their efforts burnt, the heroic story of the coming together of an entire city, from the brave firefighters who fought in horrible conditions,  cleanup volunteers, and fishmongers who froze wet books for preservation. Original interviews with all the participants that could be found alive document the horror of the day as well as the painful recovery. 

Susan Orlean, is also the author of The Orchid Thief, which in turn is the “source material” for the movie Adaptation (a fabulous excoriation of process by which a screenwriter butchers source material for Hollywood screenplays). She is a writer of great talent, which makes this book a joy to read. Orlean touches on every relevant issue in Library Science today, from homeless outreach to the history of the library’s ongoing technological innovation. 

From the perspective of Collection development, the chief lessons learned were first that anything can be of interest to the public, even ephemera. Second, that when the library has been identified by the city as a potential fire hazard, and there are no sprinklers, it’s best to move quickly to acquire them, even in a historic building. Orlean details a heartbreaking account of what was lost.  Protection and proactive action are also a part of collection development.

 In my humble opinion, dear reader, this is the book you should read over the winter break.

Library of Things Collection: Study of a public library tool lending collection

Lamb, Amanda

Söderholm, J. (2015). Borrowing tools from the public library. Journal of Documentation. 72(1), 140-155.

Many library collections are moving beyond traditional constraints. Library of Things collections, especially, are breaking new ground with circulating seeds, musical instruments, games, crafting kits, and tools. But why do patrons borrow “things?” This study explores this research question as applied to borrowing tools. The results? In addition to borrowing tools to enhance community and for paid work, patrons also wanted to learn and acquire skills through a public service. Public libraries can (and do!) pair unique Library of Things offerings with instructional opportunities. Patrons expressed a strong sense of community support in borrowing tools. They mentioned home and neighborhood improvement as well as a notion of sustainable community development. Patrons weigh several considerations before checking out a tool from the tool lending library: access and usage, cost, tool type, library vs private borrowing, and political and ideological motivations.

A Library of Things is a vibrant example of user-led collection development. Is there a community quilting group? What equipment does this group share because it is difficult to own? Can the library purchase any equipment to support this need? The potential for this collection seems limitless (within reason). How about a circulating seed collection for a garden club? Could a collection of circulating games support a teen gaming group?  What do users want to learn and what equipment do they need? Collection development for a Library of Things definitely raises some eyebrows. How does one clean and maintain equipment effectively? Do you trust patrons to check these items out and return them well? Beyond the logistical questions, those developing collections could and should ask what benefits the library and its community could enjoy by trying something new in a collection like this. At our Oregon library, a young patron checked out a radar gun from the Library of Things collection to measure the speed of the rides at a local community festival. His family sent photos of this experience to the library which were shared across social media. The positive impact of a Library of Things item can be far reaching indeed.

Libraries of Things: A Movement

Westa, Emily


Robinson, M. & Shedd, L. (2017). Audio recorders to zucchini seeds: Building a library of things. Santa Barbara, CA. ABC-CLIO.
Preview found here!


While this link leads not to an article, but rather to the first few chapters of a book, I feel that these few chapters give a great introduction and insight into the rising Library of Things movement. Many libraries in the Boston area (where I live), have been expanding their collections to include significant Library of Things (LoTs) collections and I’ve been noticing a rise in community engagement and excitement surrounding these new collections. This movement is nation-wide, and even international, and I believe it will continue to grow until LoTs are a staple in every major library. Let me know if your library has a LoT or is thinking about adding one!


Summary:

Beginning with a comprehensive history of the Library of Things movement and moving into case studies of LoTs in both public and academic libraries, Audio Recorders to Zucchini Seeds provides an engaging and complete overview of the movement as it has grown, how it looks today across the U.S.A, and what it could become as it continues to grow. The Library of Things movement has its roots in Curriculum Material Centers, offering real classroom materials for training and use by teachers-in-training, Tool Libraries, and other specialized collections, such as those with toys & games or multimedia collections. Today, many of these materials and objects are still a significant part of LoTs, but the possibilities of what can be included are both “diverse and limitless” (pg. 22). In Part II, we are presented with six case studies from public libraries with LoTs focused on everything from, bicycles to seeds, which people borrow, plant, and replace with new seeds grown in their plants during the next season. Part III focuses on academic libraries- providing us with seven case studies of LoTs with gaming consoles, video equipment, scopes, curriculum materials, technology and more. Although I haven’t read the end of the book (yet!), I know from the introduction that the last couple chapters focus on a special library in Alaska and an offering of best practices for libraries to consider and adopt when building their own Library of Things!


Evaluation:

Well written and extensively researched, Audio Recorders to Zucchini Seeds provides the most in depth discussion of the Library of Things movement that I could find online or in print. The introduction and history given in this book are comprehensive and clear. I especially appreciated the analysis of social movements, including the community sharing economy, that have supported LoTs and allowed these to move from specialized, unique collections to being more of the norm and expectation at many libraries across the U.S.A. The editors’ inclusion of case studies as the major content of this book brings in critical real-world experiences- successes and challenges. While I had only heard of LoTs at public libraries, the section on academic libraries opened my eyes to even greater possibilities for this type of collections as spanning across library types. Someday soon, LoTs could even exist in school libraries, supported the success of both students and school libraries. Overall, this book was well-written, engaging and incredibly informative. I would definitely recommend checking it out and at least reading the introduction, which provides an overview of each section. Let me know what you think!

Practice Makes Perfect: While Collection Development Remains as Much Art as Science, Adopting Best Practices Can Help Selectors Choose What's Right for their Communities

Vigil, Sharon

Mickelsen, A. (2016). Practice makes perfect: While collection development remains as much art as science, adopting best practices can help selectors choose what’s right for their communities. Library Journal, 141(14), 34-37. Retrieved from  http://bi.galegroup.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/essentials/article/GALE%7CA462044787/0cca9aca1e2499431f16987e0a782a23?u=csusj

Summary:

This article discusses best practices for selecting and maintaining print and electronic materials. It touches on selection decisions, budgets and formats, collection analysis tools, donations and self-publishing, and weeding and maintenance. Common challenges that are mentioned include stretching budgets to cover multiple formats and deciding how many copies of a popular item to buy without sacrificing diversity in the collection.

Evaluation:

This article provides some very helpful tips in managing a collection. Librarians must not only be knowledgeable about a particular field or subject area but must also have an understanding of what patrons want while being mindful of the available budget. A few tips to help librarians track books that are newly released, or are about to be released, include signing up for publisher newsletters and the LibraryReads recommendation tool, registering with Edelweiss to access publisher catalogs, and keeping track of authors featured at NPR Books. One librarian that was interviewed emphasized the importance of making sure there is some method in place for accepting requests from patrons in order to know what is missing from the library’s collection. Another librarian suggested getting out of the library and interacting with patrons. In regards to budgets and formats, one recommendation was to allocate more funding to popular subscription services such as Hoopla and OverDrive and, in choosing which streaming services to use, librarians should consider patrons’ ability to access the Internet and technology that is required. This article provides some great advice for collection development librarians or anyone who participates in the collection development process.

Practice Makes Perfect

Peralta, Polly

Mickelsen, A. (2016). Practice makes perfect. Library Journal, 141(14), 34-36.

Summary:

Mickelsen discusses ways that public libraries that are small and do not have a full-time collection development librarian can keep up with developing their library collection.  She first starts the article by explaining what collection development is.  Secondly, she discusses the budget and how there needs to be a budget for different formats, for example, books,  e-books, and databases.  Thirdly, she talks about how technology can help analyze and keep track of circulation; however, these tools are nothing compare to patrons input about the collection. Then Mickelsen moves on to talk about the use of donations and local self-published authors' materials. In the end, she discusses maintenance, weeding, and what challenge collection development is.

Evaluation:

Mickelsen gives some useful tips on collection development in a public library.  I like her suggestions on following blogs and websites that talk about new titles, and looking at what the local independent bookstore have on their shelves. Plus this article was an easy read with no annoying jargon.  

Getting into Play: Cataloging Toys, Games and Puzzles

Washechek, Evan

BASTIANSEN, C. Y., & WHARTON, J. (2015). Getting Ready for Play!. Children & Libraries: The Journal Of The Association For Library Service To Children, 13(4), 13-29.

This article goes into great detail to show the positive effects which “free play” or allowing children unstructured time with games, puzzles or toys can have. There has been a serious reduction of the time that children have to discover things on their own. The article goes on to state all of the benefits of free play and talks specifics with regard to studies that have been done on children who have had notable increased “exploration skills, language skills, social skills, physical skills, and creativity activity”. These skills, the study goes on to note are even more important for those in poverty settings. This compounds with the sad reality of a lack of money for such toys, games and puzzles in poverty situations. The Public Library is shown to be an example for a possible solution. The Author also note just how much of the budget was spent toward the collection of the studied library. It was particularly relevant to myself as a public library employee and someone who feels strongly encouraged to help specifically those economically disadvantaged patrons.

Reflection

By expanding the collection and adding (or simply barcoding existing) toys, games and puzzles to the collection we would facilitate and foster these outcomes that are so valuable to the community. There is a certain amount of person hours which goes into a project such as this, which would be cataloging items, creating shelving/space, labeling the items as well as creating policies for their lending. This would be in addition to extra time that would be spent keeping these items sanitized. Germs would be a major factor in some libraries not lending out these kinds of items. All libraries have some responsibility to maintain the cleanliness of their items on a professional level, but items specifically for children (some of which are at high risk for disease) is even more important. 

Implementing a Floating Collection

Johal, J., Quigley, T., Bartlett, W., Kressler, T., Gafiney, J., Bartel, C., & ... Cropper, D. (2012). Take The Plunge! Implementing Floating Collections in Your Library System. Public Libraries, 51(3), 13-20.

Summary:  

This article presents five large, multi-branch libraries, Vancouver Public Library, Cuyahoga County Publich library, a consortium of Ohio libraries, Sarasota County Library, Brown County Library, and their experiences implementing floating collections in their libraries.  Here, floating collections are defined as collections in which “materials remain where patrons have returned them rather than being shipped to an owning branch” (p. 13).  The goals of floating collections are to “reduce the amount of material in transit, reduce the workload of...staff, increase the availability of items on the shelf for users, refresh the collections...and let the collection move itself” (p. 13-14).  Although there were several different approaches to implementing floating collections, the success of their undertakings seemed to vary depending on how gradually or quickly they applied new policies.  For instance, surveys at the Vancouver Public Library, where floating collections were fully introduced over the course of a single year, indicated that only 48% of staff were satisfied with floating, while at the Cuyahoga County Public Library, where floating was implemented incrementally over 3 years, “the vast majority of staff members are comfortable with floating” (p. 15)

Response:

I had never heard of a “floating” collection before reading this article; to me, it sounded like an idea that is great on paper but so difficult to execute well in practice that the obstacles would outweigh the benefits.  Indeed, the logistical hurdles that can be created by changing collection management procedures proved to be an issue for all five libraries studied in this piece; however, those that implemented changes gradually and planned carefully were ultimately able to provide patrons with a continuously refreshed collection and easier access to in demand items.  If a library exists as a part of a group of libraries in the immediate area, treating separate collections that are already being shared regularly as a single, unified entity seems like a good way of making more of the library’s collection available to patrons.  Floating, applied perhaps only to certain areas of the collection, might even benefit small consortiums of academic libraries with good histories of cross-circulation, potentially providing participating institutions valuable insight into necessary acquisitions and weeding opportunities while giving students easier and more flexible access to materials.