Writing the Collection Development Manual

This article puts the need for writing a collection development manual in its historical context. It discusses the reasons for producing a collection development manual: to smooth out the functioning of the processing operation; to consider all collection development assumptions; to stimulate both the authors and the users of the manual to discuss important issues in collection development; to reduce bibliographer stress by specifying procedures for collection development: and to provide evaluation criteria for bibliographers. The article distinguishes two types of manuals: the training manual and the reference manual. The training manual provides the novice bibliographer with a comprehensive understanding of the materials selection environment: the structure of the subject field, the library holdings, collection usage patterns, the budget situation, the library's collection development policies, and the library materials market. The reference manual provides a compilation of internal policies and procedures to be consulted by bibliographers when such knowledge is required. It is suggested that a reference manual be organized around the following topics: materials selection, budgeting, purchase, review, and use.     

Using Scopus to Study Researchers’ Citing Behavior for Local Collection Decisions: A Focus on Psychology

In recent years, the University of Houston has engaged in a campus-wide effort to raise the university to Tier-One status. The initiative has led to a significant increase in faculty's research output in the field of psychology. This dynamic change inspired the Psychology Librarian and Collection Coordinator to embark on a citation analysis to investigate two questions: how has faculty been using information for their research and how does the library's collection meet the research needs of faculty? In addition to reporting these findings, the article also describes how to use features in Scopus to simplify the data collection process.     

Librarians Do It Differently: Comparative Usability Testing with Students and Library Staff

Usability testing on library search tools was conducted with ten students and eighteen library staff members at Syracuse University. The study addressed three research questions: (1) Do the ways in which librarians carry out search tasks on the library Web site vary from those of student users?; (2) Are those variations indicative of different mental models, i.e. different experience with and knowledge about the content and search tools on the Web site?; and (3) If there are differences, what are the implications of those different models for the usability of the site by students? Participants were tasked by using the library's Web site to locate both known items and items about a subject in the library's collection. The two groups differed in the success with which they were able to complete the tasks, as well as the time used. There were differences in the selection of search tools, the syntax used within the search box, the expectations of how library resources are organized, and the level of persistence as tasks were performed. Students’ behavior is characteristic of different mental models for how search tools work. The results are applicable to the design of the library's Web site and have implications for how library staff conduct reference and instruction services.     

The devil in the details: An academic library acquires a video collection

What happened when an educational video collection arrived on an academic library's doorstep? Decisions about cataloging, processing, shelving, and circulation inevitably followed, but equally important was providing uninterrupted access for the collection's borrowers. Although the relocation plan devised by the library director and circulation librarian retained the “new” collection's unique classification scheme and kept it shelved apart from the library's video collection for at least 1 year, after Technical Services librarians joined the discussion, they proposed immediate and full integration. Their strategy included extensive communication with the videos' borrowers as the collection arrived in the library. Relocating the videos to the library dramatically improved access and circulation.     

Telephone Calls Received at an Academic Library's Reference Desk: A New Analysis

ABSTRACT

It has been established that much of the assistance provided to library patrons at reference desks does not require the knowledge and expertise of a professional librarian. Is the same thing true of the telephone calls received at reference desks in academic libraries? This article reports the results of one academic librarian's reference desk transaction log analysis which focuses on the categories of assistance provided to patrons who called the library's reference desk.     

The Reference Collection Development Decision:

Information brokers can exercise a subtle but significant influence on a library's collection development practices through the reference tools they produce. Traditionally, reference sources' use in collection evaluation and their capacity io direct patron demand have helped shape collection building. New optical disc reference devices may have a more pronounced impact on general collections than their predecessors. The expense of the optical systems will likely reduce general collection budgets, while their potentially heavy usage could cause changes in collecting patterns. To insure that these changes will not diminish the library's abilily to serve its community, selectors will need to evaluate each system in full recognition of broadest possible implications. Careful selection will require clearly established reference goals consistent with the library's mission.     

Online Public Access Catalogs and Serials

Online public access catalogs (OPACS) enable the user to search a library's holdings in ways never before possible and to know the status of the desired items before going to the shelf. Serials constitute an important part of a library's collection. Holdings information is a necessary adjunct to bibliographic information. The online catalog of the future will give access to serial literature beyond that held by a library. As users become accustomed to the OPAC's capabilities their expectations for access to information will rise. Libraries should be aware of the factors to be considered when incorporating serials information into an online catalog. They must make decisions on what information their users need and what form of access and display will best meet that need.     

Data Rules: How Mapping Technology Drives Better Customer Service

Is your library market-driven, product-driven or customer-driven? New internet-based data and tools are now available for public libraries that enable you to be customer-driven—for your own unique service area. This article shows how three library systems are using these tools—focused on market segmentation data and geographic information system (GIS) technology—to deliver more relevant customer services. Each solution described in the article was developed in close collaboration between CIVICTechnologies and the library, involving research to understand the library's objectives and desired outcomes, and using the data needed to meet each library's unique challenge.     

Measuring Effectiveness and Efficiency of an Academic Library's Collection and Services of the Central Library,Allahabad University: Users’ Point of View

The main purpose of this study is to know the users opinion regarding the adequacy of the library's collection and to analyze the level of users’ satisfaction about the library collection, organization, facilities, and services. A well-structured survey was administered to the faculty members, research scholars, and students of the Allahabad University Library to collect data. Data show that the majority of the respondents believess that not only does the library possess an average collection, but the overall library's function, i.e., library collection, organization of collection, attitude of library staff, services, and IT-based services, is also rated average.     

Transitioning from Marketing-Oriented Design to User-Oriented Design: A Case Study

The transition to a new architecture and design for an academic library Web site does not always proceed smoothly. In this case study, a library at a large research university hired an outside Web development contractor to create a new architecture and design for the university's Web site using dotCMS, an open-source content management system. The library participated in the design and development process along with other campus units. Because the university-wide process focused on marketing the university to prospective students, parents, and donors, the contractor's fact-finding process focused on how the library's site design could incorporate Web 2.0 technologies. The resulting library Web site showcased Web 2.0 technology more than it provided users with access to library resources. The library's users quickly communicated their dissatisfaction and confusion, which led to some immediate changes and a commitment to redesign the site based on expressed and demonstrated user needs. The library then hired another contractor to conduct iterative usability testing on both the new site and prototypes for a redesigned version. The testing showed that Web 2.0 technology that does not meet existing user needs creates obstacles for both novice and experienced users. In collaboration with the university's information technology unit, the library developed and launched a revised Web site, which helped users connect to the resources they needed. In the upgrade, Google Search Appliance replaced the native dotCMS search functionality. The authors of this case study demonstrate that libraries may need to advocate for different Web design priorities than those used at the university-wide level and that working with outside contractors presents different challenges and opportunities depending on the contractor's hiring unit. These experiences also demonstrate that libraries can do a better job learning about their users when they lead the fact-finding process. Following these experiences, the library committed to conducting iterative usability testing on a regular basis.     

Books Be Gone! Reducing an Academic Library's Print Collection by Half to Meet Strategic Planning Initiatives and Participate in a Joint Library Resource-Sharing Facility

ABSTRACT

What happens when an academic library's print collection is reduced by half to meet strategic planning goals? The library at the University of Texas (UT) at Tyler joined a shared resources facility—the Joint Library Facility (JLF)—that uses a resource-in-common (RIC) model. The current article describes UT Tyler library's massive weeding project and decision to participate in the JLF as a result of strategic planning initiatives, explains the RIC model along with the JLF, outlines some pros and cons of participation in the JLF/RIC model, and reviews what was learned from the experience.     

Organizing a Local History Collection in a Small Public Library

When attempted on a modest scale, local history col- lections can offer a unique component to the library's repertoire of reference services. Establishing a local history collection has both short- and long-term implications concerning library policies, space allocation, staff time, staff training, and budgets. Because of this, -. the small public library should clearly and realistically establish a collection policy which will not place an undue burden on its re- sources. Assessing community needs is a critical part of this pro- cess. Small public libraries should not attempt to duplicate or com- pete with other institutions for local material. Rather, the library should seek to fill the void in public service in cases where there is no extant collection available to the public.     

Determining the Effectiveness of Digital Reference Services in Malaysian Academic Libraries

The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of digital reference services in academic libraries in Malaysia. It focuses on the awareness, usage, users' perception, library's performance, perceived needs, issues, and problems faced by students. The research methodology employed was a case study approach that combined three data collection methods: questionnaires, interviews, and content analysis.     

Reference Service to State Government

The New York State Library has a mission to provide reference, information and loan service to the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of the state government. The special nature of government information needs imposes extraordinary requirements on the library's information services. This paper describes the programs the library has developed in response to its users' information needs.     

University of Central Florida Librarians on Location

Abstract

Librarians on Location is an innovative project implemented at the University of Central Florida and is designed to move reference service out of the library to meet the needs of students. At two campus locations outside of the library, librarians use a wireless laptop to provide reference service and demonstrate library resources. The intent is to proactively meet the information needs of those students and faculty who might otherwise remain unaware of the extensive resources provided by the library. The nature of the project also addresses differing information-seeking styles in an informal setting. Because of the location in different buildings on campus, the project enhances the library's visibility to faculty, administrators, and students. Librarians on Location is one part of an ongoing and innovative outreach program at the University of Central Florida Library.     

The Unopened Door: Virtual Reference and the Caribbean Academic Library

The Internet is the research tool of first choice among today's library users. Libraries are responding by introducing a number of Internet-based reference services to meet the needs of these techno-literate users. Focusing on an academic library in the Caribbean, this article discusses the issues that privilege traditional over virtual reference and examines issues such as student information research skills, the physical format of the collection, levels of staffing, and the role of culture.     

Access to Circulating Videos in Academic Libraries: From Policy Review to Action Plan

Streaming video is becoming the preferred means of viewing video for consumers, but physical formats do continue to offer libraries certain advantages: greater variety of choice for patrons at a lower cost. Many academic libraries have invested heavily in DVD collections, and these videos may be housed in closed stacks that satisfy some stakeholders but that discourage use and do not meet student needs or expectations. This article provides a framework for deciding whether to open up a closed collection and uses the author's library's closed-stack collection as a case study.     

Effectiveness of a Liaison Program in Meeting Information Needs of College of Pharmacy Faculty

This article describes the creation and implementation of focus groups to evaluate the effectiveness of a health sciences library's liaison program of the College of Pharmacy faculty and to better understand the faculty's information needs in order to design new and improved library services. The liaison services support the teaching and research needs of faculty and students through literature research, classroom teaching, and an extensive library collection of pharmacy literature. Focus group results demonstrated a high level of satisfaction with library liaison services and collections. Opportunities exist for expanded interaction with graduate students and greater marketing of library services to increase faculty awareness of specific library programs.     

Perception Matters: What Message Are We Sending to Faculty with Departmental Book Allocations?

Perception can be everything. As librarians consider the ever-changing nature of the library's role on campus, they may want to adopt a philosophical approach to restructuring the traditional library materials budget from the perspective of perception rather than from the perspective of cost-cutting, creating staff efficiencies, or even collection development. By looking at the role faculty play in building the library's collection, conclusions can be formed about what the library's budget structure and budgetary interaction with faculty convey about the library's priorities as an institution and with regard to its role within the campus community as a whole.