We are now moving on to a new element and will examine the first of five indicators for this element.
Standard 5.B – Information Resources and Services
ELEMENT STATEMENT: Information resources and services are sufficient in quality, depth, diversity, and currency to support the institution’s curricular offerings.
Indicator 5.B.1 Equipment and materials are selected, acquired, organized, and maintained to support the educational program.
This first indicator is fairly concrete and addresses a lot of the nitty gritty of library operations. Here are some links to information on how the library selects information in response to our educational programs -- Expenditures by Program , Expenditures by Faculty Request, Library Collection by Program, and Collection Development Using Recommended Lists. For information on how the library organizes information, see our catalog and our Online Databases. And review our Schedule of Consulting with Faculty, Currency of Collection by Year of Purchase, Additions and Withdrawls, and Nursing Inventory 2008 to see how we maintain the currency of the collection. Use all this information to comment on how the library does or does not meet this indicator, including any suggestions for improvement or any questions you would like to ask.
One housekeeping note: please make your comments under this post so we can keep our conversation "retraceable."
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7 comments:
awesome charts that represent the work and evolution of the library, go check it out committe, Janice has done some solid work, I just wish I had more to say than praise, but I am thinking(scary)
George
It looks to me as though the resources are organized. :-) very impressive charts! If one wanted to request resources for a program to be added to the library, how would one do so? I would like to come in over the christmas break and see exactly what materials are avaiable for the sciences. of course, I've been wanting to do this all semester ... somehow work keeps getting in the way ...
In response to Joella's comment, faculty, staff and students can make requests for resources at any time in any way -- just stop by the library and visit with me, drop me an email, or send a list of what you are suggesting to be added to the collection. There is no formal process, though we do send emails to faculty at least once a semester soliciting suggestions for purchases.
As for reviewing the collection in your area (science) we actually have that on our schedule to be formally reviewed with you spring semester, so if you came in over break, that would be great. We are here M-F during break, so just let us know what time works for you!
Of course, our library, like most, could use more resources in all areas;however, our processes for selecting and our organizational charts etc seem more than adequate -- in fact, very impressive.
It might be fun to have a place where students could suggest new aquisitions; they are the people using the library for research and class work. And I'm not sure we have a process so that they can be heard. Perhaps there is one, and I just don't know about it. I would think a process more formal than a suggestion box, but easy to use just the same would help students help us identify what the library needs in terms of curricular support.
Great suggestion, Suzanne. A place for suggestions, both about the collection and otherwise, needs to be explicit. A great item for improvement to add to our list!
At our meeting the other day, Candace asked how we decide what to purchase for the library, and I way too quickly scrolled through our Collection Management Policy, which is posted on the website. To better answer her question, below is the section of the policy that I hope more directly addresses this question:
6. Collection Responsibilities and Selection Procedures
Students, faculty, administration, and staff are encouraged to suggest items for purchase at any time throughout the year, . . . The librarian provides final authority for selection of purchases and a committee consisting of the Associate Dean of Academics, staff representation, student representatives, and the librarian will review any complaints or concerns with the selection process. Any materials used mainly in the classroom will not be purchased with the library budget and are the responsibility of the instructional program. All materials purchased with library funds will be added to the collection and will be accessible to students, faculty, staff, and the general public.
Selection criteria:
a. Relevance of the subject matter to the collection and curriculum
b. Balance in the collection; scarcity of material on the subject
c. Accuracy and objectivity
d. Professional reviews and recommended bibliographies
e. Authoritativeness , literary merit, or author's reputation
f. Timeliness or permanence of the materials
g. Price
Selection aids will include:
a. Recommendation of other professionals/instructors in the field
b. Reviews and/or endorsements from recognized professional publications such as Library Journal and Choice
c. Preview and examination of professional copies
d. Recommended lists from recognized authorities
e. Requests by patrons
f. Standard Catalogs such as Vocational and Technical Resources for Community College Libraries.
g. Literary awards
h. Electronic bookstores such as Amazon.com, and Baker & Taylor which have reviews of items
i. Publisher descriptions
This is a continuation of my answer to Candace's question on how we choose to buy something for the library collection.
As a more practical explanation, I read hundreds of book reviews in standard sources every month and select items to add to the collection, based on the mission of our library to support the educational programs (ie I don’t buy items for learning how to do bead jewelry or cooking or knitting but do buy books on Interior Design since we now have a program in that) and I buy books that support classes we offer. (I buy books on US History, but very little on World History as we do not teach any WH classes) I read the reviews with an eye to our policy’s stated criteria, how much or little we have in our collection on this topic, what is the demand for this information (I bought lots on cultural competence in Nursing because there was lots of use and need in this area),etc.
I have been doing this for decades applying the fundamental principles I learned in my degree program (Selection is actually a three credit course in a Masters program in Library Science) and it really is a complicated process, as much an art as a science if one does it well. You are trying to keep a pulse of what your reader’s/researchers are asking for AND are trying to anticipate needs. You are balancing all that could be purchases against the limitations of funding. And you are trying to spread the budget amongst the programs. You don’t select something in print that we already have electronically, unless the electronic format is not viable for the high demand use. And I try not to buy things that are located in other UM Libraries, unless I think it is important enough for us to have our own copy. I could go on and on with the type of considerations that accompany each purchase. I guess I would conclude with the idea that we make each purchase deliberately, not capriciously.
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