Perspectives: Changes in Reference Assistance and Collection Development in the Digital Age*

ABSTRACT

Law librarians are well aware that it is difficult to maintain print and electronic collections in today's law library. The author of this article compares his personal experience in reference assistance and collection development with findings from the literature and from responses to an open-ended questionnaire. The author looks for trends and differences in reference assistance and collection development among academic, firm, and government law libraries.     

The Library,Information, and Institutional Outcomes

Summary

Discusses collection development for distance learning in both the print and electronic era. Focuses on several advances in electronic access that have impacted collection development in recent years.     

Reliability of Patron Addresses in a Library's Integrated Online System

ABSTRACT

Includes the rationale for a collection development policy for electronic resources, and a sample collection development policy.     

Building an Electronic Journal Collection from the Ground Up

Summary

Providing access to electronic journals is an important issue facing all libraries. Because of a strong commitment to electronic access at Skidmore College, the procurement of electronic journals is a critical issue for their library. The process of building an electronic journal collection at Skidmore is described from the standpoints of collection development, acquisitions, cataloging, instruction, evaluation and future needs.     

Going to New Sources: Zines at the Vassar College Library

ABSTRACT

This conference presentation report introduces the zine collection at the Vassar College Library and describes the research and planning that went into advocating for and building the collection. The discussion addresses several key workflow factors that need to be considered when building a zine collection, including collection development, acquisitions, and cataloging. The report also shares local problems and solutions implemented at Vassar College.     

From Ownership to Access

Summary

In 1992, Auraria Library fully embraced the idea that meeting user information needs is a collection development activity which should be funded from the materials budget whether accomplished by purchasing material for permanent retention or by acquiring one-time access for an individual user. This article discusses the restructuring of a traditional Interlibrary Loan Department into Information Delivery/Interlibrary Loan (ID/ILL) and its move to Collection Development Services. Because access to resources was funded from the learning materials budget along with ownership, it became necessary to rethink the Library's collection development philosophy. Implementation of the new philosophy required modification of collection building practices and the creation of aggressive information delivery programs.     

From Hildegard to Holiday

Abstract

Women musicians were virtually ignored in the literature of Western music until their recent inclusion in standard reference sources and other publications. However, making these works available to the researcher becomes a challenge for library collection development departments, especially for small libraries unaffiliated with music schools that have only a modest music collection and budget. This paper offers guidance in developing a small collection of books on women in music that will complement the current collection and provide a more accuratehistory of Western music. Justification for building a collection on women musicians and an annotated list of recommended books are included.     

(4) The Sarawak State Museum reference library and archives

Abstract

This study focuses on collection development in the library of the University of Agriculture from 1983 through 1993. The metamorphosis through which the university has passed is highlighted to show the effects of policy instability on collection development efforts. Methods used for gathering facts and figures for the study included a questionnaire distributed to staff and students, interviews, and official records searches. The study showed that over the years, resources for collection development have been declining in real terms leading to a reduction in the student-book ratio from 1:40 in 1983 to 1:9 in 1993. Problems confronting collection development such as escalating costs of foreign currency, import restrictions, and the politics of resource allocation are also highlighted. Strict compliance with the National Universities Commission's (NUC) funding standard for university libraries is recommended.     

Planning a Congressional Archives at Loyola University Chicago

ABSTRACT

The Daniel Rostenkowski papers became the first Congressional papers collection at Loyola University Chicago in 1995. The papers of a high profile alumnus, the University Libraries decided to create a stand-alone archive for the collection. This article describes the history of the collection, several attempts to create a stand-alone archive, and the collecting policy that was eventually created to guide the development of the archive.     

The SISAC Barcode and the Periodicals Analysis Database

Summary

This woikshop described the development of two serials management databases at Wichita State University (WSU) in Kansas. The databases facilitate periodical labeling, checkin, and use data collection. Usage information is loaded into another database which serves collection development needs. Nancy Deyoe, Principal Cataloger at WSU, described the labeling and checkin processing and workflow features. Kathy Payne, previously Science Librarian at WSU and currently Head of Reference at Weber State University, described the development and use of the collection development program. Both presenters demonstrated the use of the two databases.     

Librunam

Abstract

A practicing profession’s bond to the university accentuates the profession’s mode of knowledge creation and dissemination. Social work journals are seen to facilitate the growth and development of scientifically based knowledge in the profession. The literature reports that in the social work profession social work practitioners do not read a great deal of research articles in journals, do not contribute many articles to scholarly journals, do not write many articles based on empirical research, and are not influenced by social work theory. Grey documentation is presented as an additional source of knowledge for the social work practitioner. Its characteristics, subject areas, mode of presentation and sources are seen as making it conducive for use by social work practitioners. A proposal for the dissemination of grey documentation in social work is made.     

Reconstructing or Deconstructing Labor Archives? Shaping Labor Collection Development in an Uncertain Future

ABSTRACT

Labor archival programs confront numerous challenges to remain viable in a changing academic environment and institutional culture. The marketing of higher education, the anti-union stance of some university administrations, and the transition of labor studies programs create a less-than-benign environment for labor collection development activities. Labor collection development hinges upon the labor archivist's ability to mediate the often-divergent interests of the academic and labor communities. Contraction of the labor movement and union restructuring also have important repercussions for future labor collections development. This article examines these issues from the perspective of the historical development of Penn State University's labor archives program–focusing on the institutional pressures inherent in serving both academe and labor unions, and prospects for labor collection development in an uncertain future.     

The Archival and Library Viewpoints of a Collection in a Digital Environment: Is There Any Room for Compromise?

ABSTRACT

This article explores the archivists' and librarians' definition of a collection, and how they respectively arrange their collections in the context of collection development and collection management issues in a digital library. It centers on possible cooperative solutions and highlights, as a case study, the efforts of the Auburn University Digital Projects Committee to meet these challenging collection issues.     

We Are All Teachers: A Collaborative Approach to Digital Collection Development

ABSTRACT

In libraries and archives, efforts to document underrepresented communities and diversify collections can be fraught with political tension. We explore an interdepartmental collaboration to create and preserve a digital collection documenting the Urban Native Relocation Program of the mid- to late-twentieth century in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Involving the Grand Valley State University Libraries, the Kutsche Office of Local History, and the university's Native American Advisory Board, the project serves as a model not just for collaborative collection development but also for community engagement and outreach. We find that process is as important as product in developing collaborative digital collections.     

Balancing Act for the Future: How the Academic Library Engages in Collection Development at the Local and Consortial Levels

ABSTRACT

Collection development remains a major focus and concern of current interest for all types of libraries. Consortia began as a means of sharing resources and of leveraging purchasing power for its members. How does a library balance its individual collection needs, both present and future, when it is a member of a consortium? Do the expectations of the consortium outweigh the needs of the individual library member? This article will address how an academic library engages in collection development at the local and consortia levels, addresses the benefits and challenges of consortia memberships, and responds to its local patrons in light of its obligations and commitment to a consortium.     

From Horse-Drawn Wagon to Hot Rod: The University of California's Digital Image Service Experience

SUMMARY

This article proposes that a viable approach archivists might consider to meet increasing demands for access to digital images with functional presentation tools is to develop a reciprocal partnership with a digital library. The University of California's experience with the federation of licensed and UC-owned digital image collections is summarized to illuminate core issues related to collection development, system functionality, and patron usability. The resulting UC Image Service is then examined against a backdrop of comparable digital imaging projects with reflections on strategies and intersections. The range of business models and approaches to digital image collection access and developing image management and presentation tools highlight the unprecedented opportunities digital technology provides for moving archives towards an integrated environment through collaborative action.     

Periodizations and History of Science

Abstract

The significance of historical periodizations is explored for the purpose of collection development. As historians often rely upon utilizing historical periods for discussion and research in their scholarship, an understanding of the nature of historical periods as a collection perspective and approach can be useful for the subject librarian engaged in or responsible for the history of science collections. An examination of the last 20 years of ISIS bibliographies using historical periods as a chronological tool provides useful framework and knowledge for research, scholarship, and collection management, especially selection for library collections, of the history of science. Data revealed periodizations and their emphases, evolution over time, and possible scholarly directions, pertinent for collection purposes. Informed knowledge of periodizations and how they may affect collections, acquisitions, and instruction enables librarians to effectively interact with the specialists in the history of science.     

Cinema Spin: Exploring Film Depictions of Public Relations Practitioners

Courses: Introduction to Public Relations; Public Relations Capstone

Objectives: After completing this activity, students will be able to apply social expectations theory (DeFleur & Ball-Rokeach, 1989) to film depictions of public relations practitioners in order to: ? determine if portrayals of public relations practitioners are accurate or distorted;

? recognize the patterns of social dishonor and disdain sometimes awarded the public relations field;

? differentiate between professional expectations of public relations practitioners and the images depicted;

? ascertain which public relations practitioners are portrayed to have the most and least power;

? understand media frames for public relations

     

Internet Reference Sources in the Humanities

Summary

Discusses collection development issues involving humanities Internet resources with a particular focus on sustainability, and highlights a few of the major Internet vendors and resources.     

New Tools for Collection Development

Abstract

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in San Jose, California is a unique dual-use library serving the students of San Jose State University and the community of San Jose, California. The reference collections of the two libraries are merged and interfiled to promote ease of access for both populations served. Economies of scale were realized through collaborative collection development activities for major reference purchases between the two institutions. This article describes the planning and creation of the King Library's merged reference collection and reviews the literature of collaborative collection development and merged or interfiled collections.