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
Introduction
The primary purpose of organizing library collections is to meet the various information needs of its users. A librarian’s fundamental purpose is to acquire, store, organize, preserve, disseminate, or otherwise provide access to the vast bodies of knowledge already produced. As a result of the amount of knowledge that is available and its future growth, librarians and other information professionals have a daunting task of creating, evaluating, selecting, acquiring, preserving and organizing this information. In LIBR 200, 202 and 210 I was introduced and learned about collection development, evaluation of collections, resource selection, acquiring, preserving and organizing resources.
Creation
Library collection development is the process of meeting the information needs of the people in a timely and economical manner. Collections are developed by librarian and library staff by buying or otherwise acquiring materials over a period, based on assessment of the information needs of the library's users. Creating a new library, or developing an existing collection of books and other materials into a library, involves several functions: creating the oversight or governance structure, defining the mission and purpose of the organization, securing funding, planning, developing a collection, securing or building an appropriate space (physical or server), equipping the space, and marketing services. Collection development often has several disciplines and come in many formats. Information professionals must consult budgets and research resources that support the library’s mission and strategic plan, analyze the needs of their users, and research a wide variety of resources to build a well-rounded valuable collection.
Library collection development includes creating policies to guide resource selection, replacement of outdated or missing resources, removal of outdated irrelevant resources, planning for new collections and creating a new or better consortia for resource sharing opportunities.
Evaluation
Evaluation of library collections exists for a number of reasons including: gaining a more accurate understanding of a collection; assessing the current collection development policy and acquisitions programs; assessing the capacity of the collection to support user needs; identifying weeding opportunities; identifying gaps in library holdings; assessing how well the collection meets users demands; defining how users of digital resources differ from those who use the physical collections; identifying why users use electronic resources and what problems they encounter; and providing a more rational basis for allocating an acquisitions budget and defending resources budgets.
A collection can be evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as, from a library inward-looking, or a customer outward-looking perspective. When evaluating a library’s physical collection, librarians want to use a variety of methods like, circulation statistics, browsing statistics, and customer perspective. In doing this they obtain more of a balanced perspective on how well it’s meeting the needs of the users. When evaluating digital collections measuring transaction-based, time-based, cost-based, and user-based measures are essential.
Selection
The selection of resources for a collection relies on a variety of critical elements: budget, collection policies, organizational mission and goals, and user needs. Library professionals must consider cost and weigh each one against how valuable the resource will be to the collection and its usability. Consulting collection development policies, librarians select valuable resources to be added to their collections using publisher catalogs, vendors and bibliographic utilities and user surveys.
While the evaluation of collections is viewed as an acceptable approach for the evaluation of collection development, there still can be a possibility of over or under selection. Library professionals should use data from a library's circulation system to determine the proportional use by subject classification of a collection, to reveal both under and over selected items. In addition, an analysis of data from interlibrary loan requests can identify items that users want but the library doesn’t own. This information is vital in identifying the most valuable resources to acquire for a collection.
Acquisition
Acquiring resources is a direct result of the selection process. The acquisition process is the purchasing or buying and replacing library collections. Library professionals in the acquisition department must identify cost effective, budget friendly vendors to purchase from, thus meeting the needs of the organization's clientele in the most economical manner. They also work with the subject specialists within their departments to find the most desired resources available. In some library environments digital resource management and physical material acquisitions have been separated due to the lengthy complex vendor contracts and renewals.
Preservation
Preservation is becoming an increasingly valued field in the information sciences. Preservation is a branch of library and information science concerned with maintaining or restoring access to artifacts, documents and records through the study, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of decay and damage. As a result of the advances in technology, archives are finding new ways to preserve priceless information in digital archives management systems. Allowing items to not only be stored and preserved but digitized and uploaded to easily accessible databases has made these valuable items more usable and accessible than ever before. In many cases very fragile and historically significant items are available to users for the first time ever due to these processes.
Organization
Organizing knowledge in libraries means organizing many types of information and media. Information is stored in physical items, such as books, videos, maps or pictures. Virtual information, such as links to journal articles, full text, digital books, databases, sound recordings or images are stored electronically. Organizing is the most crucial part of this process. If resources are not organized in an efficient, easily accessible manner users will not be able to find and use them.
There are many classification systems that allow users to identify items to access easily and quickly. Physical resources can be organized in The Library of Congress or Dewey Decimal classification systems. Using MARC standards, librarians can structure information pertaining to a specific item within the library-cataloged records. Metadata, controlled vocabularies and indexes locate information within databases and information retrieval systems.
Experience
In LIBR 202, I was assigned to create my classification scheme. My first piece of evidence is my wine classification. Using types of wine, red, white and sparkling I created a classification system to help a single female fine a wine they wanted to pair with a meal. This allowed me to learn how classification schemes are created and implemented. It also demonstrated to me how organizing items in this way would help the users find the resources they need. My second piece of evidence is a collection I created for LIBR 220. The assignment was to evaluate five comparable libraries and to create a medical portal/pathfinder with resources found within them. My nursing portal/pathfinder is a collection of books, dictionaries, almanacs, handbooks, manuals, atlases, biographical sources, journals, web resources databases, teaching images and searching strategies. Both items demonstrate my abilities for organizational management.
Conclusion
Erma Jean Loveland said, “A library collection should fit the mission for which it is created. The number of books it holds does not determine its worth. A well-selected library of 25 books could very well be an excellent library for its purpose" (American Library Association, 1997-2012). The process of collection development is a long one, but each element above is a path for library professionals to accurately and efficiently create valuable collections to support user and organizational needs.
Introduction
The primary purpose of organizing library collections is to meet the various information needs of its users. A librarian’s fundamental purpose is to acquire, store, organize, preserve, disseminate, or otherwise provide access to the vast bodies of knowledge already produced. As a result of the amount of knowledge that is available and its future growth, librarians and other information professionals have a daunting task of creating, evaluating, selecting, acquiring, preserving and organizing this information. In LIBR 200, 202 and 210 I was introduced and learned about collection development, evaluation of collections, resource selection, acquiring, preserving and organizing resources.
Creation
Library collection development is the process of meeting the information needs of the people in a timely and economical manner. Collections are developed by librarian and library staff by buying or otherwise acquiring materials over a period, based on assessment of the information needs of the library's users. Creating a new library, or developing an existing collection of books and other materials into a library, involves several functions: creating the oversight or governance structure, defining the mission and purpose of the organization, securing funding, planning, developing a collection, securing or building an appropriate space (physical or server), equipping the space, and marketing services. Collection development often has several disciplines and come in many formats. Information professionals must consult budgets and research resources that support the library’s mission and strategic plan, analyze the needs of their users, and research a wide variety of resources to build a well-rounded valuable collection.
Library collection development includes creating policies to guide resource selection, replacement of outdated or missing resources, removal of outdated irrelevant resources, planning for new collections and creating a new or better consortia for resource sharing opportunities.
Evaluation
Evaluation of library collections exists for a number of reasons including: gaining a more accurate understanding of a collection; assessing the current collection development policy and acquisitions programs; assessing the capacity of the collection to support user needs; identifying weeding opportunities; identifying gaps in library holdings; assessing how well the collection meets users demands; defining how users of digital resources differ from those who use the physical collections; identifying why users use electronic resources and what problems they encounter; and providing a more rational basis for allocating an acquisitions budget and defending resources budgets.
A collection can be evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as, from a library inward-looking, or a customer outward-looking perspective. When evaluating a library’s physical collection, librarians want to use a variety of methods like, circulation statistics, browsing statistics, and customer perspective. In doing this they obtain more of a balanced perspective on how well it’s meeting the needs of the users. When evaluating digital collections measuring transaction-based, time-based, cost-based, and user-based measures are essential.
Selection
The selection of resources for a collection relies on a variety of critical elements: budget, collection policies, organizational mission and goals, and user needs. Library professionals must consider cost and weigh each one against how valuable the resource will be to the collection and its usability. Consulting collection development policies, librarians select valuable resources to be added to their collections using publisher catalogs, vendors and bibliographic utilities and user surveys.
While the evaluation of collections is viewed as an acceptable approach for the evaluation of collection development, there still can be a possibility of over or under selection. Library professionals should use data from a library's circulation system to determine the proportional use by subject classification of a collection, to reveal both under and over selected items. In addition, an analysis of data from interlibrary loan requests can identify items that users want but the library doesn’t own. This information is vital in identifying the most valuable resources to acquire for a collection.
Acquisition
Acquiring resources is a direct result of the selection process. The acquisition process is the purchasing or buying and replacing library collections. Library professionals in the acquisition department must identify cost effective, budget friendly vendors to purchase from, thus meeting the needs of the organization's clientele in the most economical manner. They also work with the subject specialists within their departments to find the most desired resources available. In some library environments digital resource management and physical material acquisitions have been separated due to the lengthy complex vendor contracts and renewals.
Preservation
Preservation is becoming an increasingly valued field in the information sciences. Preservation is a branch of library and information science concerned with maintaining or restoring access to artifacts, documents and records through the study, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of decay and damage. As a result of the advances in technology, archives are finding new ways to preserve priceless information in digital archives management systems. Allowing items to not only be stored and preserved but digitized and uploaded to easily accessible databases has made these valuable items more usable and accessible than ever before. In many cases very fragile and historically significant items are available to users for the first time ever due to these processes.
Organization
Organizing knowledge in libraries means organizing many types of information and media. Information is stored in physical items, such as books, videos, maps or pictures. Virtual information, such as links to journal articles, full text, digital books, databases, sound recordings or images are stored electronically. Organizing is the most crucial part of this process. If resources are not organized in an efficient, easily accessible manner users will not be able to find and use them.
There are many classification systems that allow users to identify items to access easily and quickly. Physical resources can be organized in The Library of Congress or Dewey Decimal classification systems. Using MARC standards, librarians can structure information pertaining to a specific item within the library-cataloged records. Metadata, controlled vocabularies and indexes locate information within databases and information retrieval systems.
Experience
In LIBR 202, I was assigned to create my classification scheme. My first piece of evidence is my wine classification. Using types of wine, red, white and sparkling I created a classification system to help a single female fine a wine they wanted to pair with a meal. This allowed me to learn how classification schemes are created and implemented. It also demonstrated to me how organizing items in this way would help the users find the resources they need. My second piece of evidence is a collection I created for LIBR 220. The assignment was to evaluate five comparable libraries and to create a medical portal/pathfinder with resources found within them. My nursing portal/pathfinder is a collection of books, dictionaries, almanacs, handbooks, manuals, atlases, biographical sources, journals, web resources databases, teaching images and searching strategies. Both items demonstrate my abilities for organizational management.
Conclusion
Erma Jean Loveland said, “A library collection should fit the mission for which it is created. The number of books it holds does not determine its worth. A well-selected library of 25 books could very well be an excellent library for its purpose" (American Library Association, 1997-2012). The process of collection development is a long one, but each element above is a path for library professionals to accurately and efficiently create valuable collections to support user and organizational needs.
Evidence Summary and Artifacts
#1 LIBR 202 Wine Classification Scheme
I choose to have a narrow classification system. In assignment 1 my group wanted to have a refrigerator that belonged to a single female. I took the wine that was integrated into my group’s refrigerator and designed a wine classifications scheme.This scheme will be helpful for anyone planning a menu. I believe that pairing wine with a meal is essential and this classification scheme with be helpful. The attributes that I used in my classification were types of wines; red, white and sparkling. Other attributes that could have been used are smooth, sweet, peppery, dry and juicy. The advantages of my system are; 1) a person can find what type of wine they want red, white or sparkling 2) pick which region they would like to choose their wine from and 3) see the name of the winery they are picking. In doing this I am able to do a finite classification.
I choose to have a narrow classification system. In assignment 1 my group wanted to have a refrigerator that belonged to a single female. I took the wine that was integrated into my group’s refrigerator and designed a wine classifications scheme.This scheme will be helpful for anyone planning a menu. I believe that pairing wine with a meal is essential and this classification scheme with be helpful. The attributes that I used in my classification were types of wines; red, white and sparkling. Other attributes that could have been used are smooth, sweet, peppery, dry and juicy. The advantages of my system are; 1) a person can find what type of wine they want red, white or sparkling 2) pick which region they would like to choose their wine from and 3) see the name of the winery they are picking. In doing this I am able to do a finite classification.
libr_202_classification_scheme.doc | |
File Size: | 34 kb |
File Type: | doc |
#2 Nursing Portal/Pathfinder
Evaluated nursing resources collected and organized in a portal/pathfinder for nursing students and researchers.
https://sites.google.com/site/nursingpathfinderscarreras/Home
Evaluated nursing resources collected and organized in a portal/pathfinder for nursing students and researchers.
https://sites.google.com/site/nursingpathfinderscarreras/Home
References
American Library Association. (1997-2012). ALA Library Fact Sheet Number 16. Retrieved March 2, 2012, from Setting Up a Library: A Resource Guide: http://www.ala.org/tools/libfactsheets/alalibraryfactsheet16
Mathews, J. (2007). The Evaluation and Measurement of Library Services. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Rubin, R. (2004). Foundations of Library and Information Science. New York: Neal-Schuman.
Mathews, J. (2007). The Evaluation and Measurement of Library Services. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.
Rubin, R. (2004). Foundations of Library and Information Science. New York: Neal-Schuman.