F. Collection Development
F. use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of information;
Introduction
Organization is required of any institution that provides information. The ordering of information is important so that patrons or users can easily access it (Rubin, 2004). Understanding the way a collection is created, evaluated, selected, acquired, and organized is essential for all information professionals.
I understand this competency to mean that I have knowledge of the ideas and guidelines that are required for collection development. Each organization should have guidelines that outline what type of information is in their collections (Rubin, 2004). These guidelines allow the library or organization to be protected from people who wish to see items removed (Nye and Barco, 2012, p47) as well as guiding how an organization purchases items.
I define this competency to mean that I can use the basic concepts of collection development to make a document that defines the purchasing of materials to use in an institution. I also understand when and how to preserve a collection based upon select criteria defined by the institution at which I am employed.
The principles used the process of selection, creation, acquisition, and evaluations are important. These principles should be unique to the organization. Especially in the present economy, one of the most important things that can drive collection development is money. In today’s world, “librarians are challenged by increasing materials costs as well as the vast number of publications” (Johnson, 2004, p.101). Due to the fact that money is scarce, selection of items is extremely important. Materials can vary from institution to institution, but Peggy Johnson (2004) proposes that there is a four step process for selecting materials. This process is:
“1) identification of the relevant, 2) assessment (is the item appropriate for the collection?), and evaluation (is the item worth of selection?), 3) decision to purchase, and 4) order preparation” (p. 104-105).
Another important aspect to this competency is understanding preservation. People handle materials and inadvertently damage them. In order to counteract this, it is important that I know and understand the principles of preservation. This understanding of preservation “combines evaluating materials and selecting the appropriate action” (Johnson, 2004, p. 153).
It is also important that I know and understand where collections originate. In libraries, they are either donated from patrons or they are ordered from a variety of sources, including book venders and serial subscriptions. In archives, it is very similar. Collections are either purchased from a variety of sources or donated. In the information sciences field, the collections are again, procured from a variety of places. It is important that I know and understand where and how these items are acquired as well as what the appraisal process is. This is especially important for archival materials.
The components of this competency are extremely important to the profession as a whole because they are utilized daily. Although each institution is unique, all institutions providing information use these components to some degree. The more knowledgeable the information professional are about these processes, the better the institution will be in the long term. The patrons/users will be beneficiaries as well.
This competency is important to me as an information professional for many reasons. However, the most important ones are that I am able to understand and provide for my users’ needs and wants, as well as understand and provide for the long term objectives of the organization in which I work. If I am proficient in being able to select, evaluate, and preserve items in my collection, I provide valuable information to users and patrons.
While I have not had any specific classes in collection development, I have had classroom experience in preservation, creation, evaluation, selection, and organization of information materials. I have also had work experience in these areas as well. While at SJSU I have taken classes in preservation and photograph preservation as well as archives and manuscripts. These classes have taught me about preservation and how collections are created, evaluated, and organized in an archive. Similarly, I have worked in an archive since 2010 where I have processed collections. This processing has included evaluating the materials in the collection for their fit within the collection as well as the overall mission statement of the archive. After I have processed a collection it becomes a formal collection that is available to researchers. I have also learned about preservation of many different materials including photographs, paper, audio, and video materials. Additionally, I have worked with the preservation, selection, and organization of historic clothing.
Evidence
The first piece of evidence for competency in collection development is a proposal that I helped to write for a class I attended at Washington State University. This class was offered in the Apparel, Merchandising and Textiles department where I learned how to manage historic costumes. I was a teacher’s assistant and I was placed in charge of a group which was designing an exhibit using one of the collections. We gathered specific objects and clothing for this exhibit. As I was the leader of this group, I was responsible for making sure the group was on task during class hours, helping to write the proposal (it was written during class hours), setting up the exhibit, breaking down of the exhibit, and finally helping coordinate the times to watch the exhibit. The proposal, while, not complete, shows what we planned to collect, evaluate, and organize. The exhibit was mentioned in a variety of publications. Linked here is an article from WSU news.
The second piece of evidence for competency in collection development is a paper I wrote for LIBR 259, Preservation on bibliomania. For this assignment I was required to write a research paper. I chose bibliomania due to the fact that the archive in which I work was burglarized by one of the most prolific bibliomaniacs in the 20th century. When I became aware of the story, I wanted to learn more about the subject. For this paper I researched the causes of bibliomania, several of the most important cases, and finally the ways that bibliomania can be prevented. The section of the paper that relates to collection development is the one that addresses the ways in which collections can be protected. This section starts on page thirteen. Preservation and protection are important to collection development because they allow any and all users to have access to the same material. If the material is stolen or damaged, no one else is able to use it.
The third piece of evidence for competency in collection development is the description of my five artifacts that I chose for a project in LIBR 284, Archives Meets Web 2.0. For this project a group of five people chose a topic. Then each person in the group produced a sub-topic with five related artifacts. These artifacts were to be placed in an internet time capsule. My group’s topic was public figures and my sub-topic was music. In this description, I discussed each artifact, how it related to the main topic, and why I chose it. This piece of evidence directly relates to the “creation, evaluation, and selection” part of the competency statement.
The final piece of evidence for competency in collection development is a paper I wrote for a fellowship I was awarded this past summer. Part of the requirements for this fellowship was that I practice and learn preservation and conservation principles and practices. The parts of this fellowship that related to collection development included learning how to de-staple and sew a book, how to do Japanese tissue repair on paper, and how to make phase boxes to protect books and papers. These techniques are important in the practice of preservation of collections, as I now know how I can preserve a book in a collection when it is damaged.
Conclusion
The evidence and examples that I have provided prove that I am competent in the use of the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of information. Knowing and understanding these important elements will make me a better information professional.
References
Johnson, P. (2004). Fundamentals of collection development management. Chicago: American Library Association.
Nye, V., & Barco, K. (2012). True stories of censorship battles in America's libraries. Chicago: American Library Association.
Rubin, R. E. (2004). Foundations of library and information science. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.
Introduction
Organization is required of any institution that provides information. The ordering of information is important so that patrons or users can easily access it (Rubin, 2004). Understanding the way a collection is created, evaluated, selected, acquired, and organized is essential for all information professionals.
I understand this competency to mean that I have knowledge of the ideas and guidelines that are required for collection development. Each organization should have guidelines that outline what type of information is in their collections (Rubin, 2004). These guidelines allow the library or organization to be protected from people who wish to see items removed (Nye and Barco, 2012, p47) as well as guiding how an organization purchases items.
I define this competency to mean that I can use the basic concepts of collection development to make a document that defines the purchasing of materials to use in an institution. I also understand when and how to preserve a collection based upon select criteria defined by the institution at which I am employed.
The principles used the process of selection, creation, acquisition, and evaluations are important. These principles should be unique to the organization. Especially in the present economy, one of the most important things that can drive collection development is money. In today’s world, “librarians are challenged by increasing materials costs as well as the vast number of publications” (Johnson, 2004, p.101). Due to the fact that money is scarce, selection of items is extremely important. Materials can vary from institution to institution, but Peggy Johnson (2004) proposes that there is a four step process for selecting materials. This process is:
“1) identification of the relevant, 2) assessment (is the item appropriate for the collection?), and evaluation (is the item worth of selection?), 3) decision to purchase, and 4) order preparation” (p. 104-105).
Another important aspect to this competency is understanding preservation. People handle materials and inadvertently damage them. In order to counteract this, it is important that I know and understand the principles of preservation. This understanding of preservation “combines evaluating materials and selecting the appropriate action” (Johnson, 2004, p. 153).
It is also important that I know and understand where collections originate. In libraries, they are either donated from patrons or they are ordered from a variety of sources, including book venders and serial subscriptions. In archives, it is very similar. Collections are either purchased from a variety of sources or donated. In the information sciences field, the collections are again, procured from a variety of places. It is important that I know and understand where and how these items are acquired as well as what the appraisal process is. This is especially important for archival materials.
The components of this competency are extremely important to the profession as a whole because they are utilized daily. Although each institution is unique, all institutions providing information use these components to some degree. The more knowledgeable the information professional are about these processes, the better the institution will be in the long term. The patrons/users will be beneficiaries as well.
This competency is important to me as an information professional for many reasons. However, the most important ones are that I am able to understand and provide for my users’ needs and wants, as well as understand and provide for the long term objectives of the organization in which I work. If I am proficient in being able to select, evaluate, and preserve items in my collection, I provide valuable information to users and patrons.
While I have not had any specific classes in collection development, I have had classroom experience in preservation, creation, evaluation, selection, and organization of information materials. I have also had work experience in these areas as well. While at SJSU I have taken classes in preservation and photograph preservation as well as archives and manuscripts. These classes have taught me about preservation and how collections are created, evaluated, and organized in an archive. Similarly, I have worked in an archive since 2010 where I have processed collections. This processing has included evaluating the materials in the collection for their fit within the collection as well as the overall mission statement of the archive. After I have processed a collection it becomes a formal collection that is available to researchers. I have also learned about preservation of many different materials including photographs, paper, audio, and video materials. Additionally, I have worked with the preservation, selection, and organization of historic clothing.
Evidence
The first piece of evidence for competency in collection development is a proposal that I helped to write for a class I attended at Washington State University. This class was offered in the Apparel, Merchandising and Textiles department where I learned how to manage historic costumes. I was a teacher’s assistant and I was placed in charge of a group which was designing an exhibit using one of the collections. We gathered specific objects and clothing for this exhibit. As I was the leader of this group, I was responsible for making sure the group was on task during class hours, helping to write the proposal (it was written during class hours), setting up the exhibit, breaking down of the exhibit, and finally helping coordinate the times to watch the exhibit. The proposal, while, not complete, shows what we planned to collect, evaluate, and organize. The exhibit was mentioned in a variety of publications. Linked here is an article from WSU news.
The second piece of evidence for competency in collection development is a paper I wrote for LIBR 259, Preservation on bibliomania. For this assignment I was required to write a research paper. I chose bibliomania due to the fact that the archive in which I work was burglarized by one of the most prolific bibliomaniacs in the 20th century. When I became aware of the story, I wanted to learn more about the subject. For this paper I researched the causes of bibliomania, several of the most important cases, and finally the ways that bibliomania can be prevented. The section of the paper that relates to collection development is the one that addresses the ways in which collections can be protected. This section starts on page thirteen. Preservation and protection are important to collection development because they allow any and all users to have access to the same material. If the material is stolen or damaged, no one else is able to use it.
The third piece of evidence for competency in collection development is the description of my five artifacts that I chose for a project in LIBR 284, Archives Meets Web 2.0. For this project a group of five people chose a topic. Then each person in the group produced a sub-topic with five related artifacts. These artifacts were to be placed in an internet time capsule. My group’s topic was public figures and my sub-topic was music. In this description, I discussed each artifact, how it related to the main topic, and why I chose it. This piece of evidence directly relates to the “creation, evaluation, and selection” part of the competency statement.
The final piece of evidence for competency in collection development is a paper I wrote for a fellowship I was awarded this past summer. Part of the requirements for this fellowship was that I practice and learn preservation and conservation principles and practices. The parts of this fellowship that related to collection development included learning how to de-staple and sew a book, how to do Japanese tissue repair on paper, and how to make phase boxes to protect books and papers. These techniques are important in the practice of preservation of collections, as I now know how I can preserve a book in a collection when it is damaged.
Conclusion
The evidence and examples that I have provided prove that I am competent in the use of the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of information. Knowing and understanding these important elements will make me a better information professional.
References
Johnson, P. (2004). Fundamentals of collection development management. Chicago: American Library Association.
Nye, V., & Barco, K. (2012). True stories of censorship battles in America's libraries. Chicago: American Library Association.
Rubin, R. E. (2004). Foundations of library and information science. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.
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burch_katrina_preservation_259_paper.pdf | |
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paper_for_fellowship.pdf | |
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