Collection Development Principles Research Articles

The Military Scientific Library of Mikhailovskaya Military Artillery Academy. On the occasion of the 200th anniversary

For the first time, the findings of the integrated study of the history of the Military Scientific Library of the Mikhailovskaya Military Artillery Academy are presented. The study covers its development since 1820 when it was founded as the library of the Artillery School up to the period of 1863-1917 when it became the specialized library of the Mikhail Artillery Academy and School. Printed catalogs of books of the Military Scientific Library of the Academy and School 1871 and 1895 are characterized. For the first time, other library’s catalogs are analyzed to be introduced into scientific use. The author characterizes and compares book catalogs of other universal military scientific libraries (those of General Staff, General Staff Nikolaevskaya Academy) with the catalogs of Mikhailovskaya Academy Military Scientific Library) and concludes that the latter has acquired the most complete book collection on artillery in the country. The collection matches science potential of this educational institution. Many prominent researchers well-known in Russia and abroad have taught at the Academy and the School. Their works are available not only from the Academy and School Library, but also can be found in the book collections of many libraries subordinate to the Military Ministry.This study is to expand the idea of military scientific libraries of the country, the knowledge of their history, collection development principles. Its findings will be useful to librarians of military educational institutions and academic libraries in the aspect of materials selection and efficient collection development.

Library and information holdings of the Russia National Public Library for Science and Technology: Principles of formation

Library collection development principles have been changing due to intensive introduction of digital resources. The authors examine the processes of library and information development and acquisition of printed and digital resources at of RNPLS&T which adds new possibilities for user information services. The increasing role of digital resources is determined by the appropriate services advancement. The use of licensed full-text digital resources is also discussed. The role of mandatory copy as a powerful, reliable and free source of collection development with domestic printed documents is revealed. The collection is also growing due to the remote access to national digital resources, and among them Russian State Library’s Theses Library holds a particular place. The high rank and importance of the centralized/national subscription are emphasized: RNPLS&T provides access to the leading foreign information resources. The significance of open resources for users information support is demonstrated.The main task in the collection development strategy is seen as balancing various types of documents and providing the possibly complete information demanded by users.

Collection development principles for scientific library at the current stage of information technologies

Library collections make the core of every library. The author investigates into the theoretical aspects of library collection development as promoted by modern Russian library studies. She specifies the series of principled rules which names and contents reflect both the current needs of libraries and their collections as well as researchers’ suggested solutions. Quite simple classification of library collection development principles is suggested: division them into general, or intrinsic to every library, and special principles - those realized by specific library types.

DIGITAL LIBRARIES IN INDONESIA WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS TO ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

There are many definitions about digital library, however, this paper used the definition taken from Digital Library Federation which stated that digital library as organizations that provide the resources, including the specialized staff, to select, structure, offer intellectual access to interpret, distribute, preserve the integrity of, and ensure the persistence over time of collections of digital works so that they are readily and economically available for use by defined community or set of communities (http://www.clir.org/diglib/about/strategic/htm). The elements that have been identified as common to those definitions are: I. A digital library is a managed collection of digital objects 2. The digital objects are created or collected according to principles of collection development. 3. The digital objects are made available in a cohesive manner, supported by services necessary to allow users to retrieve and exploit the resources just as they would any other library materials. 4. The digital objects are treated as long-term stable resources and appropriate processes are applied to them to ensure their quality and survivability (Deegan and Tanner 2002).

Hunting in the shadows for savings: reevaluating standing orders

PurposeStanding orders are remnants of an early period of library acquisition, and while they can provide a useful service in limited cases most have outlived that usefulness and should be cancelled. In a period of restricted funding and increased digital reliance the need for standing orders has diminished; indeed often the standing orders received are no longer relevant to an institution's mission. However, identifying standing orders is complicated by the nature of their classification as a serial rather than a book or monograph. This paper aims to describe the various types of standing orders and how to identify them.Design/methodology/approachThe paper distinguishes between the yearbook or annual standing order and the non‐sequential and often irregularly published books charged to the serial fund code. The latter type, in the author's experience, makes up the majority of standing orders, and this work argues that on the basis of collection development principles and budgetary realities the majority of standing orders should be cancelled.FindingsThe paper finds that it is necessary to create a stand‐alone database to ensure all standing orders are represented. The review of standing orders cuts materials expenditures, clarifies actual holdings, and eliminates unexpected delivery of materials.Practical implicationsCollection development principles require accountability for resource delivery. Standing orders falsely offer ease at the expense of this responsibility.Originality/valueVery little is written on evaluating standing orders as a separate entity among library holdings. This paper addresses the dual nature of standing orders that allows them to maintain their shadowy existence on serials' accounts as neither book nor journal.

ACLS Humanities E‐book: an examination

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to inform the reader about the collection development principles, the use of technology, the history, and usefulness of ACLS Humanities E‐book.Design/methodology/approachThe approach adopted is a brief history, overview, and review of ACLS Humanities E‐book.FindingsACLS Humanities E‐book combines a carefully selected collection of academic monographs related to the humanities with a straightforward user‐interface.Originality/valueThe paper offers information about the collection, most important, its collection development model and the considerable value and utility of ACLS Humanities E‐book for researchers and libraries.

The LibQUAL+ Phenomenon

For my second column as the editor of the new Management column, I decided to focus on library service assessment. It is certainly one of the most important activities we need to do; however, often we, as librarians, have little training on or knowledge of how to evaluate and assess our service. We are better at collection evaluation than service evaluation. LibQUAL+, one of the most important assessment tool libraries are using right now, was the first assessment method that came to mind. My long-term colleague, Stewart Saunders, is the Purdue Libraries statistics expert. He analyzed the LibQUAL+ data for us, and so was the logical choice to write this article. What next for the column? I am on the lookout for ideas and writers on the broad range of topics that relate to running a reference or public service department. I encourage you to suggest column topics and to become an author and write on any successful reference programs or services.--Editor The Internet and Google have changed the information landscape. Libraries now compete for a share of the information market, and library patrons are now referred to as customers. As libraries become businesses, they must take care of their customers in the same manner as does the private information sector. Private firms seek to satisfy customer needs, so libraries must do likewise. As libraries attempt to meet competition from other information providers, managing resources and having a sense of strategic direction become all the more necessary. In the past, library management decisions were based on data and intuition. Data was in-house data--circulation statistics, reference activity, budget figures, and so on. But intuition? Well yes, what managers knew about patron needs was a consequence of casual conversations, rumor, and the squeaky wheel. Occasionally libraries would try a patron survey, but this was the exception, not the rule. Academic libraries, after all, had a clearly defined educational mission: they, better than students (or faculty), knew the needs of their clientele. Those needs were shaped by the curriculum and research enterprises of the college or university To guide us, we had Books for College Libraries, Choice, and the professional research literature in library science. Isn't that what we meant when we put forth the ideal of a professional librarian: someone who has been educated in the principles of collection development, reference, and the organization of knowledge? Why should we ask patrons about their needs? They have no training in these areas. ALL OTHER JUDGMENTS ARE ESSENTIALLY IRRELEVANT In the last decade, that scenario changed. Despite confidence in our professional knowledge, we have turned to our customers for their input. (Note they are no longer patrons.) We are not alone; even General Motors has learned that what customers think is important. Universities and colleges have come to realize that the crucial measure for an educational institution is impact, not input. We no longer talk about research, we now use the term discovery; we no longer use teaching, we now use learning. University and college administrations now expect libraries to prove their value in terms of the learning and discovery that results from library use. This has become all the more important, as the Internet now offers an alternative to libraries as a source of information. In order to demonstrate the library's superiority to other information providers, we need to show our impact with a measure that stakeholders can understand. What better way to measure value than to ask library customers for their views about the library's impact on their learning and discovery The new wisdom has become: Only customers judge quality; all other judgments are essentially irrelevant. (1) That still leaves unanswered the question of how best to attain this measure. For years, the service sector of the United States economy--banks, restaurants, hotels, and so on--collected information on patron satisfaction using questions with a simple Lickert scale: On a scale of one to five please rate your satisfaction with our accommodations. …

Evaluating title coverage of full-text periodical databases

This article provides a methodology for evaluating title coverage of full-text periodical databases in relation to a library’s print journal collection. A pretest of that methodology is presented along with a discussion of collection development principles for an effective evaluation of full-text databases.

The Development and Use of a Genre Statement for Electronic Journals in the Sciences

Selection of web-based resources affects every division of the academic library. Collection policies are changing to reflect the complex array of criteria and issues driving selection decisions. I propose to present a new form of collection policy -- the genre statement -- designed to aid the library organization as a whole in coping with the shift to digital publishing. Specifically, I would like to present a genre statement on electronic journals, focusing on selection criteria, selection strategy, access issues, and the future status of electronic journals in the sciences. The genre statement complements the traditional subject-based collection policy, providing guidelines and criteria for selection of a particular type of information resource, such as electronic journals, regardless of the particular subject matter. In addition to detailing policy guidelines and selection criteria, the genre statement serves as a summary, updated annually, of the state of the art of the library's program in selecting, delivering, organizing, and servicing a particular class of electronic publications. I propose to discuss the major components of electronic journal genre statement for the Albert R. Mann Library. First, I will delineate principles of collection development as they relate to electronic journals, including evaluation of the advantages of electronic access, how electronic journals affect the scope and nature of collecting, and the minimum standards for user access, functionality, and organization of information. I will then present the selection criteria, touching on traditional criteria, such as subject scope and quality of the journal, as well as new concerns, such as the commitment to the privacy of electronic journal readers. A third section describes the selection strategy for scientific electronic journals, including the key selection tools and sources used (print and electronic) in identifying electronic journals for consideration. Finally, the genre statement documents the present and future status of electronic journals in our collection, such as explicating the issues we are wrestling with to mainstream electronic journals into our collection, including pricing models and contractual issues and their impact on the work of other divisions of the library.

New media/traditional values: selecting government information on the Internet

The schools of information studies of today place training for work in distributed computing environments at the core of the curriculum. However, this was not the case ten years ago. Looks, therefore, at the current role of traditionally trained librarians. Focusses on the experience of the University of Michigan Library’s Documents Center, and how the collection development principles learned for selection of traditional library media apply today to selecting Internet materials.

Title‐by‐Title Review in Reference Collection Development

Keeping a reference collection current and useful can be an arduous task. It is necessary to establish principles of collection development and determine a method for periodically reviewing the titles in the collection. This review, if systematically conducted on a title‐by‐title basis for all reference sources, can have far‐ranging benefits. Among these are a reduction in the size of the collection in terms of titles, volumes, and linear shelving space; an increase in the manageability of serial and non‐serial titles; a staff more proficient and knowledgeable concerning the scope and depth of the collection; and a clientele better served through improved reference assistance.