Collection Development and Censorship in Torah Studies Libraries in Israel

A Torah studies library is a type of Jewish library specializing in biblical and rabbinical literature. One of its characteristics is its process of collection development and censorship. This study primarily aims to discuss the collection development policies in Torah libraries, particularly censorship implemented as part of a policy, with an emphasis on how prohibited books are rejected. A qualitative-narrative research technique was used, allowing the viewpoints of the “selectors” to be examined. To present a broad picture, various types of Torah studies libraries were chosen for the study.     

Organization for collection development in medium-sized academic libraries

A survey of medium-sized academic libraries was conducted to ascertain their organizational structure for collection development, and its effect on the activities performed. Two survey instruments were developed, one for chief collection development officers, and one for librarians with collection development responsibilities. The study revealed that librarians defer collection development to other responsibilities and perform few of the activities they feel are desirable for collection development. Librarians in separate collection development departments were less likely to defer collection development to other activities, and performed more collection development activities than their colleagues in other types of libraries. It was recommended that a library of this size locate librarians with primary assignments in collection development in departments established for that purpose.     

Issues in developing a religious studies collection

The study of religion has developed over recent decades into an interdisciplinary, multifaceted field which requires special considerations for the academic library. The implementation of a program of collection development for religious studies is dependent on the place of religious studies in the total mission of the institution, the needs of the users, the strengths and weaknesses of the existing collection, and the resources available to develop it in needed areas. Collection managers also need to be aware of their role in interpreting the collection to users.     

Modeling Collection Development Behavior

Most studies of collection development mask inadequate theoretical underpinnings with facile assumptions and dazzling statistical manipulations. This essay, in moving toward a model for collection development within both specific collections and library systems as a whole, seeks to demonstrate the full range and complexity of relevant factors. An enlarged theoretical grasp should help highlight both the possibilities and the challenges of existing approaches. One result could be a shift toward gaming or simulation techniques as more realistic analytical tools.     

Training Collection Development Librarians

Most studies of collection development mask inadequate theoretical underpinnings with facile assumptions and dazzling statistical manipulations. This essay, in moving toward a model for collection development within both specific collections and library systems as a whole, seeks to demonstrate the full range and complexity of relevant factors. An enlarged theoretical grasp should help highlight both the possibilities and the challenges of existing approaches. One result could be a shift toward gaming or simulation techniques as more realistic analytical tools.     

A Core Collection of Trade Journals for Manufacturing

Trade journals are an important source of current information in academic libraries which support a business curriculum as well as for commercial, industrial and large public libraries. In recent years, studies establishing core lists of business periodicals have included trade journals, but have not dealt primarily with them. This study identifies trade journals for manufacturing industries, an economic activity defined and classified using SIC codes in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual. For this study, industries whose value of shipment was ten billion dollars or more annually were selected. Next, directories such as Business Publication Rates and Data which describe a journal's focus and coverage were consulted. From this large pool, the trade journal which most closely matched the industry defined by the SIC code was selected, provided it was indexed. If two or more trade journals were considered appropriate for the same industry, the one with the highest circulation was used. A core collection of trade journals was established which, when combined with a careful assessment of the needs of users, should be of value to those charged with collection development.     

Collection Development for Macao Studies - A User Perspective

This study was conducted to investigate scholars’ views on the development of resources for Macao studies. The research process and method used in this study could be adopted by institutions considering a new direction for special collections or a new collection focus for a library. The key research question was how to effectively develop, preserve, and organize the Macao studies materials to provide easy access to scholars. The semi-structured interview methodology was adopted and a homogenous group of 35 researchers were interviewed. The results revealed the difficulties scholars have in locating information on the current Macao-related material along with recommendations.     

A dual approach to assessing collection development and acquisitions for academic libraries

With a growing interest in evaluating the effectiveness of libraries, it is increasingly important that libraries find efficient ways to evaluate the collection development and acquisitions process. This requires a dual approach to explore both what was collected and actually used and also what was not collected which should have been. This study presents a way that both of these areas can be studied for smaller academic libraries and suggests ways these results can be interpreted and used to reallocate scarce budgetary resources or provide evidence for more funds for further developing the collection.     

国外公共图书馆健康信息服务研究进展

国外公共图书馆健康信息服务研究的内容主要包括:公共图书馆的角色和作用、实证研究、健康馆藏资源建设、参考咨询、对特殊群体的延伸服务、馆员培训及与其他机构的合作。而我国在这一领域的研究与国外相比存在着一定的差距,如研究历史较短,文献数量较少,研究内容较为单一,实证调查少,理论探讨多。公共图书馆如何为弱势群体提供健康信息服务,对某一地区公共图书馆健康信息服务情况进行较大规模的调查等,都是我国未来研究的发展趋势。     

Assessment of KU Libraries’ Slavic & Eurasian Collection: Purpose,Process, and Potential

This paper discusses collection-related assessment projects that were conducted in 2013–2014 by the University of Kansas (KU) Libraries’ International Collections librarians in cooperation with librarians for assessment and resource sharing. While these assessment projects were undertaken in an effort to strengthen the library reports for KU’s Title VI National Resource Center (NRC) grant applications, which were submitted by KU’s area studies centers, the results also have implications for collection development work. The article begins with background about the NRC grants and explains why and how these assessment projects developed. Highlights of results from each assessment project are presented in the following order: assessment of the research needs of area studies faculty and graduate students at KU; citation patterns (2005–2013) of area studies, and more specifically, Slavic and Eurasian studies faculty at KU; and resource sharing data for the Slavic and Eurasian collection 2011–2013. The article concludes with a discussion about how the assessment data inform collection development practices and decisions.     

Availability and Mutilation of U.S. Geological Survey Publications:

A study was undertaken at Montana State University Libraries to determine if missing and mutilation rates differed between monographs in the general collection and U.S. Geological Survev publications. Prior to this investigation, it was assumed that there might be a higher rate of items missing from the collection of U.S. Geological Survey publications than from the general collection and that there would take a greater incidence of mutilation among the U.S.G.S. materials. Items were chosen according to a random sample and the resulting data analyzed using a Chi-square test for significance at the .05 level. Contrary to the investigator's initial assumptions, it was found that U.S.G.S. Bulletins and Professional Papers were not mutilated more often than monographs in the general collection, and that there is no statistically significant difference in rates of availabilily. Additional evidence encountered in the course of the study suggests that the U.S.G.S. publications may be used much less frequently than other library materials. Recommendations are made for further research concerning use and accessibility. The methodology used in this investigation is potentially applicable to many other types of collection studies.     

Psychology Collection Review

This article reports on the work and conclusions of the Psychology Collection Review Committee. This Committee was organized as part of a subject area collection review to evaluate the collection development policies and procedures for the psychology collection at Auraria Library, University of Colorado at Denver. The psychology collection review process was completed by two psychology department faculty members, the Coordinator for Collections and the Psychology Liaison Librarian. Committee activities included a thorough review of the existing collection development policies and procedures concerned with monographs, periodicals, and audiovisual collections. The review process was divided into four stages: (1) review of collection development policies and procedures, (2) evaluation of the monographic collection, periodical collection, and other collections, (3) recommendation of titles to be added to or weeded from the collection, and (4) development of a librarian-faculty communication channel to insure continuous cooperative effort in collection development. The process itself was valuable alone for the exchange of information that took place. Beyond this, however, collection development criteria and review standards were established by the Review Committee.     

中国科学院文献情报中心藏近代中国学英文报刊的开发实践与策略研究

[目的/意义] 充分揭示中国科学院文献情报中心藏近代中国学英文报刊的文献价值和科研价值,并提出具体利用策略,为国内图书馆同类馆藏开发提供借鉴。[方法/过程] 通过案例分析的方法,在介绍中国科学院文献情报中心近代中国学英文报刊开发实践现状的基础上,针对目前存在的难点问题,对近代中国学英文期刊特藏资源的开发与利用提出规划策略。[结果/结论] 随着泛在知识环境的出现和信息、网络技术的发展,中国科学院文献情报中心应推动科学开发规划、加大资金筹措力度、完善人才培养体系、提升特藏利用效率等举措,发挥中外交流史特色馆藏资源优势,实现馆藏资源的共建共享。     

中国科学院文献情报中心藏近代中国学英文报刊的开发实践与策略研究

[目的/意义]充分揭示中国科学院文献情报中心藏近代中国学英文报刊的文献价值和科研价值,并提出具体利用策略,为国内图书馆同类馆藏开发提供借鉴。[方法/过程]通过案例分析的方法,在介绍中国科学院文献情报中心近代中国学英文报刊开发实践现状的基础上,针对目前存在的难点问题,对近代中国学英文期刊特藏资源的开发与利用提出规划策略。[结果/结论]随着泛在知识环境的出现和信息、网络技术的发展,中国科学院文献情报中心应推动科学开发规划、加大资金筹措力度、完善人才培养体系、提升特藏利用效率等举措,发挥中外交流史特色馆藏资源优势,实现馆藏资源的共建共享。     

Weeding and Evaluating the Reference Collection:

This study examined the reference collection weeding and evaluation practices of a selected group of academic, public, and county library systems. Results revealed that only two of the fourteen libraries had written guidelines specifically for reference, and only one of these was a complete document. The most common unwritten criteria for weeding related to age and use of materials, and most libraries conducted systematic evaluation of the reference collection, primarily by means of comparisons to checklists or standard lists of recommended titles. However, most libraries did not regularly conduct formal use studies. The use of CD-ROM reference tools, which was fairly widespread and well accepted, was expected to have an increasingly significant impact on reference collection development in the future. Major findings are summarized, and a list of questions provided for further study and research.     

国外图书馆联盟信息资源建设制度研究进展(2005-2014)

[目的/意义]揭示2005-2014年国外图书馆联盟信息资源建设制度研究的内容,为我国该主题的研究提供借鉴。[方法/过程]采用文献调研方法,从信息资源采集、组织、保存和共享4个方面分析该主题研究现状。[结果/结论]研究发现:国外研究重视联盟资源建设的顶层设计;将合作性的馆藏规划和馆藏发展政策的研究置于重要地位;研究立足于更广阔的视野。未来的研究应注重:开展联盟资源建设制度的系统性研究;理论界、业界与政府进行三方合作,探索联盟资源建设的地区、国家和国际框架;因时制宜、因地制宜地发展联盟资源建设制度。     

Circulation Scenarios:

A desire to learn more about how library resources were being used led to an analysis of the circulation records of books added to a psychiatric library collection from July, 1983 through May, 1985. The total number of books that circulated was counted, as well as the number and percentage circulated in specific subject areas. Missing titles were also tallied. Borrowers were categorized as in-house or off-site and their usage of the collection noted. The results of this study provided useful information for future collection development.     

高职院校图书馆建设的再思考

对现阶段高职院校图书馆建设存在的问题进行深入研究,发现现阶段高职院校图书馆建设未能满足高职院校的发展需求,建设资金不足,馆藏不合理,专业建设特点不突出是其主要问题。提出要将高职教育理念融入到图书馆建设过程中,图书馆建设要"适而精,建立高职特色馆藏体系"的高职院校图书馆建设思路。     

Analysis of the Russian,Eastern European,and Eurasian Studies Collection at Miami University Libraries

A collection analysis project was carried out on the Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian studies collection at Miami University Libraries. The collection serves a diverse population of scholars and students. These constituents vary in discipline and in reading level of Russian and other Slavic languages. The goal for collecting for this area is to reflect this diversity of disciplines and languages, as well as to follow the collection development policy. The project thus had two objectives: to determine how well the collection supports users’ needs and how well it reflects the collection development policy. A very simple process for data gathering was used to determine the number of items in each subject, the items’ language, and the number of checkouts and in-house uses. The results showed some discrepancies between the policy and the predominant language of the collection, as well as a lack of use among materials in languages other than English.