1 Giovanni Mejia San Jose State University Collection Management 266-02 Cynthia Wilson May 6, 2009
2 Abstract: The information in this paper is a collection development policy for a mock-library.
3 Part A The Pleasantville public library is a medium sized library that serves a community of over 35,000 people. The community is primarily made-up of families with children under the age of 18, and parents between the ages of 25-44. Further, 42% of the population speaks another language other than English at home. Additionally, there is a significant amount of senior citizen users, which make up 10% of the population. Currently the library provides programming primarily to pre-school and elementary school children, and teens. The library is attempting to create more programming for seniors whom are heavy users of periodical and novels. The library caters to the general public to provide access basic material to support the library s mission. MISSION The Pleasantville Public Library s mission is to deliver free and equal access to information, knowledge, independent learning, and promoting information literacy for a diverse community. VALUES The values statement reflects the organization and the community thus providing a framework for the type of collection and service the library will provide.. We open our doors to all patrons regardless their age, race, background or educational level. We provide quality services and programs to all patrons fairly and equally. Our goal is always to provide excellent customer service. We have an open door policy. We welcome and encourage all comments and suggestions. We use professional judgment, knowledge, and experience to develop and maintain collections, services and staff that respect and reflect the diversity in our city.
We provide free and equal access to all types of information. We provide convenient access to facilities, resources and services that meet the needs of all patrons. We respect and protect the privacy of all patrons and patrons' records through policy and advocacy. We are willing to change and make adjustments. We constantly reassess our services and programs and attempt to see ourselves through the public s eyes. We encourage teamwork and collaboration. We support our staff by providing opportunities for growth, professional development and lifelong learning. (2008, Mejia, Roach, and Cheng) 4 Parameters of collection and Patron Need The collection will support the mission statement, which caters to the community. The library serves a diverse population with an equal amount of needs, so providing a wide variety of reading material is the primary concern. Selection of materials will be based on demand, social need, patron requests, and the evaluation by those responsible for collection development. Unfortunately, library space, and funding constraints reduce the ability to provide everything a community needs. In general, a primary part of the library s holdings will be printed materials. The printed material will cater to as many patrons as possible. Consistent evaluation, weeding, and selection will ensure the library provides the best service possible. Reference materials such as encyclopedias and almanacs will be updated periodically since new editions are printed every so often. For the rest of the collection, critical materials that discuss legal and health issues will be weeded more often than other areas because of the constant changes that occur in those fields.
Other areas will be developed based on circulation, and patron request. And as a public library, fiction will be purchases based on demand, and multiple copies will be purchased for popular item. Periodical and Journals will be held in limited quantities. Many journals are available via databases, so large physical collections are not necessary. But the library will provide popular periodicals that are heavily used, or requested. Further, databases do not carry all periodical people request, so they will always be a need for physical periodicals. Next, audio and video media will be dedicated toward educational purposes, and aiding senior citizens. For example, the library s mission is to promote independent learning, so language media in audio and video format are essential especially with a large population of people who speak different languages. Further, audio books for seniors will be essential to meet the demand for those who are visually impaired. The library has taken into consideration the variety of interests that the materials collected may not fulfill. The library will obtain materials from other sources such as Link +, and interlibrary loan. For other needs patrons may have electronic resources such as database. And as technology progresses the library will consider adopting new formats for users. Collection Developers Collections will be developed with the input of a variety of sources. All staff within a library should contribute to the development of the collection. Additionally, patrons will be surveyed to see what they value most in the library. Publisher and vender opinions will also be considered in the development of the collection. But the final say of what will be in the library is up to the collection management staff, head librarian, and directors. 5
In short, the collection should meet the demand of as many patrons as possible. Meeting everyone s demand is impossible, but making sure the collection supports the mission will be the goal. Multiple opinions, and careful select will be the key to the library s collection. Part B I. Description of Collection A. The library collection will be organized using the Dewey Decimal System. C. All other materials will have been based on the judgment of the those responsible for selection, and will support the library s mission II. Intended Scope of collection. A. The collection will be focus toward the educational and social needs of the community. Though it will not directly support the school system because school libraries are suppose to support school. B. The collection will support reference service to facilitate the reference process. C. The diverse community has a need for resources in different languages. 1. English learning material in print, audio, and video formats will be part of the collection. 2. Support to pre-school children with printed, audio, and video materials will be part of the collection. 3. Materials for the elderly such as large print books, and audio books will be available. III. Formats A. Print Books, Periodicals, B. Audio Widely available formats that are loadable will be available. C. Visual - Widely available formats that are loadable will be available. D. Electronic Database services will be available for use. IV. Access A. Reference Materials and special collections will not be circulated outside the library B. All other materials will circulate according to circulation policy C. Databases will be accessible by citizens with a library account. V. Responsibility of Collection Development A. Responsibility for collection development will reside on the head librarian, department heads, and subject specialist. VI. Selection Criteria and Guidelines A. Selection will be carried out differently for different sections. B. Purchasing will be based on circulation, and requests numbers. C. Selection aids such as Choice Review, Booklist, Library Journal, and other aids recognized by librarians as legitimate resources will be used to evaluate selections. 6
D. Selections must support the library mission. E. Selection will be carried out by all professional librarians, or trained personnel. F. Materials must be durable, priced in relation to total budget, and must be accurate. VII. Retention of Materials. A. Materials will be held as long as they: 1. Circulate and no new edition is availableare valid. 2. Up-to-date, and meet: a) Professional standards b) Legal standards c) Health standards, and so forth VIII. Deselection of Materials A. Deselecting will be carried out using the CREW method (http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/crew/) 1. The library provides a service, so keeping books that do not circulate, out-ofdate, and worn is not providing a service to the public. IX. Evaluation of Collection A. Evaluation will be carried out on several levels throughout the year. 1. Circulation statistics yearly evaluation. 2. Expert Opinions yearly evaluation. 3. Visual examination quarterly evaluation. 4. Patron Surveys of collection use all year long. X. Allocation of Fund A. Funding will be allocated based on the selection process, which reflects the libraries priorities. B. Funding to each specific area the library makes selections for will see yearly adjustments due to inflation. C. The library upholds the Library Bill of Rights. Articles II, II, and IV prevent the library from accepting funding if restrictions on collection development are imposed. XI. Policy for Gifts A. Money is always welcome because of the funding constraints the library faces. B. Materials donated to the library will grow through the same selection process as all materials. The library reserves the right to dispose, sell, or give the donated materials deemed unfit for the collection XIII. Challenged Materials A. The Pleasantville library believes in intellectual freedom and stands by the Library Bill of Rights. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information and enlightenment of al people of the community the library serves. 7
Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation. B. Reconsideration 1. The library recognizes that community involvement in the library is important, so comments and formal complaint in writing will be given attention by the collection development staff and director. XIV. Policy for relationships with other institution. A. Relationship will be primary through services such as ILLIAD and LINK +. B. Relationships with other libraries are left to the Director s discretion. XV. Collection development policy. A. The CDP is not written in stone B. The CDP must be reviewed yearly to be sure it supports the mission. Part C 1. Informs everyone about the nature and scope of the collection The selection criteria and scope of the collection inform everyone of the collection. The selection criteria is to select the most accurate information, must be based on circulation numbers, and support the mission. The mission states it seeks to provide a diverse community with free access to information to promote independent learning and information literacy. 2. Informs everyone of collection priorities The mission, selection, and deselection process inform everyone of the collection priorities. The collection caters to as many people as possible, but there are constraints. The only way to overcome constraints of space is through the deselection process. Deselection of uncirculated materials with careful selection to support the mission is the library s priorities. 3. Guides staff in handling complaints The ALA Library Bill of Rights is the key to handling complaints. The library believes in intellectual freedom, and will not censor materials without intense scrutiny LIS 8
professionals. The library must be willing to hear complaints because the library exists thanks to the tax payer. 4. Aids in weeding and evaluating collections. The Crew Method is a thorough method of weeding a library collection. Greiner s idea of evaluating fiction using demand though his methods have some gaps. But patron requests and surveys should be part of evaluation to see what the community needs. The CDP aids staff in weeding and evaluating collections. 5. Forces thinking about organizational priorities. The institutional values express the libraries priorities. The library exists to provide professional service to provide people with information for their educational needs. 6. Provides a means of assessing overall performance of the collection development program The evaluation method provides a measuring stick for the collection. Based on circulation number, patron surveys, and expert opinion the library can assess its performance. 7. Aids rationalizing budget allocations. The selection, deselection, allocation of funds, and evaluation processes rationalize the budget. New materials must constantly be purchased to keep the collection fresh, and the deselection and selection process justify the need for funds. Based on circulation numbers, and prioritizing materials that could potentially be harmful to the public such as outdated health and legal materials funds are justified. 9 Part D Greiner, Tony. (2005).Collection Development and Shelf Space: A Proposal for Nonfiction. Public Libraries 44(6).
10 Kennedy, J. (2005, August). A collection development policy for digital information resources?. Australian Library Journal, 54(3), 238-244. Retrieved May 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database. Latham, J M (April 15, 2002). To link, or not to link: Joyce M. Latham says web site selection must be backed up with the same sort of policies we use to define print collection development. (feature). Library Journal, 127, 7. p.s20(3). Retrieved May 07, 2009, from General OneFile via Gale: http://0-find.galegroup.com.mill1.sjlibrary.org/ips/start.do?prodid=ips Mesling, C. (2003, April). Collection Development Policies in Community College Libraries. Community & Junior College Libraries, 11(2), 73. Retrieved May 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database. The relevance of collection development policies: definition, necessity, and applications. (Fall 1993). RQ, 33, n1. p.65(10). Retrieved May 07, 2009, from General OneFile via Gale: http://0-find.galegroup.com.mill1.sjlibrary.org/ips/start.do?prodid=ips Palais, E. (1987, March). Use of Course Analysis in Compiling a Statement for a University Library. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 13(1), 11. Retrieved May 6, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database. Part E Baltimore (MD) www.bcps.org/offices/lis/office/admin/selection.html Montana State Library for School Media http://msl.state.mt.us/slr/cmpolsch.html Library of Congress -Overview http://www.loc.gov/acq/devpol/ - General Works http://www.loc.gov:8081/acq/devpol/genworks.pdf -Political Science http://www.loc.gov:8081/acq/devpol/polisci.pdf San Francisco Public Library Collection Development Plan (2008) http://sfpl.lib.ca.us/librarylocations/administration/cdp/ Tippacanoe County Library (IN) www.tcpl.lib.in.us/admin/collman.htm USF Law Library http://www.usfca.edu/law_library/cdpolicy.html
11 Washoe County Library Collection Development policy(nv) www.washoe.lib.nv.us/mod.php?mod=userpage&page_id=13&menu=1510 Reference Mejia, G., Roach.S, & Cheng.J.(2008). Pleasantville Library Strategic Plan - Life-long Learning: An Initiative for Senior Citizens. Presented in Dan Fuller s 204 Management class at SJSU. The Pleasantville mock-library is library developed in Dan Fuller class in a group project. The mission statement and values were used in this paper. If a copy of the paper is needed to verify that there are no plagiarism issues, please feel free to ask for a copy.