LIS 748: Collection Development, Fall 2007

David Lesniaski

Syllabus

 

Catalog description: This course provides an overview of collection development and management functions in libraries and information centers.  The evaluation and selection of materials in all formats will be discussed, and methods for managing print, digital, and multimedia collections will be examined.  Publishing trends and emerging information product formats will also be studied.

 

This table gives the principal topics for each meeting; we may cover other material if there is time or if developments in the fields suggest they take priority, or we may focus on some of these topics in more depth should our discussions so warrant. 

 

Details on the readings are posted separately on the course reading list. Assignment topics and instructions will be posted on Moodle—see those documents for complete information.  Further information on the course follows the syllabus.

 

 

Session

Date

Daily topics and future assignments

Readings /assignments due

 

1

Sept. 11

Introduction, historical overview

Introduction to selection/evaluation tools

 

Future assignment: Assignment 1: selection tools: pick a subject area and examine/evaluate the principal selection tools in that area.  Next week, we will examine your findings.

 

2

Sept. 18

Developing collections. Selection. Introduction to intellectual freedom/censorship discussion.

In-class selection exercise (becomes long-term assignment due 12/4)

 

Future assignment:  Assignment 2: case studies based on ch 4 (in groups, for report in class next week)

Read:

·          Text, ch.1 & 4

·          Dodge, Knowledge for sale

 

 

Assignment:

Assignment 1: project on selection tools (draft)

3

Sept. 25

Selection, continued

Censorship and intellectual freedom, continued

Introduction to managing collections.

 

Future assignment: Assignment 3a) group project on managing collections due next week OR 3b) marketing, due 10/02.  (Your group should choose either 3a or 3b.)

Read:

·          Berman, Inside censorship

·          Moody, Covert censorship

·          Sandier, Collection development in the age of Google

·          Duguid, Inheritance and loss

 

Assignments:

·          Assignment 2: case study from ch. 4 (group presentations)

·          Assignment 1: selection tools: final version

4

Oct. 2

Managing collections

Introduction to marketing

 

Future assignment: 

Assignment 3b) marketing, due 10/9, for those groups not presenting assignment 3a today.

Read:

·          Text, ch. 5

·          Jaguszewski, The impact

 

Assignment:

Assignment 3a) Group project: case study (managing collections) based on situation described on p. 164-5 of text, due this week

5

Oct. 9

Marketing, continued

Introduction to electronic resources & scholarly communication

 

Future assignment:

Assignment 4: Paper on scholarly communication OR censorship issues.  Various stages due between 10/30 and 11/20.

Read:

·          Text, ch. 6 & 7

·          Marketing websites (have a look in order to prepare for assignment 3c)

 

Assignment:

·          Assignment 3b) Group project: case study (marketing) based on scenario described on p. 195 of text (for groups not presenting the managing collections case study last week)

·          Assignment 3c) In-class marketing exercise; but prepare as instructed in posted assignment

6

Oct. 16

Scholarly communication; management of electronic resources. Alternative publications.

 

Future assignments:

Assignment 4: Paper: drafts due 11/6.

Assignment 5a: group project: case study on electronic resources management, 10/30, OR 5b) group project: case study on cooperative collection development, due 11/6.  (Your group should choose either 5a or 5b.)

Read:

·          Cornell University Libraries: Issues in scholarly communication

·          Lynch, C. Digital Library Opportunities

·          Fyffe, R.C. Technological change

·          Holleman, C. Electronic resources

·          Schilling, Technology as epistemology

·          Manoff, Materiality of digital collections

 

Note that we will split these readings up among groups—no one has to read all of them. 

 

Assignment:

None! 

7

Oct. 23

Week of 10/23: no formal class.  We’ll use this time for individual and/or group conferences related to 1) your paper on scholarly communications; 2) thoughts on your final paper; 3) your ongoing selection projects.

8

Oct. 30

Electronic resources, alternative publications (continued)

Cooperative collection development

 

Future assignment:

Assignment 5b: Group project: case study on cooperative collection development, based on text, p. 261(for those groups not doing electronic resources study).

Read:

·          Text, ch. 8

·          Alternative publication sites

·          Wolf, Without walls

·          Burgett, Collaborative collection development. Ch. 7: Governance

 

Assignments:

Assignment 5a) Group project: case study on electronic resources management, based on text, p. 229 (may be altered to fit other libraries and situations)

9

Nov. 6

Collection analysis: overview

 

Future assignment:

Assignment 4: Paper: scholarly communication OR censorship.  Responses due 11/13.

Read:

·          Text, ch. 9

·          Copeland, L., Library Allocations

·          Lochstet, Course and research analysis

·          Carrigan, Collection development

 

Assignment:

·            Assignment 4: Paper: scholarly communication OR censorship.  Drafts due today.

·            Assignment 5b) Group project: case study on cooperative collection development, based on text, p. 261(for those groups not doing electronic resources study last week).

10

Nov. 13

Collection analysis: techniques

Overview of CD policies

 

Future assignments:

Assignment 4: Paper: scholarly communication OR censorship.  Final version due 11/20.

 

Read:

·          White, Howard D.  Brief Tests. Ch. 2: Problems from the past

·          Lesniaski, David. Evaluating collections

 

Assignment:

·          Assignment 4: Paper on scholarly communication / censorship: Responses due today.

 

 

11

Nov. 20

CD policies: discussion based on text, articles, and sample policies

 

Future assignments:

Assignment 6: Collection policy samples: Group project: find a sample (4-6) of collection policies for your type of library (details posted on assignment page).  Report briefly to class next week—what you found useful in each, what not, what was lacking, and why you felt this way.

Assignment 7: Topics for final paper due 11/27.

Read:

·          Text, ch. 3 to p. 84

·          Okerson, Ann.  Electronic collection development site

·          Snow, R. Wasted words

·          Pymm, Building collections

 

Assignment:

Assignment 4: Paper on scholarly communication / censorship: Final version due today.

12

Nov. 27

Policies, budgets, vendors

 

Future assignment:

Assignment 1a: Group selection projects due 12/4.

 

Read:

Text, remainder of ch. 3

 

Assignment:

·          Assignment 6: Collection policy samples (group reports)

·          Topics for final paper due today

13

Dec. 4

Organization and staffing

Integrating alternative resources into the collection

 

Future assignment:

Assignment 8: alternative materials, due 12/11.

Read:

·          Text, ch. 2

·          Stacy-Bates, K.K., et. al., Competencies for Bibliographers

·          Quinn, Cognitive and affective practices

 

Assignment:

Group selection project: reports (n class)

14

Dec. 11

Publishers, books, serials, standing orders, and practical affairs

 

Future assignment:

Final paper on one of the “big” questions in collection development, due 12/18

 

Read:

·          Cornell University Libraries: Issues in scholarly communication [review this]

·          Brennan, Patricia, et al. Licensing Electronic Resources

·          Schmidle, Deborah, Physician Heal Thyself

·          Encyclopedia of Library & Information Science.  “Acquisitions” 

 

Assignment:

Assignment 8: alternative materials (in-class presentation)

15

Dec. 18

Collections in context.  New developments.

 

 

Read:

·          Cox, Richard, Don’t Fold Up

·          Pymm, Building collections [review]

 

Assignment:

Assignment 7: Final paper draft and presentation due

 

 

Additional information on the course.

 

A large part of successful collection development, in my view, consists of the ability to identify important issues or problems along with the abilities to recognize and advocate creative solutions to those problems.  These abilities can be learned.  The material we cover should give you a rather broad view of the subject of collection development, a view that can be transposed successfully to practically any type of library or information center.  Many of the critical issues are the same; only the details and implementations differ.  Therefore, in your assignments, I encourage you to focus on areas of librarianship or types of libraries you find appealing so you can discover how to apply the information from the course to a setting you identify with.  I also encourage you to explore other settings, even if you don’t think you are interested in them: they may have more in common with your interests than you might imagine! 

 

Effective communication also is a critical part of successful collection development.  In your written assignments and oral presentations I strongly encourage you to develop your voice. I have attempted to build a great deal of flexibility into the assignments, but no matter the assignment particulars: if you strongly wish to alter the assignment in order to explore alternative issues or means of presentation, please do so (but let me know beforehand). 

 

Collection development is a collaborative process.  Therefore, some of your work will be in groups, and group projects will focus on case studies. Each group should present its work in whatever manner seems appropriate (we will go over the details of these presentations in class).  We will do some in-class projects, also in groups.  Groups are an essential part of any collection development librarian’s life because of the collaborative nature of collection development: cd decisions affect many different parts of the library, and important cd decisions require the expertise of many different individuals.  Group work, properly done, is very efficient, for it makes manageable a task or process that would be overwhelming for an individual to accomplish.  Therefore, we will have opportunities to discuss and assess our group work and group processes, in order to think through ways to improve our communication, collaborative, and presentation skills.

 

I will ask you to post most of your individual work and group presentations on the course page.  As we conclude the semester, I believe that the work you do individually and collectively may be of value both to you and your colleagues over the last few class sessions and for your final papers.  Also, at least one of your papers will involve circulating your draft to others in the class, receiving comments from those readers, and providing comments on others’ papers.  I should not be the only audience for your work!

 

There are nine formal assignments due over the course of the semester: three papers/projects, including the final paper, and six group presentations.  We also will do a few informal in-class projects and exercises, but these should require little or no work outside class. Readings (generally short) are due each week.  You should be prepared to come to class ready to discuss the weekly readings.  From time to time I will post questions or topics for online discussion on the readings (I will do this a week before the readings are due) and I expect each of you to contribute to those discussions.  These postings will help us “jump-start” the class discussions and will help us focus on the critical or more difficult issues in some readings.

 

Grading.

 

Your course grade will be determined by

Class participation (including participation in online forums)

25%

Papers (assignments 1, 4)

20%

Group projects/presentations

35%

Final paper

20%

 (These percentages are approximate.)

 

Overall, this course should require approximately 8-10 hours per week outside class.  There will be time in class for groups to touch base about their presentations.  However, you should have access to a computer and network that allows you to communicate effectively with others and that allows you to download reasonably sized files (<1M) efficiently.  Class attendance is expected and required. If you miss any class, you still are responsible for the material presented and for any class participation (group projects, online discussions).  If you miss more than one class, you should consider withdrawing from the course.  As always, I am willing to discuss any individual situation or difficulties with you.

 

If you have any disability or special situation that might require some adjustment to the course, please see me and, in the case of disabilities, also work with the campus disability services.  

 

The usual guidelines for academic integrity apply to this course.   The formal guidelines are in the student handbook.  Informally: we will consider issues that are intellectually and, in some cases, perhaps emotionally challenging as well.  Therefore, please put forth your ideas and feelings passionately.  The classroom and its extensions are “safe spaces” where all ideas and points of view are welcome.  But: respect each other; respect each other’s ideas and struggles, and respect yourself.

 

“Collection development and management are the meat and potatoes of libraries.  If you don’t have a collection, you don’t have a library.” – Peggy Johnson, Preface to Fundamentals of Collection Development.