Library and Information Studies @ FIX University

LIS 531 - Collection Management

LIS 531 COLLECTION MANAGEMENT

WINTER 2012

Calendar Description:
An analytical approach to collection management including the acquisition, review and evaluation of collections.

Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, a student will be able to:
1.  Assess the needs of a community in relation to a particular collection.
2.  Develop and administer basic collection management programs.
3.  Develop and administer basic collection policies and procedures for a variety of materials.

Content:          

• Information needs assessment and community study
• Selection and management principles, policies, and procedures in various settings
• Production and distribution of resources
• Selection, acquisition, access and ownership for different types of resources
• Budgeting, planning and decision-making cycles
• Negotiation of technology licensing agreements
• Relationships between vendors, publishers, platform Provides and libraries
• Outsourcing and privatization
• Intellectual freedom and censorship
• Preservation
• Deselection
• Evaluation

Methods:         
Lectures, guest lectures, in-class discussions, readings, case studies, workshops, group work, tour, and student presentations.

Course Relationships:
Pre-requisites:  LIS 501, 502, 503, 504 & 505.

Assignments and Weighting:
Class Contribution 10%
Reader Response Assignment 20%
Community Study Report 40%; plus 10% for secondary reporting
Other Materials Assignment 20%

Details of these assignments, due dates, late penalties, etc. are attached. Raw scores (marks on assignments) are totalled at the end of the course and converted to University of Alberta’s letter grading scale.

Required Readings:
Specified chapters of Developing Library and Information Center Collections. G.Edward Evans & Margaret Zarnosky Saponaro.  Westport, CT:  Libraries Unlimited. Other required readings throughout the semester, as specified in class, will be made available on the print reserve shelf in Henderson Hall, online, and through library databases as appropriate.

Academic Integrity:
The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect.  Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at http://www.governance.ualberta.ca/) and avoid any behaviour which could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence.  Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.

LIS 531 COLLECTION MANAGEMENT

WINTER 2012

Assignments and Weighting

• Class Contribution (10%)

  Class contribution is individual contribution for the benefit of the class as a whole. Contribution is a collective exercise. The purpose is for all members of the class to join comfortably in the process. Factors to be considered in class contribution include, but are not necessarily limited to: presence, preparation, attitude, group interaction (including listening as well as speaking), general class contributions, and cooperative work outside of class. 

• Reader Response Assignment (20%)

  Write a 4 page response paper to the following article:
  
  Juris Dilevko, “An Alternative Vision of Librarianship: James Danky and the Sociocultural Politics of Collection Development.” Library Trends 56, no. 3 (2008), 678-704.
  
  The article is accessible online here: http://www.moyak.com/papers/james-danky.pdf 
  
  In your approach, the focus falls on [you] the reader and the process of reading rather than on the author or the text. A reader response asks [you] the reader to examine, explain and defend your personal reaction to a reading. You are asked to explore why you like or dislike the reading, explain whether you agree or disagree with the author, identify the reading's purpose, and critique the text. Reading and writing "critically" does not mean the same thing as "criticizing," in everyday language. Your response can and should be positive and praise the text if possible, as well as pointing out problems, disagreements and shortcomings. There is no right or wrong answer to a reader-response. But it is important that you demonstrate an understanding of the reading and clearly explain and support your reactions. In so doing, you may find it helpful to draw on readings, resources, discussions, guest lectures, etc. from the course to-date and as related to other courses, LIS discourse, and so on. Your response may raise more questions than it answers.
  
  You can work with some of the following jumping-off points: To what extent does the text agree or clash with your worldview? To what extent were your views and opinions challenged or changed by this text? To what extent does the text address things that you care about and consider important? How well did you enjoy the text (or not) as an LIS 531 reading? What is your overall reaction to the text? Is there something like this you would rather read instead? Why or why not? Would you recommend this text for future LIS 531 students? Why or why not?
  
  The papers should be written in formal language (but first person is fine), double-spaced in 12 pt. font, with 1” margins and including page numbers. To save paper, do not make a separate title page. Put your student identification number and the number of the course (e.g., LIS 531 SAMEK) at the top of the first page. To ensure that I mark without bias, do not give your name. Follow a style guide of your choice (e.g., MLA) on matters of style (if other sources used). The Faculty of Education requires the use of inclusive language.
  
  I will look for the following in any paper: clearly stated ideas; well organized discussions or arguments; clear conclusion; appropriate supporting documentation (if other sources used); quality of thought; command of grammatical and structural conventions; appropriateness of bibliographic citations (if other sources used); and, thorough proofreading.
  
  Evaluation: appropriate length of response —1; critical density (level of critical approach to the text)—5; organization and clarity of ideas—5; command of grammatical and structural conventions—3; thorough proofreading—1. 

• Community Study Report (40% plus 10% for secondary reporting)

  This assignment is to be done with a partner. Choose a library collection. Your choice should be a collection small enough and unique enough so that the community served by this library collection can be readily identified and described: a small public library, a branch of a large public library, a small community college library, a subject library within a larger public or university library, a school library, a special library, etc. The collection can be real, modified, in the planning stages, or imaginary.
  
  Prepare a report on your community. This report should be considered as the first step in the management of your library collection. The report must cover the following topics.
  
  1. Presentation of the relevant data for a background study of the community served by this collection. A brief history is often appropriate.
  2. A critical analysis of the data. Tables, charts, graphs, maps, etc. may be included either within the text or as appendices.
  3. A brief indication of the information needs of your community.
  4. Recommendations (both general and specific) for your collection, based on your findings.
  
  Start with a title page for the report, an executive summary, and a table of contents. Attach a mock cover letter explaining why the study was done and to whom it is being presented. This will help provide a focus and format for the report.
  
  You must collectively provide a brief statement for the instructor (appended to the top of the report) indicating which elements of the report are based on actual information and which are invented (fictional) for the purposes of the assignment.
  
  You must also each provide a brief individual report (a maximum of one page in length) outlining the process of how you and your partner developed your community study. This individual process report is worth 5 marks.
  
  The report should be about 10 typed pages (1/12 spacing), exclusive of title page, executive summary, table of contents, appendices, etc. Additional information concerning content, structure, and style will be presented in class.
  
  Your choice both of partner and of library collection should be discussed with the instructor and approved in writing [e-mail is fine] by January 26.
  
  This assignment is due on February 16 at 9 am.
  
  Late penalty: 1 mark (out of 40) per day for the first two weeks, then 1 mark (out of 40) per week.
  
  Be prepared as a team to tell your classmates about your collection and community (an informal 8-10 minute presentation) in class on March 1 & 8.
  
  Total allocation of marks:
  
  Paired Community Study    40 marks
  Individual Process Report     5 marks
  Paired Informal Presentation 5 marks

• Other Materials (20%)

  On a first-come, first-serve basis, sign-up on the list posted on the bulletin board located outside the instructor’s office door for one of the materials listed below (or you may suggest a topic not on the list)
  • Annual Reports
  • American Sign Language DVD/videos
  • Art
  • Braille works
  • Conference proceedings
  • DAISY products
  • Data
  • Descriptive videos
  • E-books
  • Equipment Catalogues
  • Free Materials
  • Games
  • Graphic novels
  • Gray literature
  • Human collections
  • Kits
  • Large print materials
  • Magazines
  • Maps
  • Multilingual materials
  • Music
  • Music scores
  • Newsletters
  • Newspapers
  • Out-of-print books
  • Paperbacks
  • Patents
  • Picture books
  • Standards
  • Talking books
  • Technical Reports
  • Theses
  • Toys
  • Translations
  • Videogames
  • Zines
  Prepare a 12 minute presentation for your classmates on your topic.  Timekeeping will be rigorous; you will not be allowed to run over 12 minutes.  Please practise and time yourself before class.  Remember to address your fellow classmates, not the instructor.
  Cover at least the following; how to find out about; how to select; how to order; any special acquisition and handling problems.
  Your topic should be chosen by February 16. Topics are taken on a first-come first-serve basis on the sign-up sheet. Presentations will take place on March 29 and April 5. Presentations will be organized alphabetically by topic title. 
  Also prepare an electronic 4-page resource guide, giving references for sources of information about your material and listing appropriate acquisition tools. Include your name and the date in this resource guide. Each class member is responsible for sending the electronic guide to the class email list (which will be provided by the instructor) by April 5 at 9am. Resource guides from the past several years will be accessible in the LIS 531 box in Henderson Hall.

Note: Raw scores (i.e. marks on assignments) are totalled at the end of the course and converted to the letter-grading scale. The specifics of each assignment are distributed and discussed in class.

LIS 531 WINTER 2012
PROVISIONAL SCHEDULE 
Jan 12  Introduction to the Course
           Orientation to Resources & Reading Schedule
           Outsourcing & Privatization

Jan 19  Out of Class: Choose Community Study Partners & Potential Collections

Jan 26  Introducing the Community Study & Approaches to Evaluation
           Collection as “Canon” (10:15 am)
           Community Study Must Be Settled & Work Started

Feb 2   Selection Policies & Procedures
           Budgeting, Planning & Decision-making Cycles

Feb 9   Intellectual Freedom & Censorship
           Managing Challenges

Feb 16  Negotiating Technology Licensing Agreements (9 am)
           Community Study Assignment Deadline
           Other Materials Sign-up Deadline

Feb 23  READING WEEK

Mar 1   Community Study Presentations
           Relationships Btw Vendors, Publishers, Platform Provides & Libraries (10:30 am)

Mar 8   Community Study Presentations Cont.
           Shifts & Rifts: In Selection, Acquisitions, Access & Ownership
           Reader Response Deadline

Mar 15  Preservation
            Field Trip to BARD

Mar 22  Selection Tools & Reviews
            Deselection (10:30 am)

Mar 29  Other Materials Presentations

Apr 5    Other Materials Presentations Cont.

Apr 12   TBA

Readings and Resources 2012

REQUIRED READINGS:

Specified chapters of Developing Library and Information Center Collections. G. Edward Evans & Margaret Zarnosky Saponaro. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.

Supplementary readings throughout the semester, as specified in class, will be made available on the print reserve shelf in Henderson Hall, online, and through library databases as appropriate.

Textbook Readings Schedule:

January 12     ---

January 19     CHAPTERS 1 & 2

January 26     CHAPTER 5 & 14

February 2     CHAPTERS 3 & 10 &12

February 9     CHAPTER 18

February 16   CHAPTERS 6 & 7

February 23   ---

March 1     CHAPTER 11

March 8     CHAPTER 15

March 15   CHAPTER 16

March 22   CHAPTER 4 & 13

March 29   ---

April 5      ---