Competency F

Introduction

A library’s resources are the cornerstone of the library organization- the way that the organization can meet its mission. Collections management is a complex process, involving strategic planning coupled with change management and innovation coupled with community analysis (Disher, 2021). Collection management includes the selection of resources that respond to the communities needs and wants, evaluating the relevance and quality of the resource, and finally organizing the entire collection of resources so that for ease of staff and patron access. Collections management also includes the preservation of select resources, specifically those that have historical significance. By understanding how to select, evaluate, organize and preserve materials professionals who work in libraries are able to efficiently react to the rapidly changing information landscape.

Selecting Materials

Acquisition librarians, the information professionals often tasked with building a library’s collection are individuals who either have expertise or interest in one particular subject (in the case of large research libraries) or in a broad range of subjects (in the case of public or school libraries). Librarians are responsible for researching and implementing new collection development practices, working with vendors, ordering materials for the library, and coordinating operations with the cataloguing department.

As someone who works in reader’s advisory at my local library, I think the reader’s advisory librarians are a resource that the acquisition librarian could consult when selecting titles. Reader’s advisors in their role often refer to lists of recent releases and top-selling titles when helping patrons to find materials. They also hear directly from the patrons what titles and topics they would like to see in the collection.

Planning & Evaluation

A significant challenge for any information professional working in collection management is how to respond to a community's changing reading habits and information needs while not getting bogged down by the question- Is print dead? This is why having a constantly evolving collection development policy in place is crucial. The plan should be completely user driven and take into account the evolution of user’s experiences, information needs as well as the formats that information can come in. information formats. This policy pulls components from the library’s main strategic plan, such as the mission statement, and guides the collections team as they select materials to add to the library. A collection development policy also includes sections on the purpose of the collection, guiding principles, patron wants, needs and challenges, general guidelines for material selection, collection evaluation (including a SWOT analysis), as well as subject profiles.

When conducting a collection evaluation as well as an evaluation of potential materials to add to the collection, some important questions should be asked including questions related to content and format. Now with the surge in digital resources questions about these materials are also relevant. The following are some questions that could be asked when evaluating potential collection materials:

Content-Related Questions

• Does the material meet the community’s information needs and interests?

• Does the content fall within the library’s values and goals?

• What is the intended audience? What is the reading level?

• What is the depth of the content and how accurate is it?

• What is the reputation of the publisher and author? Do they have authority?

• Is there coverage of recent developments in the world? Is there coverage of other points of view?

• For controversial topics, are both sides of the argument represented?

Format-Related Questions

• How durable is the physical resource?

• How much storage space does it take up?

• Ownership vs. Access (Physical vs. Digital)

• What are the different costs of each format?

Digital Resources Specific Questions

• How robust is the user interface?

• Is the user interface accessible to all members of the community?

Organization

Once the resources have been selected, they need to be added to either the library’s catalogue with an associated call number. The process is called cataloguing and is discussed in Competency G. Once physical materials have been added to the catalogue, these materials have to be added to the shelves and these shelves are maintained as part of the day-to-day operations. Shelf maintenance includes reshelving, creating and cleaning up displays that highlight certain collections or certain upcoming notable events, and pulling damaged materials for repair or replacement.

At this point in time, the majority if not all, libraries have moved their catalogues online so that patrons can access them from anywhere. A large part of the organization process is making sure they're all resources can be easily accessed by patrons and staff. As Ranganathan states in their 5 Laws of Library Science “The Key is to Save Time for the User”. This sentiment is also echoed by Steve Krug in his book Don’t Make Me Think, a seminal work in user experience design. Librarians who have the knowledge and understanding of user experience principles and web accessibility standards will be able to effectively maintain and possibly design the library websites which house these catalogues, making it easy for both patrons and staff to use.

Opposite to selection, we have deselection. Due to constraints such as funding, space, and changing community wants and needs, a library needs to remove outdated, damaged, and unused materials to make room for new more relevant materials. The weeding process, as it is called, also saves time and frustration for staff and patrons because it makes searching for materials much more efficient. The acronym MUSTIE helps librarians identify materials for weeding. MUSTIE stands for:

Misleading (i.e. out-of-date and inaccurate information, information that contains racial or cultural stereotypes)

Ugly (i.e. damaged or worn)

Superseded (newer editions exist)

Trivial (i.e. material is not well written, lack of literary/ scientific merit)

Irrelevant- does not serve the community’s interests

Elsewhere (material can be found somewhere else, i.e. interlibrary loan).

Preservation

While public and school libraries generally need to weed their general collections due to the constraints mentioned earlier, this is not the case for local history and genealogical materials. According to the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), libraries have the “responsibility to preserve, conserve, and if possible, restore” these materials. RUSA provides a list of guidelines to assist libraries with these tasks. The list of materials that RUSA suggests libraries preserve includes: directories, newspapers, church, cemetery, court, and naturalization records, maps, tax and telephone lists, as well as photographic media.

Collections Development in 2023

The most significant limiting factor that collection managers face in the onslaught of the digital age is funding. Budgets for most information organizations are stretched thin trying to cater to all the different information formats available. This is where collection managers have to get creative and look towards technology and alternative collection-building models to build their library collections. Some options include print-on-demand, patron-driven acquisition, and cooperative collection development. Cooperative collection development, such as a digital collection partnership. A digital collection partnership helps a library deal with the complex licensing and expensive prices associated with digital content, by resource sharing with other member libraries. I have seen evidence of the success of having a library consortium at the public library where I work. We are part of the Ontario Library Service Consortium and also have reciprocal relationships with libraries in surrounding towns as well as the libraries in local post-secondary institutions.