Competency F
Use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of information
Libraries are institutions of collected knowledge and are tasked with serving their audience based on their needs. What separates one library from another is the collection of materials available. The task of developing and maintaining a collection consists of several different processes that involve creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of items. Each part serves an important function within the library and its management. Librarians must understand that developing and grooming the collection is an important task in maintaining the relevancy of information and satisfying the needs of the patrons.
While the term creation may throw someone off as librarians are putting others work in their collections librarians do create new information. Many of the books and media that come into the library must be cataloged creating important metadata and information placed into the online public access catalog. Librarians can create pathfinders and guides to assist patrons in finding the materials they are looking for. Other types of metadata involve tracking usage patterns of books and media.
As librarians we must be constantly evaluating materials for relevance within the collection. Depending on the type of library and its needs some resources are better choices than others. Working in a medical library would require evaluating the subscription costs of medical journals while working in a public library would focus on subscribing to general databases. Understanding the requests of patrons and reviewing institutional data on the most popular materials will guide librarians in ways to better maintain the collection.
Selection of materials involves research on the required topics for collection development. There are several library-focused magazines that review new types of books such as fiction to provide librarians with an accessible list of popular new titles in a variety of different contexts. Selection is a large part of collection development.
Acquisition of materials involves developing relationships with vendors, publishers and other institutions so that the library is able to obtain the books required in a timely manner at a good price. For librarians there are many different options to obtain books and media but it is in the library’s best interest to find a provider that offers content consistently, at a good price, and quick shipping. While there are many different providers it is important to balance saving money with saving time.
Preservation is an important topic to consider when developing a collection. Depending on the purpose of the collection the librarian will have to make a judgment call on the level of preservation that is necessary. Most libraries develop their popular collections without the consideration of long-term preservation. Due to cost there are limits to how much and what can be preserved and unless an item is historically significant it may not be worth the extra costs for preserving. Newer items must be printed on acid-free paper. Older documents must be placed in special bags to limit the amount of impact from the air and human’s oily touch. Understanding that the environment has many implications on how well library materials will last over time. Librarians must consider all factors when deciding how long they want their collections to last. Day to day abuse by people and the environment is a basic concern and in the case of natural disasters a library must be prepared to salvage their collection and mitigate increased damage.
Organization is a choice based on what is best for the library and its patrons. For the most part public libraries utilize the Dewey decimal system and academic libraries continue to use the Library of Congress system. Organization and classification systems are inherently political and librarians understand that classification systems are not perfect but contention over placement of particular topics occurs. Other types of media can be organized in different ways such as in the case of music many libraries prefer to organize based on acquisition numbers. It is up to the library to decide which system is the best for its patrons.
LIBR 200 Information and Society and LIBR 248 Beginning Cataloging and Classification prepared me for understanding the complexities of collection management. While it may appear simple to develop a collection and continue adding to it a library is an institution that requires management of a wide variety of different services and much like marketing understanding where to budget money and attention is required to run the service to the best of its abilities. Libraries grow and develop just like people and over time books and materials must be culled due to information’s changing value. As an information professional one must stay up to date with all kinds of different types of knowledge though it is not likely the level of complexity would reach that of a library.
Librarians develop a keen eye for viewing the library as a system of interconnected duties. Each part of the system has its task and to outsiders the system appears simple. The truth of the matter is that librarians must search for the details of every choice. When considering a new book to purchase one must consider what books to disburse from the collection to free up room. Librarians concern themselves with the material of the book and whether a cheaper version is worth a shorter shelf life. Librarians make decisions on how to catalog the book and where to place it within the internal organization of the library. From the many courses I have taken in SJSU SLIS I have learned that developing an eye for detail is required and I have transferred this to my professional life. An information professional must think deeper and consider the effect of their choices on the systems they are involved in. The eye of the librarian is beneficial to any organization in need of someone to consider how an entire system works together and how small details can affect other portions of an enterprise.