Info 266- The Collection Development Policy

 Anna Nicholson

Sullivan, M. (2013). The collection development policy [for children's services]. In M. Sullivan (Ed.), Fundamentals of children's services (2nd ed., pp. 45-54). ALA. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sjsu/detail.action?docID=3001691 

Summary: In this chapter, the author explains the purpose of a collection development policy, defines policy, and explains the different pieces that make up this policy- particularly in children’s services. The chapter then expands upon the importance of aligning the policy with the organization’s mission and vision statements. Next, the chapter explores how service roles and selection criteria and responsibility need to be reflected in the collection development policy. Finally, Sullivan explains how to break down a collection by topics and subsections to determine what resources are needed, where they should be placed, and how the collection supports intellectual freedom. 

Evaluation: This was a useful chapter because it did a good job explaining the purpose of a development policy and how to create and use one. In addition, I appreciated that this resource was specific towards children's services because it helped me understand the different concerns and issues that I should be aware of when making a collection development policy for a school library. Ultimately, this was a clear, concise resource that I would recommend reading for more information about the roles information professionals play and the criteria that should be used when selecting or deselecting children's materials. 

San Francisco Public Library Needs Assessment: Report on Findings

 Stephanie Armatis

Wonder, Valerie (2010). San Francisco Public Library Needs Assessment: Report on Findings. WebJunction. Retrieved from https://www.webjunction.org/content/dam/WebJunction/Documents/webJunction/SFPL-Patron-Needs-Assessment.pdf 

Summary: This is a needs analysis performed by the San Francisco Public Library system in 2010. They identified a need to increase library services though they were dealing with a decrease of library funds. The main goal was to start an online instruction program. To perform the needs assessment, library staff gave written and oral surveys to patrons, organized focus groups, and compiled informal observations and existing data in order to understand user needs and the potential for the proposed program. From this they identified patron needs, which included: career-centered assistance (like resume and application help), social and government help (like citizenship and tax help), educational assistance (like homework help), enrichment and recreational activities, and various skill-based needs like computers and how to use the library and its resources. From these observations and conclusions, they were able to develop their needs assessment and the next steps that their library will take in order to achieve them.

Evaluation/Opinion: This resource can be useful to see how other libraries perform a needs assessment since that is one thing that can affect collection management decisions. Though this needs assessment is older (2010) it was done in response to the recession. Many libraries are dealing with decreases in budgets because of the current pandemic, so the two scenarios will have some similarities. I liked the suggestions about instruction that were mentioned, like marketing what the library already has to offer and to not do it alone (meaning you don’t have to create everything in-house and you can direct patrons to online tutorials that can be found elsewhere online). With dwindling budgets, tips like these will be especially useful for libraries nowadays.

Introductory Policy Writing in School Libraries

 Kami Whitlock

Abercrombie, S. (2018). Why do you need a collection development plan? Retrieved from https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/why-do-you-need-a-collection-development-plan/

Abercrombie explains the importance of a collection development plan in a school library. If written and used effectively, the plan can be a great advocacy tool and show the library programs support of the school’s mission. Also, the plan benefits the librarian when it comes to clarifying policies, book challenges, and her evaluation cycle. She explains including selection, deselection, and reconsideration policies. When writing a selection policy consider students needs for pleasure reading, curriculum support, and administrations direction for the school. A deselection policy makes selection possible. A collection must be weeded to be relevant. Finally, a reconsideration policy is necessary to protect the collection and student’s rights. Having a clear reconsideration policy gives the librarian a plan and protocol if/when a book is challenged.

 

This article gives insight into collection development policies at school libraries. Abercrombie quickly breaks down what selection, deselection, and reconsideration policies are and gives example of when each is necessary and what they entail. Creating or revamping library policy is prudent for librarians. This article is a great place to start for general information before doing a deep dive into policy writing.

What to Think About When Managing a Collection

 Kami Whitlock

Preschel Kalan, A. (2014). The practical librarian's guide to collection development. Retrieved from https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2014/05/20/the-practical-librarians-guide-to-collection-development/

 

Preschel shares her thought process while weeding and purchasing books. She first talks about the importance of knowing the library’s user population. She then shares her thought process while weeding. She suggests establishing priorities, checking statistics, examining the physical condition of books, and keeping guides current. She also shares tips for materials on different subjects. One take away from the article is to think of this process as ongoing. She is weeding and purchasing books as much as she can throughout the whole year. This gives her a chance to add additional copies of books that are in high demand and adapt frequently to users needs. To be successful in this, she must be very aware of her budget.

 

This article is meaningful for librarians who are new to collection development. Although the information in this article is brief, the points she suggests to think about are meaningful and useful. She gives practical examples and explainations of what to look for while making weeding and purchasing decisions.  

An Introduction to 21st Century Collection Development

 

Kami Whitlock

Mickelsen, A. (2016). Practice makes perfect: Collections. Retrieved from https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=practice-makes-perfect-collections

Modern day collection development has many factors to take into consideration. A librarian must develop a virtual collection as well as a physical collection and make sure access to the collection is equitable. This takes an understanding of patrons’ needs, content, and budget. Although the advancement of technology has increased the faucets of collection development, it has also increased the number of resources that can be used to assess materials. Michelsen touches on donations and weeding/maintenance in this article as well.

 

This article is a great introductory piece to collection development. It touches briefly on each aspect of the collection development process and shows insight to the challenges that this process brings to librarians. The information is current, relevant and clear.

A Review of Prosser's "Affect and Deaccessioning in the Academic Library: Feelings About Books and Place"

Tallent, Diana

Prosser, D., (2020). "Affect and deaccessioning in the academic library: Feelings about books and place". Library Trends, 68(3), 506-520. doi:10.1353/lib.2020.0003.

In this study, Prosser addresses deaccessioning, more commonly known as weeding, getting at the root of why it is one of the most painful processes for librarians, library communities and bibliophiles. The topic rose to the surface as a hot button issue for her “… in the summer of 2018 during the deaccessioning of collections of books and bound periodicals from Olin Library at Rollins College, a liberal arts institution in central Florida” when a strong emotional reaction to the project became a notable source of criticism of the library. She roots through the literature on this topic and examines how affect -- which she asserts is at the heart of the relationship people develop with print books -- is reconciled with the library’s need to make room for new and updated acquisitions.

Prosser’s article intrigued me because it gets at the strong emotional bond which people have for books and which, I think it is probably safe to say, most book lovers feel, at least to some extent. I bristled a little at her assertions that, “Print Collections look backward. Electronic resources by their nature look forward” not only because those statements seem to connote that the past is inferior to the future (do we stand on the shoulders of giants or not?), but also because I simply don’t categorically agree. Like most affected bibliophile’s, I find electronic resources problematic 1) in their very lack of existence in the physical plane, 2) because they are available to the end user only at the purveyor’s whim, and 3) because they are not owned, only their use is authorized for a time, and that time frame is almost always subject to change without notice. Something so temporally and physically amorphous is not appropriately fixed to be forward looking unless embracing cancel culture is the new norm.

When Prosser states that “Deaccessioning is at the heart of library stewardship”, she is fundamentally, if painfully correct. We cannot have collection development without weeding because no library is large enough nor their budget massive enough to house everything, no matter how much we might like to try. Still, when she recounts the dumping of deaccessioned library books into “… dumpsters in the parking lot…” I couldn’t help but question why Olin Library didn’t find some other option for disposing of or attempting to rehome the materials. All the libraries I have worked for have had deaccessioning guidelines, some adopted voluntarily, and some dictated by a system or larger institution. If there were people pulling books indiscriminately out of the dumpsters, it stands to reason that there had to be a way to give many, if not all, of those items away and avoid the public (and private) outcry. She is correct in saying, “Perhaps modeling and eliciting an emotional intelligence of weeding is in order” though she might have added that this is true on both sides of the equation.

Demand-driven cooperative collection development: three case studies from the USA

 Peterman, Rhian

Booth, H. A., & O'Brien, K. (2011). Demand-driven cooperative collection development: three case studies from the USA. Interlending & Document Supply, 39(3), 148–155. https://doi.org/10.1108/02641611111164636

This article gives a detailed overview of the demand-driven acquisition process in conjunction with collaborative multi-institutional collection development policies between libraries. The article likewise addresses the successes and issues faced with conducting this form of collection development. Furthermore, the authors note the future implications this form of library collection strategy may have on shifting individual collections to a holistic network forming a single library collection.   

The authors present a very fascinating concept for collection development. Further investigation into the prospect of de-emphasizing individual library collections in lieu of geographically formed consortiums, i.e., one large collection that multiple institutions support and take part in. If widely adopted, the proposed framework in this article could provide broad sweeping stability for libraries in general.