Resource Development

Sajjad ur Rehman

Collection Development Policy

Policy is a plan Master plan for building and marinating

resources Reflection and relating to other plans;

long-range and strategic Correcting weaknesses, maintaining

strengths Written statement of plan; guiding library

staff consistently in resource development; continuous development

Why Policy?

Changes in libraries and communities Changes in staff Electronic resources creating new

challenges Funding issues Threats from community: censorship, etc. Awareness about strengths and

weakness; working in collaboration with other institutions in the community

Contd

Why policy?

Informing everyone about the nature and scope of collection

Informing everyone about priorities Rationalization about organizational

priorities Committing to meeting organizational

goals Standards for inclusion and exclusion Controlling selector bias Training and orientation toolcontd.

Why policy?

Handling complaints Aid in weeding Rationalizing budget allocations Public relations document Means of assessment of resources Accountability tool for outsiders

Policy Elements—General

Description of community of users Identification of service clientele Collection parameters Supporting what programs and

needs Role in cooperative resource

developmentVariation in types of libraries

Policy Elements: Specifics

Subject areas Types of patrons Formats Use of conspectus for cooperative

development Assigning numeric value to each

subject area

Policy Elements: Specifics

Selection Who responsible (p. 80) Procedures of selection: role of

committees, engagement of stakeholders

Listing guidelines: Do’s and don’t’s (p. 81)

Policy Elements: Specifics

Gifts Exchange Deselection Discarding Storage Evaluation Censorship

Selection Principles

Drury (1930) Standards for judging books Applying criteria intelligently for

determining content of resources Adding mediocre titles that will be read

instead of superior title that might not be read

Get classics, standards, bestsellers Avoid prejudice, partiality, censorship

Contd.

--- Contd.

Haines (1950) Determine community character and interests Provide materials for actual and potential users Select resources of permanent value

regardless of their potential use Provide for the needs of specialists Show promptness and regularity in maintaining

resources—good and popular Contd.

--- Contd.

Ranganathan (1952) Books are for users Every reader his/her book Every book its reader Save the reader’s time A library is a growing organism

Broadus (1981) Consider past use transactions; past

use best predictor for prospective use

Selection Process

Determine collection needs in terms of subjects and types of materials

Apply policy Determine the availability of resources Allocate to subjects and types of materials Identify potentially useful resources Check suitability against need and price Make selection decisions

Selection Modes

Till Forbidden Normally used for jurnal titles

Standing Order Normally used for series

Blanket Order Normally used for subject areas

Approval Plans Decisions depend on physical assessment of

the content of resources: high rate of selection expected by booksellers and jobbers

Selection Aids

Current sources for in-print materials Catalogs, flyers, announcements, etc. Current reviews National bibliographies Online databases Bestsellers/Core collections:

benchmarking Subject bibliographies

Academic Libraries

Variation: community colleges/junior colleges or vocational institutions, degree awarding colleges/small universities, research universities

Focus on academic programs, complementing textual needs

Needs of adult education or continuing education programs Contd.

--- Contd.

Learning center need specialized multimedia resources

Common university requirements have a core for which a basic collection is needed

Specialized college standards: qualitative and quantitative; standard lists for English language books

Pertinent reviewing journal: Choice Contd.

--- Contd.

Research universities require large resource base to support graduate studies and research

Special emphasis on areas in which graduate education is imparted

Role of faculty selection committees Departmental/branch libraries

require redundant resources Problems of financial resources

Public Libraries

Diversity in user community; unrelated constituencies

Need for speed and coordination in large public library system with centralized resource development activity

Reflecting public interest in resources: selection committees

Reviewing sources: Booklist, LJ, PW Contd.

--- Contd.

Emphasis on children resources Needs of young adults: different age

groups Interests of housewives Strong fiction collections Self-education of citizens Local history emphasis

School Library Media Centers

Supporting school curriculum: a core collection, complementary resources

Diversity of media and resources Electronic and multimedia resources Funding and staffing problems Centralized selections in Kuwait Teachers serve on selection committees

Contd.

--- Contd.

Classrooms connected with Internet and other electronic resources

Parental concerns about media and resources

Most closely monitored Reviews: booklist, LJ, Wilson’ specialized

catalogs for school libraries, School Library Journal, WLB

Competencies for media specialists

Special Libraries/Information Centers

Diversity of settings: medical and law libraries mostly in academic settings, corporate information centers in for-profit enterprises; each requires different policies for resource development

Space constraints; virtual access; small in-house collections; focus on access

Focus on individual needs Project orientation

Contd.

--- Contd.

Emphasis on currency Need for specialized materials in a variety

of media: serials, report literature, databases, standards, patents

Resources about competitive information; restricted information sources

Immediate needs and not future needs