2. What is a library?
• What is a library?
• What kinds of libraries are there?
• What are the purposes of these libraries?
– Educational
– Research
– Informational
– Recreational
– Spiritual
– Cultural
– Archival
– Communal
• These purposes drive collection development decisions.
2Copyright: Gretchen L. Hoffman
3. What is a collection?
• Group of materials assembled by a library or a
private individual. A library collection consists of
both physical items held by the library and digital
resources (local and online) selected and organized
by the library and accessed by library users and staff
members. – P. Johnson, Fundamentals of collection
development and management, 2nd
ed.
• The materials owned by or available through a library
that help meet the needs of users and help fulfill the
mission of the library. - Hoffman
3Copyright: Gretchen L. Hoffman
4. Access vs. Ownership
• What materials are accessed and what are
owned?
– Digital materials vs. Print materials.
• Is it necessary for libraries to own materials?
• Just-in-time vs. Just-in-case vs. Just-for-you
• Factors in decisions about ownership
– Money, users’ needs, quality, space, availability at
other libraries, etc.
4Copyright: Gretchen L. Hoffman
5. Purpose of a collection
• Meeting users’ needs
– Collecting resources that users want/need or that will help
them find what they need.
– Help librarians meet users’ needs
• Reference sources: Handbooks, guides, indexes, etc.
• Materials about librarianship
• Fulfilling the mission of the library
– Providing access to important material that isn’t always
explicitly wanted by users.
– Preserving culture (Providing access)
– Fulfilling agreements
– Special Collections
5Copyright: Gretchen L. Hoffman
6. Collection
development/management
• Collection development or collection management?
– They mean the same thing, essentially.
• Collection management is a newer phrase - Includes ALL the
activities including selection, weeding, preservation, etc.
• Collection development means the same thing, although
some people limit the phrase to selection only.
• In this class – I’ll use “Collection Development” to mean
everything that is done to develop AND manage a collection
from creating collection policies, selection, weeding,
preservation, etc.
Copyright: Gretchen L. Hoffman 6
7. Collection Development
• Models from Evans and Saponaro’s (2012)
Collection Management Basics. I put the
models in the notes:
– Information transfer process: p. 21
– Collection management process: p. 23
• Collection development is not easy!
7Copyright: Gretchen L. Hoffman
8. Issue 1: Meeting users’ needs
• What does this mean?
• How can a library’s collection meet the needs
of heterogeneous, multicultural, and diverse
communities?
• How can a library’s collection reflect different
viewpoints?
• Why is balancing a collection important? How
can a library achieve a balanced collection?
8Copyright: Gretchen L. Hoffman
9. Issue 2: What should be collected?
• 1. Mass/popular vs. high culture:
– Should libraries collect what users want to
read/watch/listen or collect what users should
read/watch/listen?
• 2. Mainstream vs. Alternative:
– Should libraries collect only mainstream materials from
the dominant culture, or should they also collect
alternative materials (outside the mainstream)?
• 3. Variety of Materials
– Should libraries collect materials such as Erotica? Porn?
Graphic novels? Comics? Cartoons? Anime? Extreme views
(e.g. anarchy or hate materials)?
9Copyright: Gretchen L. Hoffman
10. Issue 3: Value Neutrality
• Can librarians/libraries really be neutral?
• The idea that libraries can/should be “value-neutral”
came from the ideas of positivism and the
application of scientific methods to the field.
Librarianship is a “science” and we can use
quantitative methods (numbers) to study it.
– “The library scientist can, and should, maintain a strict
‘value neutrality’ in his work” (Harris, 1986, p. 220).
• We are starting to question it, but it still lingers.
10Copyright: Gretchen L. Hoffman
11. Issue 3: If CD work is subjective,
how can librarians do this work?
• Know the communities you serve!
– Age, ethnicity, gender, religion, orientation, profession,
differently-abled, hobbies, education, etc. etc. etc.
• Be proactive, aware, and diligent. Do not take collection
development duties lightly.
• Have a diverse staff.
• Talk, listen, and respond to ALL groups in your community (you
don’t have to agree with everyone).
• Actively collect different viewpoints and ideas – strive for balance.
• Do your homework.
• QUESTION EVERYTHING!
• Know thyself – BE REFLECTIVE!
• Respect the right of people to read/listen/see what they want,
think what they want, and be what they want.
• Remember the Library Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read, Freedom to
View, Freedom to Hear (this one is mine).
11Copyright: Gretchen L. Hoffman
12. All done!
• We are all done with the PowerPoint for module 1.
• This has been a short PowerPoint, but we’ve talked
about many difficult issues.
• If you haven’t read everything, you should read
chapter 1 in the textbook and all the articles I
assigned (available in Blackboard).
• Then, go to the discussion board and start talking
about these issues! These are important issues and
we need to explore them as a class.
12Copyright: Gretchen L. Hoffman
