This is the essential guide to the knowledge and tools needed to successfully manage reference collections.
Fundamentals of Managing Reference Collections offers insight and best practice for designing, organizing and maintaining both tangible and virtual reference collections, no matter the size, and shows why managing without a plan is a recipe for clutter and confusion. In this very practical guide, reference librarians will learn:
The importance of collection development policies, and how to effectively involve others in the decision-making process
New strategies for selecting reference materials, both print and electronic
Strategies for collection maintenance, including the all-important issue of weeding
How to increase discovery and access
How to manage acquisitions, budgets and licenses.
This important new book will help librarians make better reference decisions, aligned to customer needs and expectations, especially significant with today's limited budgets.
Readership: Reference collections managers and reference librarians.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
"Useful for both the novice librarian and those with many years of experience." -- Serials Review "The language is precise and lucid. It is a very useful, comprehensive, up-to date and readable book for all those charged to develop, maintain and serve reference collection in a library." -- Library Herald, Delhi Library Association
Sprache
Verlagsort
Zielgruppe
Für Beruf und Forschung
Professional Practice & Development
Maße
Höhe: 229 mm
Breite: 152 mm
Dicke: 11 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-1-85604-831-6 (9781856048316)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Carol A. Singer is a reference and instruction librarian at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. One of her primary responsibilities is coordinating the development and management of the reference collection. Her research has focused on reference collections and services, as well as government publications. She is the author of many articles and the editor of Docs Prescriptions, the newsletter of the Government Documents Round Table of Ohio. Singer earned her master's degree in library science at Indiana University.
1. Reference collection fundamentals
Definitions
Paper or electronic resources?
Going mobile
Defining boundaries
2. Reference collection development policies
The parts of a collection development policy
Purpose of the reference collection development policy
Responsibility for collection development
Purpose of the reference collection
Target audience(s)
Budgeting and funding
Selection criteria
Selection aids
Preferred format
Duplicates
Preferred language(s)
Circulation
Treatment of specific resource groups
Resource sharing
Collection maintenance
Weeding and reviewing the collection
Policy revision
3. Staffing models for reference collection management
Centralized staffing
Decentralized staffing
Other participants in reference collection management
4. Selecting reference materials
Using reviews of books and online resources
General selection criteria
Selection criteria for online resources
Aggregated databases of reference books
Selection criteria for free internet resources
Selection criteria for print monographs
Selection criteria for print serials
5. Acquisitions, budgets, and licenses
Acquisitions
Budgets
Licenses
6. Collection maintenance
Maintenance of new electronic resources
Maintenance of existing electronic resources
Maintenance of new books
Maintenance of existing print collections
Marketing new reference resources
The print collection as a physical entity
7. Weeding the reference collection
Why are some librarians reluctant to weed?
Why weed the collection?
Determining the ground rules
Planning the review
Weeding the book collection as a major project
Performing a continuous review of the collection
Which method of weeding the collection is best?
Reviewing print reference serials
Weeding reference books in off-site storage
Reviewing the electronic reference book collection
Reviewing reference databases
Still reluctant to weed?
8. Reference collection development and consortia
Budgeting for reference materials
Selection of materials
Consortium-produced databases
Off-site storage
Pros and cons of working with a consortium
Being a good citizen of a consortium
9. Discovery and access
Discovering print reference sources
Discovering electronic reference sources
Identifying individual databases
Identifying individual titles within a larger databaseWeb-scale discovery
Appendix. Reference collection development policy template
