Unit 1 Part 2 Selection Process
Southern Connecticut State University
As the recently hired Head of Technical Services at a large library system located in the Midwest encompassing a population of 600,000 in 5,000 square miles, I have been given the task to establish a systematic selection process. The library system consists of ten branches serving a range of ages, educational levels, and ethnic backgrounds. There are two Division I universities as well as several business and community colleges in the service area. The libraryÕs mission statement is to be a cultural center, offering lifelong learning enrichment opportunities through access to ideas, information and the arts. The libraryÕs goal is to provide recreational and educational materials in a timely manner.
The organizational structure of the library begins at the top with The Board of Trustees consisting of four members appointed by the County government. The Director is ultimately responsible for the material selection as determined by policies established by the Board of Trustees. The Assistant Director and the Head of Technical Services report directly to the Director. In the absence of the Director or me, the Assistant Director acts in our capacity. In addition, the Assistant Director works with me to evaluate material reconsideration or special requests to verify the title meets the objectives and purpose of the libraryÕs collection. As Head of Technical Services, I receive the library systemÕs collection goals from the Director. My duties include overseeing the selection process, providing professional support for material selectors, monitoring each departmentÕs monthly statistics, and meeting monthly with the Director and Assistant Director to review usage reports and special requests as they arise to assess adherence to the Collection Development Policy by all departments and branches.
In order to understand the
community and to administer the selection process, I would create two selection
teams.
The first team is comprised of
the ten Branch Managers, or their representative / acquisition manager, which
will meet on a bi-monthly basis to monitor the centralized selection process
and provide feedback.
Branch Managers – Because of diverse needs for each branch, Branch Managers are responsible for choosing, replacing, and de-selecting materials. Branch Managers may designate expert selectors for specific collections or genres within their branch from such groups as professional staff, paraprofessionals, volunteers, pages or patrons. The Branch Manager receives and evaluates requests for material consideration or replacement and determines is role within the branchÕs collection. Branch Managers must coordinate selections with the centralized catalog administered by Technical Services to meet their respective communityÕs needs.
The second team consists of Managers, or their
representative/acquisition manager, from Reference, Technical Services, Public
Relations, and Internet Services, which will meet on a quarterly basis to
monitor the centralized selection process and provide feedback.
Reference – Responsible to maintain a current
reference collection on a yearly basis while keeping an eye towards the unique
needs of the branches and updating the branchesÕ general reference needs
bi-yearly. The Manager monitors material titles and format to meet the
libraryÕs collection objectives.
Technology Services – Responsible for serial
and periodical selections, license review and negotiations, gift policy,
replacement policy, and de-selection policy for the entire system. The Manager
reviews technology resources based on user demand as well as the availability
of the resource.
Internet Services – Oversees the information
sources made available to the public and coordinates services to all branches
as well as updates subscriptions, etc. in cooperation with Technical Services.
Internet ServicesÕ responsibilities include evaluating the library systemsÕ
access to resources and reliability. De-selection or resource update requests
can be submitted by all to the Manager who evaluates and presents the request
to me.
Public Relations – Communicates system-wide
upcoming programs and initiatives with me in order to verify or request
material in support of programming. Works with Head of Technical Services to
announce process or procedure changes to the appropriate audience.
The following stakeholders are
able to provide input into the selection process, but not the ultimate
decision.
Paraprofessionals or Maintenance Staff – Supports many departments and the branches in many ways such as coordinating day-to-day details, collection assessment, re-shelving, or direct service to the patrons. In addition, this group may support Managers as subject specialists to determine acquisitions. Those in the Technical Services department collate weekly purchase orders, source hard-to-find materials, and work with key selectors across the system for recommended material.
Pages / Interns – Responsible to shelve
returned material quickly and efficiently as well as any other duties outlined
by their Manager. In addition, they are encouraged to submit material
replacement or title consideration requests to the Manager to whom they report.
Volunteers – Report to the Assistant Director
and perform shelving, cataloging, or any other duties as agree upon with the
Assistant Director. In addition, they are encouraged to submit material
replacement or title consideration requests to the Assistant Director.
Although this is a very large library system, in many cases the same material and formats are needed in each branch in varying levels or at different times. In an effort to streamline the process and the overall collection, a centralized system is recommended for large systems so that each selector can provide a range of materials written with differing viewpoints, reading levels, and formats. I begin the process by:
1.
Verify or re-visit the selection process of the existing
collection development policy make sure it reflects the libraryÕs mission and
collection objectives based on available funding. In addition, ensure that
material selection criteria include, but are to limited to, assessments of the
existing collecting, types of formats purchase, cooperative libraries, relationship
to existing collection, relevance to the communities served, historical
significance, gifts, information sources, and CREW (Continuous Review
Evaluation & Weeding) dates (Texas State Library Assoc. web site, 2009).
Material is shared within the system to meet the overall community demand.
2.
Review statistics for the past two years for each branch and
department. Analyze the turnover rate for each branchÕs collection as compared
for the library as a whole and then by similar genres. Note any anomalies in usage
for the one-on-one interviews, as there may have been a library initiative or a
demographic change that resulted in this change.
3.
Perform a cash flow analysis to determine percentages spent
monthly by each department for the previous two years against the current
budget to determine how each area can best acquire material.
4.
In order to understand the current process, I will interview
Managers and current selectors at their location to find out what currently
works well or not. Review their departmentÕs statistics with the Managers as
part of establishing expected performance as well as an understanding of what
currently occurs.
5.
During these on-sites visits shelf-scan, if possible, the
branchesÕ or departmentÕs appearance. If the appearance is unattractive,
determine the cause and work with the Manager to remedy the situation.
6.
Based on current selectorsÕ feedback, plan a sample test of
the new centralized system with one small and one large branch for a period of
no less than six months ensuring that all formats and collections are included
for a complete picture of how well the new process will work.
7.
Present results to the Director and Managers/selectors to
include a report on the state of the collection with an initial plan on any
materials to acquire and goals to improve the collection. Reassure that with a centralized selection, the system will be able to provide more
services to patrons as material can be selected within the system and sent to
different branches or geographic areas. Instead of one item, three are
available. The presentation can include a breakdown of the budget for collection
development for each department, periodicals, Internet subscriptions, etc. to
support centralized selection process. If a de-selection or weeding process is
not part of the collection development policy, propose that library adopt
C.R.E.W. Continuous Review Evaluation Weeding Method (Texas State Library
Assoc. web site, 2009).
8.
Once the new centralized selection process is tested and
approved, a central catalog will be established at the Main Library.
9.
Managers will be able to view orders in process from other
branches online and can take their cue from the system and submit their
selection to the existing order. Only a Manager or Director approved designee
can place request.
10.
Technical Services will group selections and place orders on
Friday. During this process, a cursory audit of requests will occur to ensure
selections support the libraryÕs mission and goals.
11.
If there is a
question on the order, Managers shall be notified on or before the third
business day. However, with a dedicated and experienced team of selectors, deviation
to the policy is anticipated to be rare.
a.
Review possibility the material can be obtained by another
source such as Inter Library Loan.
b.
In-depth knowledge of a subject specialist petitions for their
selection and sway the decision.
12.
Audit results on a weekly basis for a minimum of six months
and report findings to the Director and Managers.
Within first months of hire, I will read the library
usage reports and familiarize myself with the diverse community the library
serves. I will meet with each Manager to find out the current situation of
their respective collectionÕs strengths or weaknesses and share my goals and
expectations for centralization. As part of the process to establish a
centralized catalog from which all departments will order, I will choose one
large and one small branch as the sample testing area for the new process for a
minimum of six months to test and call those Managers bi-monthly to assess any
issues or concerns during this testing period.
Once new system tested, I will establish a meeting
schedule as previous described with the two teams via web conference with the
understanding that changes, issues, concerns can be submitted at any time for
consideration. And going forward at year-end, I will survey the staff and
patrons on the new system and have one large year-end meeting with both teams
to evaluate the overall selection process and make any changes deemed necessary.
Our patrons are the single most
important determinant of the library buys. Selecting new materials is based
foremost on past borrowing history and patronÕs requests, with consideration of
the quality and cost of items. In selecting materials, the staff uses a variety
of sources, including traditional library publications, broadcast and online
media. The staff also reviews material from publishersÕ catalogs, local
bookstores, other libraries, and increasingly, interlibrary loan data, staff
knowledge of the community, and patronsÕ use.
Listed below are the sources used
by the staff on a regular basis.
Traditional Print Sources
Adult:
Booklist
Kirkus Reviews
Library Journal
The New York Times Book Review
PublisherÕs Weekly
ChildrenÕs and Young Adult:
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
Audio and Video Collections:
AudioFile
Billboard
Entertainment Weekly
Library Journal
Publishers Weekly
Video Librarian
Broadcast and Online Media
Source:
National Public Radio (NPR)
Shelf Awareness eNewsletter
Fresh Press: Media Spotlight on
Books and Authors
Book Blogs
Texas
State Library and Archives Commission. (2009, June 10) CREW: A weeding
manual for modern libraries. Austin : Texas
2008. Retrieved from http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/pubs/crew/