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Running head: COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY

A COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY ANALYSIS


MEMORIAL HALL LIBRARY

Prepared for
Keith Rocci
Professor
Emporia State University

By
Holley Larsen
Emporia State University
October 17th, 2014

Running head: COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY


TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY iii
INTRODUCTION

Library of choice

Background

Patrons and usage

COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT MANUAL 2014 1


Purpose

Goals

Overview

MATERIALS SELECTION . 2
Policy

Responsibility for Selection . 2


Selection Source

... 2

Selection Criteria

... 2

Standing Orders

... 3

Replacement Copies ... 3


Patron Suggestions

... 3

Special Considerations . 3
Mending

... 3

GENERAL WEEDING

... 3

COLLECTION FORMATS .. 4
Adult Collection

... 4

Young Adult Collection 4


Childrens Collection ... 4
CONCLUSION

... 4

REFERENCES

... 6

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Analytical study of collection development
for collection Development and Management
This report evaluates the collection development of Memorial Hall Library, which
is the public institution of Andover, Massachusetts. It opened its doors in 1872. During
the past 142 years the library has grown into an invaluable advocacy center for its
community. Its budget that began with merely forty-five hundred dollars reached over
two million and an addition museum was established under its roof.
As Memorial Hall Library begins each fiscal year, it takes into account the citys
mission, core, and vision into its collection development plan. With most New England
towns, a City Meeting is held for open discussion with all community members.
Budget plans are presented for review and inspection. Serving a township with a
population of 33, 201, the library serves as an informational, educational, and cultural
hub for the Andover community.

Mission Statement - Memorial Hall Library's mission is to be an exceptional and


innovative public library for the Andover community. The library provides materials
in a wide variety of formats, as well as the space, technology, programs, and staffing
essential to providing 21st century public library service. (Andoverma.gov, 2014)

Vision Statement - Memorial Hall Library is a community partner dedicated to


helping the Town of Andover and its citizens realize their full potential. Library
patrons experience Memorial Hall Library as a responsive, vital resource meeting
their individual needs and offering a memorable and personal library experience.
Lives are enriched through a lifelong relationship with ideas, art, literature,
information, and technology. (Andoverma.gov, 2014)

Based on the report given for the 2014 year, it was evaluated for the purpose of
constructive learning and criticism for better understanding of collection development
and management.

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Running head: COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY


INTRODUCTION
Memorial Hall Public Library is located in a beautiful New England coastal town
located in Essex County Massachusetts. Andover is populated with 33,201 residents in a
land area of 32 square mile. This town was incorporated in 1646 and opened its first
library in 1872 with a budget of only forty-five hundred dollars. (Andover, 2014)
Like most New England townships, it is governed by an open town meeting-board
of selectmen-town manager form of government. This means that 5 Board of Selectmen
oversees the town, which are elected into office. Town Meeting serves as a legislative
body and allows all registered voters residing in a community the opportunity to
participate in the major decisions of the town. Town Meeting is facilitated by an elected
Town Moderator, who is also responsible for appointing a nine-member Finance
Committee, which in turn is responsible for advising Town Meeting on all matters
brought before it. Each year, registered voters have the opportunity to come out and
engage in the fiscal years budget plan. (Andover, 2014)
With the patrons they serve having a voice in the budget plan, the library has the
unique opportunity to know each year what it is the community expects of them. Most
libraries are moving from holdings just in case to access just in time strategies
(Biblarz, 2001). Andover is bypassing this step and expressing goals before the
purchasing even begins.
The patrons are not all community members, but the township is also home to
Phillips Academy Andover. PA is a highly selective prestigious high school that is coeducational for boarding and day students. This Academy houses its own academic
library, but also shares a lot of its resources with Memorial Hall (Andover, 2014). With
the conjoining agreement between the private academic library and the public, they are
able to bring more information to their users.
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT MANUAL 2014
The purpose of having a Collection Development Manual is to support the
mission, vision, and core values of the town and library system. The selection process is
made up of several different committees with their own members, allowing for not only
librarians, but also staff members to be part of the selection process. With so many ideas
and people a manual is needed to support the views and standards of the institution. This
allows for filtering personal biased opinions and the ability to identify gaps in the
different collections.
In the 2014 Collection Development Manual the Memorial Hall Library expressed
several goals, each one expressed was for the publics needs. The user was in the
forefront of every decision. The selectors were advised on keeping a balanced,
comprehensive, quality, diversity, and of adequate size to meet the needs of the users.
They were also instructed to be aware that all collections were up-to-date, attractive, and
well maintained. And lastly, to evaluate present formats and to familiarize the staff and
patrons with thee new formats being introduced into the library system.
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The overview of the various collections is summed up in six different outlines;
Importance of other information sources, multiple copies, Reference, purchasing of nonprint formats, deferred weeding, and the importance of better data collection methods and
tools. Each one provides a unique outlook on the different formats within a particular
collection. In the 2014 manual, the head of committees promised to the users that the
library will offer a diverse array of library services, including but not limited to, access to
computer stations, quiet and study group areas, lifelong learning programs, lectures,
author discussions, art displays and concerts; as well as, the continual growth in there
books and audio visual collections. (Anonymous, 2014)
MATERIALS SELECTION
The materials selection policy is to adhere to the mission statement previously
recorded. The Memorial Hall Library wishes to be an exceptional and innovative public
library for its community. However, library materials and information come in such a
wide variety of formats it focuses on purchasing materials in both print and non-print
forms.
Members of the staff select these materials after consulting professional review
media, as well as, the various online websites. The selection committee members will
consult with one another and to review the needs of the community. They will consult
with the circulation statistics recorded and also the requests gathered from the users.
However, the final responsibility for purchasing the materials resides with the director of
the library.
When selecting for a nonfiction collection, the selector consider the authors
popularity, competency, the information being presented, and the potential usefulness to
the librarys collection. The Memorial Hall Library takes a special effort to obtain
materials representing all sides of issues.
The library continues to update its materials in the areas of education, health,
government, technology, science, and a small allocation is reserved for current events and
new popular subjects. Local history and genealogical materials relating directly with the
township are also particularly sought after.
When selection for fiction materials, the selector must be aware of a wide variety
to satisfy the needs of all the users. Again, the selectors choose titles by reviews,
popularity of the author, and the appeal of the book to a specific audience, the writing
skill, and lastly, the literary reputation.
The Director will allocate the fiscal years budget and insures that the collection
adheres to the policy. The Assistant Director, however, has operational responsibilities for
the collections. Assigning the entire professional staff into subcommittees for selections.
Each committee members serves a purpose. Librarians will consult with the reviews and
recommended book lists, while additional professional staff members will be responsible
for the weeding, replacements, and augmentation.
Selection Sources are separated into two categories, one for print and the other for
online. Andover Townsmen are listed under print materials, giving them some
responsibility on what is purchased for the community. The criteria listed are in order of
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importance; the first is reviews, second is the demand of the material, third is the authors
qualifications, fourth is the format of the material, fifth is the visual appeal, followed by
the date and/ or series, and lastly the different editions.
A standing order is materials that rarely are reviewed and they are also important
enough for the institution to receive them in a timely manner, usually for annually
publications on specific topics. The Memorial Hall Library sets aside funds for the test
preparation guides, college guides, almanacs, audiobooks, travel series, and a few
selective reference titles.
A small portion of the funding is also set aside for replacement copies. During the
weeding process, selectors are to look at the physical appearance of books and lost items,
especially in high demand selected titles. The committees are responsible for recognizing
these situations and providing a replacement.
When dealing with patron requests a rubric was developed. For each title
requested the selector refers to the criteria listed and follow with the instructions given.
For example, if a book was purchased in the last two years and is sitting on the shelf at
another branch, the selector will borrow from that branch or through ILL. Borrowing is
always suggested first, however if it is requested a multiple of times the library will
purchase the items.
Special considerations are granted on materials purchased with the books and
materials budget on items they normally wouldnt consider for the collections. The
Memorial Hall Library does not collect textbooks or other related materials produced
specifically for schools, unless these materials serve a need for the general public. The
library will consider purchasing or adding in donations if the text covers a more broad are
of knowledge. This usually falls more in the undergraduate level texts, especially in
sciences and technology.
Duplicate copies are also considered a special consideration when more than one
copy will be ordered for every hold placed. The collections have limited space and will
eventually weed out the copies of popular titles. More copies can be bought for different
collections, however and this is where the special funding is needed. Different areas for
high browsing were created for such situations, such as, Book Club, Books to Go,
Browsing Collection, and Notable Books. These titles will be available in paperback
editions and will not be able to be renewed. Allowing for a more efficient turn-around.
Mending an item versus of weeding it out completely has its own rubric to follow,
similar to a patrons request. Giving the selectors options of mending, weeding, or
purchasing a completely new item. An example listed was if the book was still in
demand. The first option is to mend. If the materials appearance looks inadequate and no
other copies are in the system, then a purchase would be necessary. However if the
material in question were not considered a high demand item it would be weeded out of
the collection.
GENERAL WEEDING
Any number of reasons can occur when weeding out a general collection.
Identifying any incorrect or outdated materials is a necessity for the correct or up-to-date
materials to be purchased. Medial, legal, travel, tax and educational information can
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cause some serious complications to users. Eliminating it sufficiently and presenting the
new information benefits all involved.
The selectors must also take into accounts the materials no longer being used,
worn or damaged materials, and to increase circulation numbers. When materials are no
longer being used, if clutters the collections making it more difficult for the users to find
the materials they are actually looking for and/or need. It is also difficult to want to pick
up material that does not have a sense of attractiveness. Clean and in excellent shape are
very important to users and gives the message that the library cares and takes car of its
collections. As bewildering as it may seem, decreasing the size of a collection helps with
increasing circulation. A sense of an overcrowded collection makes it difficult for patrons
to want to browse and see what it available for them.
COLLECTION FORMATS
During the 2014 fiscal year, the Memorial Hall Library has separated the formats
into 3 different collections: Adult, Young Adult, and Childrens. The Adult collection
consists of all print collections: which consists of, fiction, large print, Books-to-Go, the
paperback browsing, notable books, nonfiction, and periodicals and newspapers. It also is
made up of Audiobooks, foreign language CDs, DVDS, music CDs, and CD-ROMs. It is
lastly made up of a digital media collection; which has, e-books, e-audio, and recently
added electronic resource streaming.
The Young Adult collection is a compilation of nonfiction and fiction suitable for
twelve to seventeen year olds. Graphic novels, magazines, audiobooks, music CDs and
video games are also purchased with the age restriction. E-books on the overdrive were
also added recently.
The Childrens Collection consists of many different formats and editions. An
assortment of board books, picture books, and beginning readers were added for the
nonfiction and fiction collections. Chapter books, graphic novels, music CDs, DVDs, and
toys were added to the list. Selectors were asked to purchase items for babies to 12 years
old.
CONCLUSION
As the review on the collection development plan for this public library, much
was discovered in its process. A phone interview and intensive study into the community
the library in question serves brought to light the intense standard the selectors must
perform when participating on a collection committee.
While a lot of the power and control reside in the users, suggests to many cooks in
the kitchen scenario. Many diverse communities have a lot of powerful views and wish to
establish a particular viewpoint inside an institution like this. Even though, the staff of the
Memorial Hall Library seems to have a hold on the situation, it is not addressed anywhere
in the Manual. It also provides a certain limitation on controversial topics to how
quickly items can be released to the public. While other popular items are freely
purchased and available in a sufficient time.
Having a limited access to the academic library within the city limits, allows for a
wider content in a more quickly. Again, however it is not part of the manual that
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Running head: COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY


staff issue to Town Meeting. It is more of a mutual agreement among colleagues,
suggesting that the arrangement is weak and could be eliminated at any moment. Patrons
who have grown dependent on those resources could potentially be hurt by the
arrangement.
Overall, the policy adheres to the general guidelines. A librarys worth is
measured by the collection it houses. It provides the necessary elements the help new
and old staff members conduct the jobs they are required to do. It is well articulated and
gives rubrics when required. Above all it is user centered and follows the missions and
goals it was set out to do.

Running head: COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY

REFERENCES
"Andoverma.gov." - Official Website of the Town of Andover, MA. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 20
Oct. 2014.
Bibkarz, Dora. Guidelines for a Collection Development Policy; Using the Conspecus
Model. Tech. Comp. A&CD Standing Committee. N.p.: International Federation
of Library Associations and Institutions Section on Acquisition and Collection
Development, 2001. Print.
"Chronology of Significant Events and Innovations in the History of Memorial Hall
Library." MHL: MHL History. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
"Home Page." Memorial Hall Library Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2014.
"Phillips Academy." - An Independent Boarding High School. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct.
2014.

Running head: COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY

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