My mother is an avid reader. She is the kind of patron that keeps a library open. Each week she exchanges 5-10 books and checks to see if any of her requests have appeared on the hold shelf. On one of the few free nights I had while attending library school, she asked how libraries go about collecting books. I jokingly said that every month a librarian goes to the nearest Barnes and Noble with a video camera, recording what is on every shelf. The next day the librarians have an important staff meeting where they sit in front of a big screen TV eating popcorn and write down what books look good. Then the librarians rank their lists and give it to the acquisitions staff to buy the books. Next the acquisitions staff start ordering the top choices from every list working their way down until they run out of money for the month. I had my mother going up to the part with the popcorn. Librarians only get to do this in their spare time. I then explained that librarians follow a detailed and long process to select what items will appear in the library’s collection.

Collection development is a defining role of librarians. Collection development policies are unique to every library and serve as a reflection of the community. These policies outline who the collections serve, appropriate access restrictions and the individual processes of evaluation, selection, acquisition and preservation of items. It is the combination of these processes and statements that keep a library’s collection organized instead of the random and arbitrary chaotic scene described in the opening.

Before something can be created, a purpose for the item must be established. When that comes to a library creating a collection, they must determine who or how the collection will serve. In an academic library, this involves knowing what is studied at the institution and what material can they provide to support those programs. Libraries need to assess the community they serve to accomplish this. Understanding the demographics of the community, their language and literacy needs, and forecasts of how the community will change over time are what libraries need to consider to fulfill the community’s needs. With this information, a library can make an informed choice pertaining to how many of their items should be print or digital, how much of the collection should be in a foreign language, or if they need a collection of audio/video items.

Academic libraries and archives must contend with the issue of access restrictions when creating or adding items to a collection. Some libraries in higher education place restrictions on research material or services to only those qualified to use them. Qualifications may be determined by institutional affiliation, upper level class standing, specific programs or the condition of the items. Items in special collections and archives may have stipulations placed upon them by donors or the government. The library must protect the intellectual property or the sensitive material contained in those items. Libraries and archives must choose whether or not to accept donations and collections that have such restrictions or sensitive information.

Multiple aspects comprise the process of evaluation. The two previous issues just addressed can be scene as apart of the evaluation process. Another aspect of evaluation is discerning what should be in a collection at any given time. Just as gardeners weed their gardens, removing unwanted or useless plants, librarians must perform a weeding of their collections. Librarians need to be aware of the circulation habits and shelf lives of their items. Periodically, librarians will select items that have gone unused for an established amount of time, are no longer relevant or need to be replaced by a current version, are in poor condition or no longer meet the needs of the community. The evaluation process also helps librarians to identify gaps in a collection, building them up as demands and budget allow.

Specific intent drives the selection and acquisition of items in the library. In academic libraries, collection development librarians focus on individual collections to fill in gaps and to keep the topics current. There are times when the selection and acquisition of materials is more general. This is more common for general fiction collections in public libraries. Librarians refer to book reviews, publisher catalogs and patron requests to help them determine which books they should select and acquire for their libraries. Even with the best of intentions, there are items a librarian may want to add but cannot because of budget constraints. In addition, gift items and donations affect how a collection develops and grows. Gifts and donations must fall within the scope of the collection development policy, or they cannot be added and must find homes elsewhere. This process must be explained to the donor prior to the accepting of any items. Based upon these criteria, selection and acquisition of materials is especially important in ensuring that an institution utilizes its resources wisely. The collection development policy should be clear and concise, with specific criteria and priorities based on an assessment of the community’s needs.

Another part of the acquisition and selection process involves knowingly selecting controversial materials. Although librarians are supposed to be unbiased when it comes to developing a collection, there are bound to be items that are strongly opposed. So, the decision becomes whether or not to acquire the item and deal with the controversy or to pass over the item knowing it may compromise the quality and value of the collection.

Preservation helps to extend the life and use of items in a collection. Once an item is no longer serving an active purpose, the library must either destroy it or preserve it. This is true for many types of items and collections, especially those in archives, or special collections. Preservation also happens in libraries and archives where materials are used on a daily basis. Enforcing food and drink policies, accident/catastrophe recovery, temperature regulation and checking for wear and biological damage are all preservation tactics.

The final project of LIBR 266, Collection Development with Dr. Joni Bodart, was to create a collection development policy for a specific library. Two fellow students and I created a collection development policy for a small academic library that we envisioned, The Fashion Institute of San Francisco Library. This project required my group to utilize all the different aspects of librarianship to develop a collection that would support the curriculum at The Fashion Institute of San Francisco. The creation and application of an equitable collection development policy is critical to the success of a library, as it can define the values of an institution and its patrons.

Our collection development policy serves as evidence because it completely addresses every one of the aspects listed in the competency. The collection development policy we created provides librarians the guidelines and procedures needed for the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of a collection. We invested a large amount of time in discussing and researching every chapter of our collection development policy. Our policy provides for a study collection of items not regularly collected by traditional academic libraries. We justified its inclusion because it supports the curriculum of the institution and provides a unique learning and research opportunity for the students. We made this policy as factual and realistic as possible, so that, if ever our institution existed, it would have what it needs to function. I have demonstrated mastery of this competency by showing that I can create a complete collection development policy that works for a small, non-traditional academic library. I have also shown that I have the ability to consider all of the different aspects of collection development.

In LIBR 256, Archives and Manuscripts with Lori Lindberg, I was introduced to different ideologies pertaining to the collection of archival items. A fight developed in the realm of archives over the creation, selection, acquisition, and preservation of items. Hilary Jenkinson marshaled his troops on one side, with his belief that the archives come together through a type of natural selection. A study of Jenkinson’s work shows that items worth being archived will endure until they can be properly stored and preserved. On the other side of the fight, Theodore Schellenberg leads an army of supporters with his belief that to be in an archive, records must have been produced for a specific purpose and can only be used for purposes other than what they were originally intended.

This fight still continues today and greatly affects the development of archive collections. A Jenkinsonian archivist would be inclined to save everything they come across. This would leave an archive littered with items that would not fit its collection development policies and institutional goals. At the same time, a Schellenbergian archivist would refuse many items, causing gaps in the fonds, leaving an incomplete view of what transpired. Irreplaceable and priceless items face destruction according to his rigid rules pertaining to evaluation, selection, and acquisition. A middle stance must be found to reconcile the conflict. Regardless of the archivist, the archival collection will remain stable if their collection development policy clearly states the evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organizational needs of the archive.

My archival theories comparison paper gave me insight into how important it is to understand the goals and needs of our institutions. The conflict between Jenkinson and Schellenberg proves why collection development policies are critical in providing the strategy and direction of the institution. In my paper, I take a whimsical poke at their conflict and explain why their theories are ultimately self-defeating. I conclude in the paper that an archives collection development policy is the only way to find middle ground in the conflict. The successful completion of this paper demonstrates my ability to understand and identify the basic concepts and principles that underlie the solid development of an archival collection.

In LIBR 256, students also explored archival appraisal methods. The appraisal of an archival collection is what evaluation and selection would be to a library. This exploration showed how different institutions build their archival collections based on different foundational beliefs. Every archive is attempting to meet its institutional goals and serves a particular client base. An archive will modify its practices and policies in relationship to what the goals of the institution are. Due to these modifications, archives may choose to digitize much of their collections, disposing of most of their physical collection. Another archive, following modifications to its policies and goals, will choose to keep every item it acquires pertaining to a new collection regardless of its condition. Nevertheless, archives must always be aware of the physical and financial boundaries established by its modified goals and policies.

My archival appraisal methods comparison paper allowed me to develop my personal archival appraisal method. For this paper, I compared the Minnesota Method to the Black Box approach. I found that a combination of the two methods was logical. It gave me the freedom I needed to acquire items that met either my or my institution’s goals, which may not be in accordance with my archive’s policy. With the completion of this paper, I am able to demonstrate my ability to understand the basic principles and concepts related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of information. My knowledge of these different appraisal methods will aid me in making informed choices in my professional career.

I have a firm grasp on the basic principles and concepts of collection development. The skills and knowledge I have gained to obtain this competency will allow me to make the informed decisions needed to create, evaluate, select, acquire, and preserve any collection of information. I have demonstrated my ability by developing a collection development policy. I have learned that it is critical to discuss, develop and create policies to guide an organization in creating balanced collections of information. Libraries need to have such comprehensive policies in place to protect and serve the interests of the community. I am confident in my abilities to create or modify the collection development policy of any library or archive to reflect their goals.