Collection Development & Marketing Issues | INLS843 Seminar in Public Libraries

Collection Development

Lisa Ward will lead a discussion on Collection Development Issues. To prepare yourselves for the session, read:
1. Baker, S.L. & Wallace K.L. (2002). Collection choices. In The responsive public library: how to develop and market a winning collection (pp.61-90). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited
2. Sullivan, K. (2004). Beyond cookie-cutter selection. Library Journal, 129(11), p. 44-46. (e-journal)
3. Glover, C. & Langstaff, G. (2006). Floating collections within a consortium: or, does it matter where the materials are shelved? PNLA Quarterly, 71(1), p. 12-13. (e-journal)
4. Arizona State Library. (2006). Collection Assessment & Mapping.
Optional reading - mainly for the illustrations
1. Hart, A. (2003). Collection analysis: powerful ways to collect, analyze, and present your data. Library Media Connection, 21(5), p. 36-39. (e-journal)
Questions to ponder as you read and reflect:
1. What is most important to public library users: bestsellers? retrospective titles? more titles? more copies of the same title?
2. How important is it to analyze public library collections compared to the need to provide services and programming?
3. What factors in collection development are unique to public libraries?
4. How much collection development can or should be done in a centralized environment vs. at the local level?
slides used in class

Briynne McCrea is planning to lead a discussion on how to manage collections to make them more useful. To prepare yourselves for the session, read:
1. Barry Trott & Vicki Novak, A House Divided? Two Views on Genre Separation, Reference & User Services Quarterly 46 no2 33-8 Wint 2006
2. Shonda Brisco, DEWEY OR DALTON? An Investigation of the Lure of the Bookstore, Library Media Connection 22:4, p. 36-7 Jan. 2004
3. Debra Lau Whelan, Librarians Weigh in on Arizona's Dewey–Less Library, School Library Journal, 6/6/2007
Questions to ponder as you read and reflect:
1. What do you think about separating out fiction genres? Do you even think that "genre" represents a valid or useful concept? What are some drawbacks and benefits of organizing a fiction collection around genre?
2. How about removing Dewey call numbers from nonfiction, in favor of subject-shelving? Is there some moderate ground between ditching Dewey and maintaining a puritan defense of old Melvil Dui?
3. Is changing the way library's shelve books a band-aid or does it address the root of the problem? What, in fact, is the root problem?
Handout used in class