Summary and Evaluation of "Collection Directions: The Evolution of Library Collections and Collecting"

 Chiriboga, Claudia

Article Title: Collection Directions: The Evolution of Library Collections and Collecting

Dempsey, L., Malpas, C., & Lavoie, B. (2014). Collection Directions: The Evolution of Library Collections and Collecting. portal: Libraries and the Academy 14(3), 393-423. https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2014.0013.

Summary: 

This article offers a comprehensive examination of how collecting behaviors have evolved within network environments, outlining potential future directions through diverse model analyses. Dempsey, Malpas, and Lavoie delve into the shifting dynamics of print collections, heightened interactions with research and learning behaviors, and trends in scholarly communication. Their aim is to furnish a framework for libraries to deliberate on evolving investment patterns across collection categories. The authors introduce the idea of network context, collection grids, and managing shared print, while explaining transaction costs, the importance of infrastructure, and explore the changing patterns of research and learning.

Evaluation: 

As stated in the article, “Libraries are not ends in themselves but serve the needs of the institutions of which they are a part. As those needs change, so do the requirements placed on the library.5 Changes in the way research and learning are done are more important drivers of change than internal library developments” (5). I concur with the statement that libraries exist to meet the needs of the institutions they belong to, and as these needs evolve, the demands on the library also shift. The assertion that alterations in research and learning methodologies have a greater impact on driving change than internal library developments aligns with my perspective. Additionally, the article states, “As access and collections are decoupled in this way, it moves the library toward a set of services around creation, curation, and consumption of resources that are less anchored in a locally managed collection and more driven by engagement with research and learning behaviors” (7). I agree with the idea that separating access from collections leads the library towards a focus on services related to creating, curating, and consuming resources. This shift diminishes the emphasis on locally managed collections and emphasizes engagement with research and learning behaviors.

The Evolution of Library Collections and Collecting

LoBasso-Spencer, Jasmin

Dempsey, L., Malpas, C., & Lavoie, B. (2014). The evolution of library collections and collecting. Portal: Libraries and the Academy 14(3), 393-423.

Summary:
This article is focused on the broad overview of practices concerning collection development. The article asserts that as the world changes, there will be changes in the management of library collections, specifically changes in focus, boundaries, and values. Specific models are highlighted including the network context, the evolving scholarly record, the collections grid, the inside-out collection, managed share print, and sourcing and scaling. In reference to "the network context," there are three major trends highlighted for this aspect of the article: transaction costs and system-wide reorganization, data-driven environment, and the change of researching and learning behaviors. In reference to "the changing scholarly record," conscious stewardship is highlighted and that different libraries will have different goals. In reference to "the collection grid," which focuses on resources that are applied to two values, uniqueness and scarcity, within a grid system (upper left of published materials, purchased and licensed; bottom left of special collections; bottom right of institutional research, learning, and profile materials; and upper right of the open web). In reference to "the inside-out collection," which highlights materials unique to an institution. In reference to "managed share print," which highlights shared resources as print collections are pared down. In reference to "sourcing and scaling," which also extrapolates on the concept of sharing through for example, consortiums. The overall point of the article was to highlight the trends in collection development, brought forth by the changing of academic libraries in general.

Evaluation:
Overall, I found the article to be confusing. Much of the terms and the way they were used was very odd; it also felt like the authors were throwing out a lot of random terms to extrapolate on each element of the article. It was clear to me that you had to have some knowledge of the topic to interpret the article. Therefore, it's possible that my confusion more had to do with me still being introduced to the concept of collection development. The article came from an academic viewpoint, which I know, as compared to a public library, has often taken on the role of archiving and saving a vast majority of knowledge. Therefore, I did find it interesting that some of the highlighted trends in the article are similar to the same trends being seen in public libraries (for instance, locally curated content and shared resources). Clearly, the nature of libraries are changing, since digital archives and websites have allowed a lot of the knowledge that was held sacred in a library, to be available instantly to all.

College Success: High School Librarians Make the Difference

Beilock, John

Smalley, T. N. (2004). College Success: High School Librarians Make the Difference. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 30(3), 193–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2004.02.008

Summary:

           Published in the Journal of Academic Libraries, April of 2004, Topsy N. Smalley wrote a professional article about a conceptual research study of community college students who outperformed others when taking a required Information Research class. What was discovered was that students who attended high schools with libraries and library media specialists (also known as school librarians or teacher librarians) performed better than students from high schools without libraries and library media specialists.

Evaluation:

            Smalley’s findings that there was a significant difference between students from high schools with libraries as opposed to those who came from schools without librarians, was apropos. Having solved how the students came to do well led to the suggestion that academic librarians must reach out to high schools and articulate the information literacy skills and strategies that students will need to succeed in postsecondary schools and work.

Reading Backwards

Langstraat, Carina

Bernier, A. (2011). On Reading Academic Literature (Strategically). [Lecture]. Retrieved from

San Jose State University INFO 285-14 Canvas site

Summary:

Bernier’s article tells you how to absorb vast amounts of information as quickly as possible.  It is geared toward how to accomplish this when doing research, but is applicable to life at large.  It's approach is basic and straightforward in nature.  No one is assuming I already know all this just because I am in information school.  His approach boils down to reading the conclusion of an article first and then the introduction.  When doing research, this allows you to quickly decide if the article is worth pursuing.  Seems obvious but this approach has been a game changer for me.

Evaluation:

The Bernier article on how to read academic literature is one of the best pieces of information I’ve read since I’ve been at SJSU.  When I started this program, reading strategically wasn’t as much a choice on my part, but a survival skill.  In my first semester, I wanted to immerse myself, get as much as I could out of the program, etc.  But with the amount of assigned reading combined with necessary research reading, it quickly became apparent that reading, as Bernier says, in a “once upon a time” fashion, wasn’t going to work.  What Bernier’s article has done for me is to relieve me of the guilt of strategic reading, instead emboldening me to enhance those skills.  For example, I’ve always read the abstract, the introduction, and then the conclusion in order to decide if the article was a keeper.  Doing it the other way around makes more sense because it’s a more direct route to the author’s punch line.

Research Required: Little Free Libraries

Jonathan P. Bell

INFO 266

May 7, 2016

Snow, M. (2015). Little Free Libraries: A call for research into the tiny book depositories. Children & Libraries: The Journal Of The Association For Library Service To Children, 13(4), 30-32.

Doctoral student and educator Marianne Snow issues what is arguably the inaugural call to arms for empirical research on the Little Free Library (LFL) movement. The tiny book depositories found on front lawns and public spaces have become a worldwide movement. They offer a place where people can take a book and leave a book. According to organizers, LFLs serve as gathering spaces that bring together friends and strangers around the goal of literacy. Snow says this bold assertion deserves scholarly attention.

The author’s goal is two-fold: she examines the purpose of LFLs and the issues LFLs claim to address; based on the analysis, Snow suggestions areas for future research on LFLs.

Low-income communities face obstacles to library access. Public libraries in poor neighborhoods have fewer resources, staff and amenities as compared to affluent communities. According to Snow, the goal is not equality of resources in rich and poor areas but rather to have more library resources in disadvantaged communities. Low-income communities also face social exclusion in libraries. Because of cultural and socioeconomic disparities, disadvantaged families don’t experience public libraries as “the people’s university.” Instead they may perceive the library as a place for the affluent, or they eschew library use because of presumed language barriers.

LFLs represent an affordable solution to the problem of library exclusion. LFLs bring free resources to disadvantaged neighborhoods that need enhanced library access and better materials. Moreover, LFLs are informal, fun, and low-key. As Snow observed, they’re open 24/7, buildable almost anywhere, no library card is needed and there are no due dates.  These qualities help draw those excluded and hesitant library users. Lastly, LFLs build community by bringing people together around the common goal of literacy.

Having assessed the state of LFLs, Snow suggests the following research questions:

• Where are LFLs found? Are they in affluent, middle class, and disadvantaged communities? Are they in urban, suburban, and rural areas?
• What is the circulation rate of LFLs, what is circulating?
• What materials are available? What is the age level of the materials in LFLs?
• Who are the users of LFLs?
• Do materials in LFLs reflect the local cultures?

Snow challenges scholars employ diverse research methods and theoretical lenses in gathering this much needed empirical data in LFLs. This is how the LIS community will verify whether LFLs effectively serve their purpose of removing obstacles to literacy while building community.

Evaluation

Snow is on the mark. There’s been a lot of attention on LFLs in the popular media. This is understandable seeing as it’s a recent phenomenon, but researchers now have a few years of observation and media coverage as a jumping off point. The level of conversation needs to be elevated beyond discussions of how cute they are, or how evil it is for cities to cite LFLs as code violations. We need to elevate this from chatter to discourse. For example, the matter of LFLs running afoul of municipal ordinances is a matter worthy of scholarly investigation. There are enough examples of LFLs in violation to raise questions about local obstacles to maintaining these mini-libraries. The Little Free Library website even has a section dedicated to dealing with local ordinances. A potential empirical study could investigate local laws written supporting LFLs to identify potential model ordinances and resolutions, as well as the local actions opposing LFLs to understand the concerns. This study could identify the planning and building codes that LFLs may violate and ways LFL builders can comply with such laws. In sum, LFL research is needed.