Collection Development: An OverviewSt. Lawrence – Lewis School Library System

October 16, 2007

Michelle Gillie

Acquisitions / Cataloging Librarian

St. Lawrence University Libraries

Things we’ll be talking about

• Philosophy• Weeding… yes, weeding.

(notice how this comes first?)• Inventory and collection

analysis• User needs assessment• Setting collection goals• Collection development

policies• Purchasing library materials

(notice how this comes last?)

• For More Information

Collection Development Philosophy: here’s what I think…

• In general, a K-12 collection is not supposed to be archival. It’s meant to support the current curriculum.

• Try to develop a balanced collection based on curriculum and user wants / needs.

• Collection analysis and user needs assessment are critical.

• You can’t be everything to everyone. Think carefully about policies and goals, then let them guide you…

• …but don’t be completely inflexible.

• ILL is your friend. Exercise your resource sharing options.

• Weeding is just as important as adding new materials.

Weeding, weeding, weeding(oh yeah, did I mention weeding?)

• Like it or not, weeding is a big part of collection development

• How old is your collection?

• What is “enough?”“It does not matter how many books you may have, but whether

they are good or not.” -- Seneca

“Anything is not better than nothing.” -- Gillie

• Avoid “crisis weeding;” establish a regular routine and think small

• Think about having a formal weeding policy

Weeding: What goes? • Anything that looks old, dirty, battered, etc., even if it’s a classic or

contains current information. If it can’t be repaired, toss it.

• Racial or cultural bias, stereotyping

• Dated nonfiction, even if some of the information is still good. Books in technology and the sciences are particularly suspect

• Dated popular fiction, or other books of little interest to your current users. Still have Nancy Drew? Please tell me you don’t.

• Superseded reference materials (how old are your almanacs, encyclopedias, dictionaries?) or materials with inaccessible information due to inadequate indexing, tables of contents, etc.

• Anything that hasn’t circulated in five years

A Few More Random Weeding Tips

• Shelfread before you weed

• Keep records and make notes

• Do a periodic title search for terms that imply currency, like “Modern, Current, or Today”

• Think about removing multiple copies of titles that don’t circulate as heavily as they once did

• Taking out the trash: what to do (and NOT to do) with discards

Weeding Resources

SUNLINK’s Weed of the Month Archivehttp://www.sunlink.ucf.edu/weed/archive/archive.html

ALA Fact Sheet: Weeding Library Collectionshttp://www.ala.org/ala/alalibrary/libraryfactsheet/fact15.cfm

Banks, Julie. "Weeding Book Collections in the Age of the Internet." Collection Building. 21, no. 3 (2002): 113-119

Dickinson, Gail. "Crying Over Spilled Milk." Library Media Connection. 23, no. 7 (2005): 24-26.

Baumbach, Donna J. and Linda L. Miller. Less is More: A Practical Guide to Weeding School Library Collections. ALA Editions, June 2006.

Inventory and Collection Analysis:taking a good look at your collection

• Inventory– Shelfread and weed, or at least weed, before inventory

– Follow up on your inventory reports and update your catalog

– Make decisions about replacing or upgrading missing items

• Collection AnalysisAutomated collection analysis tools (WCA, Bowker, Brodart, etc.)

can examine collections by class, age, and compare to standardized collections. What can you do to locate gaps on your own?

– Creating Collection Analysis Worksheets

– Search and sort your catalog by Dewey class, year

– Comparing your catalog to lists of core and outstanding titles

User Needs Assessment

What’s already in use, and who is using it?

Circulation studies: Look at circulation statistics by class, grade and patron type

In-house use: statistics, studies, or just plain observations

What don’t you have, and why? Who needs it?

Are your library resources aligned with your curriculum?Look at interlibrary loan records / statistics Talk to your library users. Do you really know what they want? Think about conducting a needs assessment survey

Setting Collection Development Goals

• Where is need the greatest? Which core titles are you lacking?

• Create a prioritized list of your needs

• Allocating your resources

• Five year collection development cycles

• Remember cooperative collection development responsibilities

• Consider what’s available through resource sharing

Collection Development Policies

• Got one? Why they’re important and who you should be sharing them with

• Guides and sample policies

– ALA’s RUSA Web Page: Writing Collection Development Policies (Huge URL! Google “RUSA Collection Development” and click the ALA|Collection Development link)

- Montana State Library Collection Development Policy Guidelines for School Library Media Centers http://msl.state.mt.us/slr/cmpolsch.html

- RJHS Collection Development Policy http://www.geocities.com/lisajunedenton/collection.html

Aaaaahhhhhh! Writing your Collection Development Policy

Consider including:

• Mission statement• User profile• Needs assessment and collection goals• Acquisitions budget and allocation information• Selection criteria (thinking ahead to intellectual freedom issues)• Acquisitions procedures and responsibilities (gifts)• Weeding policy or criteria for deselection• Provide for revision

Last but not least… buying stuff

Scary statistics about rising book costs, shamelessly ripped off from Library Journal:

Average Hardcover Book Prices for Children’s and YA Titles

2004 2005 2006

Average price $19.31 $20.52 $21.60

Preschool to grade four $17.51 $18.92 $21.60

Grade five and up (fiction) $16.84 $16.85 $16.87

Grade five and up (nonfiction) $23.25 $24.92 $26.81

Getting the most for your money

• Have a collection development policy and stick to it, within reason

• Use appropriate resources for developing orders

• Consider cost-effectiveness in terms of expected use

• Paperback vs. hardcover and other budget stretching tricks

• Cooperative collection development

Selection Resources and Criteria

• Core collection tools

• Professional review sources

• Other library catalogs

• Faculty and student recommendations

• A word about vendor catalogs

• Baltimore County Public Schools selection criteria– http://www.bcps.org/offices/lis/office/admin/selection.html

For more information… Print Resources (or: Shut Up Already!)

• McGregor, Joy et al. Collection Management for School Libraries. Rowman & Littlefield, 2003.

• Van Orden, Phyllis J., and Kay Bishop. The Collection Program in Schools: Concepts, Practices, and Information Sources. 4th ed. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 2007.

• Doll, Carol Ann and Pamela Patrick Barron. Managing and Analyzing Your Collection: A Practical Guide for Small Libraries and School Media Centers. American Library Association, 2002.

• Hughes-Hassell, Sandra, and Jacqueline Mancall. Collection Management for Youth: Responding to the Needs of Learners. American Library Association, 2005.

• Johnson, Peggy. Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management. Chicago: American Library Association, 2004.

And For Even More Information… Online Resources

(or: “Oh please, please, shut up and go away!”)

American Association of School Librarians Resource Guides (See Collection Development, Budgeting)http://www.ala.org/ala/aasl/aaslproftools/resourceguides/aaslresource.cfm

Resources for School Librarians: Collection Developmenthttp://www.sldirectory.com/libsf/resf/coldev2.html

Arizona Public Libraries Collection Development Training (Has been around for a while, and yes, it was written for public libraries, but contains great information and ideas applicable to school library media centers)http://www.dlapr.lib.az.us/cdt/index.htm