Course Description: Principles of selection of library materials and procedures involved in building collections for all types of libraries, archives, and information centers with a particular emphasis on school library/media centers. Covers the development of collection management policies; collection assessment; the evaluation of equipment, software, and other library resources; acquisitions principles; the relationship between collection developers and producers/distributors of information materials; the application of key professional source materials such as collection standards, copyright statutes and guidelines, and intellectual freedom statements; the role of networking and consortiums in collection building; and the increasing importance of technology in the packaging of information.

Department/Division: Library Science.

Course Number/Title: LS 530/Collection Development.

Instructor: Dr. Frank Hoffmann.

Text: Van Orden, Phyllis. The Collection Program. 2nd ed. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, 1995.

Course Objectives: At the conclusion of the course the student should be able to:

(1) Develop a partnership with teachers to ensure that the evaluation and selection process reflects learner characteristics, learner styles, teaching styles, and instructional strategies;

(2) Facilitate the efforts of the school library media advisory committee that includes administrators, teachers,students, parents and other representatives of the community as it relates to collection development;

(3) Develop, implement, monitor, and revise collection management ploicies and procedures which reflect the school's philosophy, curriculum and instructional objectives;

(4) Ensure unrestricted access to information and ideas needed in a democratic society by promoting intellectual freedom, protecting confidentiality and fosterinf information security, and communicating concepts presented in basic access documents;

(5) Document the importance of cooperating and networking among libraries and other information agencies in meeting the information needs of participants in a democratic society; and advocate, initiate, and implement formal and informal agreements providing for increased availability and accessibility of information through resource sharing and identifying appropriate external information access points to meet the goals and objectives of the school;

(6) Identify appropriate techniques and criteria for evaluating and selecting resources and equipment which include resources produced by teachers and students, in all formats and at all grade levels, to support the developmental needs of students, professional needs of teachers, and the curriculum development process of the school;

(7) Establish an acquisitions process that assures the availability of needed resources;

(8) Identify how the publication or production industry affects collection building in addition to describing the roles of authors, editors, reviewers, distributors, and librarians in this process;

(9) Implement procedures for the ongoing evaluation of the library holdings which include inventory and maintenance of resources and equipment;

(10) Apply the copyright law--and related guidelines--within the context of the school media center setting; and

(11) Apply appropriate research findings to the school library collection management process.

Course Format: Lecture/discussion.

Course Evaluation: Mid-term (10%); Final Exam (25%); Assignments--Critique of Collection Management Policies (10%); Basic Selection Tools (10%); Evaluation of Materials Exercise (10%); Treatment of Controversial Materials (10%); Media Trends/Collection Mapping (20%); Identification of Useful Copyright Guidelines (5%).

Content:

The Library as a Multi-Media System

The Development of a Selection Policy

A. Advantages of a Policy

B. Components Included within a Selection Policy

Intellectual Freedom

A. Testament to its Importance

B. Historical Survey

C. Characteristics of the Censor

D. Role of the Librarian

E. Defenses Against Censorship

Selection Principles

Annotations, Abstracts, and Reviews

Bibliographic and Selection Aids

The Acquisition Process

A. Delineation of its Facets

B. Chief Sources for Obtaining Materials

C. Buying Plans

D. Obtaining Special Materials: Out-of-Print Items, Microforms, etc.

Publishers and Publishing

A. Print Industry

B. Audiovisual/Multi-media Sector

C. Computer Industry

Important Concepts in Collection Development

A. Weeding/"Negative Selection"

B. Standards

C. Copyright

D. Resource Sharing/Networking

Evaluation of the Collection Building Process

Recommended Reference Materials: Bibliography beginning on page 327 in Van Orden text; Ulrich's; Katz's Magazines For Libraries; Books in Print (available online, book format, and on CD-ROM); <Amazon.com>
website.

Course Assignments:

Critique of Collection Management Policies. Each student will be directed to obtain copies of at least two Collection Management Policies from existing libraries. The contents of each policy will then be evaluated according to its (a) organization and ease of use, (b) thoroughness and appropriateness of sections, and (c) usefulness in furthering the given library's collection building agenda. The discussion of each policy should consist of a minimum of 350 words.

Evaluation of Materials Exercise. Select one particular type of library (e.g., elementary school, K-12) and then select three items appropriate to that setting. These items can be any combination of media formats: print, audiovisual/multimedia, microcomputer software. Utilize one or more of the evaluation forms supplied as a handout. Be sure to cite reviews (at least one journal review per title--provide full bibliographic citation and note whether the overall assessment is "positive" or "negative" in tone), selective bibliographies, awards, etc., useful in helping you, the evaluator, come to a decision as to whether or not to include the item in question in your library. Common pitfalls in filling out the forms: itemized grading of evaluative criteria is not complete; full bibliographic data has not been included for each title; and the format designation is not clear (e.g., videotape available only in VHS? how many audiocassettes included in a given media kit?).

Basic Selection Tools. Review "Bibliographic and Selection Tools," an appendix in the Van Orden text. Select twelve of the listings (spread over as many of the sections as possible) and evaluate them using the form, "Components to be Examined When Evaluating a Selection Aid" (separate handout). More recent and/or alternative titles (not present in the Van Orden listing) may be substituted. The same library type selected for the Evaluation of Materials Exercise should be employed here. Points to be evaluated include: applicability/balance/value of selected titles, accuracy, and thoroughness of descriptive notes. Not all of the queries listed in the "Components to be Examined..." handout have to be answered in this exercise; address the more important of these queries (e.g., the questions concerned with the original date of publication and frequency of new issues/editions within the "publication data" section).

Treatment of Controversial Materials. Select a particular type of library and subject two controversial titles (any format) to the same evaluative process employed in the Evaluation of Materials Exercise. The censorship history of each title must be documented on the evaluation form (a slightly modified form will be supplied in a handout). The listing of censored titles supplied as a handout in addition to materials cited in the Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Banned Books, and other print sources may be used for documentation. Be sure to designate whether or not the items being reconsidered will be retained in the library collection.

Collection Mapping. Read the section entitled "The Collection" from David Loertscher's Taxonomies of the School Library Media Program (Libraries Unlimited, 1988, p. 97+), available in Appendix D. Select three subject areas relevant to your library type (one general, two specific--use the Library of Congress Subject Headings master list to ascertain the segment of your collection to be measured) and tally their representation within your collection. Plot the data according to Loertscher's General Collection Map. Then poll at least six teachers and/or students regarding each of these subjects utilizing Loertscher's Collection Quality Evaluation Form. Provide a data breakdown comparable to that on page 113 of the Loertscher text. Finally, provide a concise assessment of each of these subject areas, based upon the evidence you have accumulated.

Identification of Useful Copyright Guidelines. Due to the rise of many new educational technologies since the implemenation of the 1976 Copyright Law, copyright and related issues such as fair use have become increasingly complex--and controversial--when applied to school/library operations. Locate at least three legal statutes, court decisions, professional recommendations, etc., which would serve as practical guidelines for your own institution. Provide a brief paragraph justifying your choices.

The following optional assignments may be substituted for any of the previously listed course requirements. Be sure to check with the instructor prior to starting work on either of them.

Optional Assignment #1: Publishing Trends Paper. The library and publishing worlds have long enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with traditional media such as the book, periodicals, and microforms. However, with the emergence of new media formats in the past decade or so (e.g., 1/2-inch videotapes, laser discs, compact discs, home computer software) this close working relationship has been eroded to a significant degree. Write a concise paper (seven pages or less) outlining the reasons why libraries don't seem to possess the close ties with producers of these new media that they enjoy've enjoyed with publishers of the more entrenched formats. Provide arguments as to how this situation might be altered to foster a more cooperative climate in the future. You may concentrate on one particular format type or discuss the new media in general. Be sure to footnote sources.

Optional Assignment #2: Locate readings and/or retailers/vendors knowledgeable regarding the following media formats:

--1/2-inch videotapes

--laser discs

--compact discs (CDs) and CD-ROMs

--mini discs (MDs)

--digital audio tapes (DATs)

--digital compact cassettes (DCCs)

--DVDs

--IBM computers, compatibles and clones

--Apple computers and clones

--multimedia packages

--zip discs

--super discs

--jaz cartridges

Write (at least one page per format) a summary of each format, noting (a) its specifications, (b) potential problems, and (c) potential value in an educational/library setting.

Availability of Instructor:

Dr. Frank Hoffmann/Department of Library Science/Box 2236/Sam Houston State University/Huntsville, TX 77341

409-294-1289 (personal office; includes voice mail

409-294-1151 (department office)

409-294-1153 (department FAX)

lis_fwh@shsu.edu (e-mail)

713-298-2130 (home)