tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6454785292396322651.post1169912226951534655..comments2013-02-15T18:05:08.435-08:00Comments on LIS 6010 Blog: Collection Development PolicyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6454785292396322651.post-74900561298819138792009-08-09T08:47:05.392-07:002009-08-09T08:47:05.392-07:00Great Blog!! Thanks for the valuable resources on...Great Blog!! Thanks for the valuable resources on writing collection development policies. I especially enjoyed Derek Whitehead's article. It's a great introduction and overview of what is involved in the creation of collection development policies. I now have a better understanding of the topic. Thanks again.L.M.Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07572357805977195324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6454785292396322651.post-87442217549650686402009-08-09T06:28:41.110-07:002009-08-09T06:28:41.110-07:00I really like the layout of your blog. It was eas...I really like the layout of your blog. It was easy to read and learn about the aspects of different collection development policies. Thank you.Kate Van Aukenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03389962663663292551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6454785292396322651.post-76819858138358081592009-08-08T16:31:15.381-07:002009-08-08T16:31:15.381-07:00Since a collection development policy is largely i...Since a collection development policy is largely in the realm of theory for me I thought Snow must be overstating things when he says they are unnecessary. After all, I find it hard to disagree with creating a document whose purpose is to "lay down guidelines for selecting materials for the collection of the library" (Baddigam, 2009, Aug 6). There is nothing more fundamental than laying the groundwork for how to spend your money and where you want your library to go. However I was actually swayed by Snow's arguments since he gives me an insight into the practical realities of creating a policy.<br /><br />Snow's basic point is that "guidelines for selecting" make sense only if you know "where the library is, not simply where it wants to go" (Snow, 1996, Some Gentle Reservations section). And in order to figure that out you need to "come up with current strengths and weaknesses, and with how the library's materials are used" which "is a formidable undertaking" (Snow). It is so formidable that there is no objective criteria to follow and "the library winds up where it started, with the best collection it can attain relying on all the subjective choices from all the individuals who select books, periodicals and other materials" (Snow, Approval Plans section). In short, I take his argument to mean that you do not need to spend time on a document that in practice is useless in providing guidance. Snow is saying there is no way to write down an objective statement that everyone can follow when purchasing or weeding items because it all comes down to each librarians' intuition and individual experience.<br /><br />I have never actually tried to write a collection development policy so I am giving Snow the benefit of the doubt that it really is that difficult but it seems rather extreme that no consensus can be reached as to what should be included in the library's collection. Even if we want to "lay down guidelines" in his experience the collection development policy is not the place to do it. Although I would be curious to know whether Snow believes any statement of guidance is useful and practical such as in a vision or mission statement. <br /><br /> References<br /><br />Baddigam, G. (2009, August 6). Collection development policy. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from http://lis6010blog.blogspot.com/<br /><br />Snow, R. (1996). Wasted words: The written collection development policy and the academic library. <i>The Journal of Academic Librarianship</i>, 22, 191-194. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from Library Literature and Information Science Full Text database.G-manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04191031483565586340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6454785292396322651.post-76057765494270591012009-08-08T10:25:34.618-07:002009-08-08T10:25:34.618-07:00Great blog! I find Snow’s opinion on collection d...Great blog! I find Snow’s opinion on collection development to have merit. Common thought is that all libraries, including academic, need a written collection development policy. After my library visit to the Thomas M. Cooley Law School Library in Auburn Hills, I can see how academic schools can be an exception to the written collection development policy for several reasons. This first reason is that this is a law library and so its physical collection contains resources that are rarely updated. This is because these are typically primary sources, or books, which are compact in their design and are not in circulation. A smaller portion of material is circulated, but only by the students and faculty of the school (which is fairly small in size). Also, a vast portion of their collection comes from electronic research databases like Lexis-Nexis and Westlaw. The vendors of these sites manage the databases and maintain resources accuracy with no involvement of library staff. Thus, with rarely updated physical material and a strong reliance on outside vendors, I do not believe this library truly needs a written collection development policy. Even if one is being used, it must not be very extensive.Orien Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04601988003400672829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6454785292396322651.post-90425569433618036982009-08-07T21:44:09.019-07:002009-08-07T21:44:09.019-07:00Very interesting post w/ good research. This post ...Very interesting post w/ good research. This post could apply to our question on the Discussion Board about self publishing. Due to the controversy surrounding self publishing, a good collection policy might circumvent some potential problems.<br />In this ecoonomy, many more writers are using vanity presses. Some of these books are worthy of a good "look-over" and placement in a collection. Cataloging may well end up being the biggest problem.Gailhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06984749340307013914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6454785292396322651.post-50474282623850923212009-08-07T06:43:58.803-07:002009-08-07T06:43:58.803-07:00I would have thought that *fewer* books are being ...I would have thought that *fewer* books are being published. Considering the global economy and how the McGraw-Hills and the Cengages of the world are gobbling up smaller publishers, I wonder if that will change, or has changed. <br /><br />Since the materials needed for a collection go well beyond books, deciding what to acquire would seem like an impossible task without a comprehensive, living, collection development policy.Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00155162376670248075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6454785292396322651.post-3288811369993952042009-08-07T04:41:47.499-07:002009-08-07T04:41:47.499-07:00I agree that a collection policy is probably somet...I agree that a collection policy is probably something that is important to a library in regards to weeding and other considerations. You made a great suggestion that even if you do not use a policy for an entire section, perhaps it would be necessary for a certain subject area.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18242475150496737906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6454785292396322651.post-23768022271510574752009-08-06T22:24:08.166-07:002009-08-06T22:24:08.166-07:00Your note on Snow stuck out to me; I find it inter...Your note on Snow stuck out to me; I find it interesting that some would think that having a collection policy is unnecessary. With so many materials and types of materials being published, I would think having a directed policy would make acquisitions much easier and more valuable to the community.Greta Grondhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11473572920324565522noreply@blogger.com