More PDA Needed in Libraries (Patron-Driven Acquisition, that is!)

Laudato, Maricar

Ward, S. M. (2014). Patrons: Your new partners in collection development. American Libraries Magazine.

Summary

Suzanne Ward describes how Patron-Driven Acquisition (PDA) can help increase the circulation statistics of the library. The ways in which PDA increases circulation is through purchases triggered by: Interlibrary Loan (ILL) requests, selection from a vendor’s list, and use after discovery as an eBook. Whenever a library receives an ILL request, the library may just purchase the item since it is in demand from its patrons. In regards to eBooks, after patrons check out a particular title in eBook format a particular number of times, the library orders the book since it is in demand.

Evaluation

Ward’s article is another example that underlines the importance of patron input when it comes to developing your library’s collection. Patron participation in the collection development process is critical to not only help foster healthy circulation statistics, but to create a more meaningful collection for our patrons. While Patron-Driven Acquisition will not completely replace the Librarian’s final say in what gets added to the collection, PDA should definitely play a significant role in the acquisition process.

Match Point: Online Readers Advisory for Teens

Laudato, Maricar

Bass, H. (2014). Teens and personalized reading lists: A perfect match*. Young Adult Library Services, (Spring), 21-23.

Summary

In this article, Hayden Bass details how the teen services librarians at Seattle Public Library piloted an online readers’ advisory program that was popular among teens. For this program, librarians provided personalized reading lists to teens who emailed them information on the types of books they liked to read. The teen librarians called this program, “Your Next Five Books” (YN5) because they would recommend five titles based on the teens' likes, complete with links to the catalog and short abstracts of each title. The article outlines how this service was an immediate success, mainly because the teens liked the personalized service and human interaction with an adult who is truly listening and paying attention to their interests and needs.

Evaluation

This article showed me the important role that readers’ advisory should play in collection development. Since the nature of readers’ advisory is grounded in human interaction, librarians should use this interaction with patrons as an opportunity to gauge which types of books to add to the collection. Also, it is important to note that teens are an underserved population because many are afraid to “bother” the librarians at the desk face-to-face. Perhaps we could serve more teens if we can provide them with readers’ advisory web forms since teens like the convenience and confidentiality afforded by web forms; all the while still providing personalized service to teens. In addition, this article underlined the importance of getting patron input in regards to understanding their reading interests. 

Dr. Loertscher Article on Collection Development

Terry Funk

CA

Loertscher, D. V. (2014). The Library Learning Commons Collection Is Core--Or Is It. Teacher Librarian, 41(4), 48.

Summary: The author identifies 18 shifts in collection development from traditional practices to what can be achieved in a Learning Commons. These are:

·         From ownership to “access to”
·         From balanced collections to focused collections
·         From what the critics prefer to what users prefer and will use
·         From librarian selected to collaboratively selected
·         From tight budgeting to focused budgeting by curricular need
·         From an isolated collection to a networked collection
·         From static holding to elastic responsive collections
·         From availability from a central place to access 24/7/365
·         From single format to multiple formats on preferred devices
·         From controlled cataloging to curated crowd tagging
·         From central storage to distributed storage and retrieval
·         From only commercially published to student and teacher created
·         From down the hall to the hand held device
·         From classified collections to tagged and mobile collections
·         From general collections to chunked collections supporting specific curricular targets
·         From book budgets to collection chunks supported by a variety of sources
·         From bloated textbook budgets to well-supported information blocks where the library is the common core
·         From hoping to make a difference to measures demonstrating impact on literacy and curricular understanding

Evaluation: From my experience in a Special Collections department, I see a tradition of storing printed material versus the desire to have the collections available digitally in the future. A limited number of directories, maps and newspapers are available on library databases and the department is part of a much larger library and the San Diego Circuit.  Most of the materials must be viewed in person and cannot be checked out. Having the means to go digital – that is purchasing technology for older, fragile printed materials, plus the cost of staffing such a project seems ambitious. Libraries seem to be in some transition between the traditional and the shifts listed above. 

Presidential Library Websites Article

By Terry Funk
CA

Lamb, A., & Johnson, L. (2015). Rethinking President's Month Projects through Presidential Library Websites. Teacher Librarian, 42(3), 64-68.

Rethinking President's Month Projects through Presidential Library Websites

Summary: This article is jammed packed with resources/links for engaging youth during February - Presidents’ month. It includes: Digital exhibits and collections, primary source documents, photos, cartoons, audio, and video. The article explains the strengths of various formats by giving a link to one or more Presidents, e.g. photographs – Kennedy library media gallery. Several sites have a kids’ links and lesson plans. Themes such as American Disabilities Act, Civil Rights, and Energy and Environment that span across Presidential terms are also great topics for study. Instead of having students write a paper, the article suggests creating online presentations, using timelines, apps, and social media and supplies the information on how to do that. Of course, teaching students how to use search tools and other options is key to successfully navigation of online resources.

Evaluation: Wow! Great article for Teacher Librarians to refer to when collaborating with History/Social Science teachers across grade levels about Presidents. I never realized this treasure trove of information about Presidents existed online. The 20^th Century Presidents are associated with National Archive and Records Administration (NARA) Cooperative Program http://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/ and earlier presidents have libraries associated with nonprofit organizations and foundations. So glad I found this!

Diverse Collections

by Bliss, Jennifer

Naidoo, J. (2014). The Importance of Diversity in library programs and material collections for children. Retrieved from: http://www.ala.org/alsc/sites/ala.org.alsc/files/content/ALSCwhitepaper_importance%20of%20diversity_with%20graphics_FINAL.pdf

This article discusses the need for diverse materials (print and digital) in all library spaces. Library collections should reflect the community, and since communities are made up of a variety of people, the collection of the library should as well, "Stories help children understand how society perceives their culture as well as the cultures of their classmates, teachers, caregivers, and others, thereby influencing their social identity development" (Naidoo, 2014, p2). The fact that we as librarians have the ability to have such as impact at defining their identity can be an overwhelming task, "Diverse, culturally authentic materials in library collections allow all children to meet people like themselves and develop an appreciation for the beauty of their culture and the cultures of others" (Naidoo, 2014, p3). 

If children only see stereotypes of their culture displayed, or worse, an absence of their culture, their perceptions are negatively effected. Activities such as El dia de los ninos (Children's Day) celebrates children and connects them to the wold of learning through books, stories, and libraries. It has been proven that, "including diversity in its programs and collections, the library has the potential for helping children make cross-cultural connections and develop the skills necessary to function in a culturally pluralistic society" (Naidoo, 2014, p5). 

Having the opportunity to change an attitude a child has towards a particular culture or group, has the potential to be rewarding and fulfilling. The article makes great points about the importance of incorporating and building a collection of materials that are rich in diversity. Unfortunately, there is still a lack of published work that offers that diverse perspective. According to Naidoo, in the last 20 years, the percentage of diverse books published has not changed (remains around 8%). 

Meta-Collaboration: Thinking with another

Bliss, Jennifer

Desautlets, L. (2015). Edutopia. Meta-collaboration: Thinking with another. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/meta-collaboration-thinking-with-another-lori-desautels

This article focuses on changing the way we approach student learning by working with students and teachers to become co-teachers. The idea to get students to think and share about they way their brains work, they process and evaluation information, and how they problem solve. By becoming a co-teacher (a student will be the other teacher) students will gain the perspectives of others and think hopefully adopt some of the strategies and ideas shared with their classmates.

Although the article is small, and I am not sure how you would use the students as co-teachers, it is an interesting way to approach a new subject. If students can begin to think in steps about how they problem solve and process information, they can approach any learning subject with a new understanding.

YA Authors and Intellectual Freedom

By Terry Funk

CA 

Shoemaker, J. (2011). Nine YA authors talk about intellectual freedom. Voice Of Youth Advocates, 34(2), 122-129.

On one side of the intellectual freedom (IF) issue are readers. Do teens know that they are free to inquire about anything that interests them? Do they feel free to make such inquires?    

On the other side of IF are the authors of YA literature and for this article they respond to questions about their own experiences. In response to the question:  Have your books ever been challenged?  Several authors make the distinction between open challenge (which can be viewed as a badge of honor) and passive challenges – not acquiring their book(s). Sometimes the challenge comes from editors rather than the public who want the author to know that crossing certain boundaries (such as language, sex or drugs) will limit sales. One author had several invitations to visit schools rescinded when they found out more about his books. Using the F-word even once can change sales (especially when the audience is a middle school). The n-word is also an issue, even in Twain’s classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. One author discussed not putting in anything too raw (content) although, reconsideration of a book is often focused on the choice of words rather than content, even when the content seems much more questionable. Another indicated that nothing is taboo in YA except perhaps intelligence – adults sometimes distrust an intelligent protagonist, such as the mathematical prodigy in John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines.

Evaluation: In the effort to write realistically for teens, authors may find that their works are not reaching the shelves for the intended audience because of the objections of adults who may disagree with the author about controversial topics or the language in the book. Some authors are more flexible about content and revision during the publication process while others are ready to defend their stand on issues or language as it is written. Also, librarians are choosing books that they believe have relatable characters and reflect the culture(s) of their students. While more publishers and authors are concerning themselves with diversity and including characters with many different backgrounds in their works, librarians may choose books that mirror students’ lives. Of course the case can also be made that we need books about all types of people not just those like us. Authors write for different reasons and their ideas of what is “best” is also varied. The discussion lends insight into the way different stakeholders play a part in deciding what teens are reading today.

Discovering which Discovery Tools to Choose

Rebecca Perkins

Chickering, F. c., & Yang, S. y. (2014). Evaluation and Comparison of Discovery Tools: An Update. Information Technology & Libraries, 33(2), 5-30.

Summary:  “Search technology has evolved far beyond federated searching. The concept of a ‘Next Generation Catalog’ has merged with this idea, and spawned a generation of discovery tools bringing almost Google-like power to library searching.” In this updated review of discovery tools adoption within the United States, "fourteen major discovery tools (three open source and ten proprietary)" were evaluated and compared to one another using sixteen benchmarking criteria the authors call “advanced features of a ‘next generation catalog’…and some of the most desirable features for a modern OPAC.”

Evaluation:  I found this article very helpful for choosing a discovery system. While I am not sure if this will be considered as directly tied to the content of this course, I have to argue that even the best collection management techniques are not worth much if patrons can’t find the collections you’re managing.

The authors used five steps to create and complete their study. The first step was to compile a list of all the major discovery tools and list libraries that actually use them. To do this they used a combination of Breeding’s published guide and vendor lists. The published guide had sixteen discovery tools listed but this study excluded “Two open-source discovery layers, SOPAC (the Social OPAC) and Scriblio” because the authors did not find a library that actually uses these tools.  I found this list very helpful not only in identifying tools and sites but also because the links to each library allow a researcher to be able to contact and question staff on their satisfaction with the tool. It also exposed me to a few discovery tools I was not aware of!

The second step was the development of a set of criteria for evaluation. For this the authors used a combination of criterion used by previous studies and desired features expressed by librarians. These criteria include but are not limited to “one-stop search for all library resources,” with a “state-of-the-art web interface” which includes enriched content, faceted navigation, simple keyword search box with a link to advanced search, spell-checking, recommended/related materials listing, and allows for user contribution and mobile compatibility.

The last three steps include examining four to seven websites where a discovery tool was deployed and evaluating each tool against each criteria; Recording the findings; and Analyzing the data. All of these steps combined allow libraries to discover which discovery tool to choose based on their library’s needs and which criteria is most important to the community of library users.

Serving Non-English Speakers in Public Libraries

Hubschman, Amy

ALA Office for Research and Statistics (2007) Serving Non-English Speakers in U.S. Public Libraries: 2007 Analysis of Demographics, Programs and Services. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/offices/sites/ala.org.offices/files/content/olos/nonenglishspeakers/docs/Linguistic_Isolation_Report-2007.pdf

Summary:
This report, conducted by the ALA, discusses the services and programs offered by 480 public libraries across the United States.  The ALA used surveys to find out specifically what kind of services and programs libraries were offering their Non-English speakers, as well as, what kinds of programs and services were requested by their non-English speakers.  The goal of the research was to summarize the current non-English language trends found in libraries across the country and suggest ways libraries can remove any "language barriers" their patrons may face while utilizing the public library.

Evaluation:
The findings from the ALA report highlight the growing importance of the Spanish language and cultural in our country.  The report indicates that Spanish will be the predominant home language of U.S. school children, as well as, the majority of library patrons by 2020.  The paper lists ideas that libraries and librarians can use to help alleviate some of the barriers their non-English speaking patrons may face.  Some of the simple but effective ideas the report listed were: displaying a "welcome" sign in English and Spanish, offering informal ESL classes to patrons, offering storytime to toddlers in Spanish,  etc.

By Terry Funk

CA

Moulton, E. E. (2014). Bibliotherapy for teens: Helpful tips and recommended fiction. Retrieved from: http://www.slj.com/2014/11/teens-ya/bibliotherapy-for-teens-helpful-tips-and-recommended-fiction/#_

Summary: This is a recollection of real life encounters with a reference desk librarian helping teens navigate the shelves for books about topics related to Mental Health. More than informational texts, teens wanted fiction books that give understanding of various conditions, e.g. Anxiety, Asperger’s, etc. She created a display with several realistic teen fiction books, and the next day six of eight books in the display were checked out. The author gives some statistics about teens and Mental Illness and what bibliotherapy promises which is basically insight for a teen with the condition(s), family, peers and others.  

Evaluation: The list of books under 12 specific conditions is very helpful since the term Mental Illness is vast and encompasses many different conditions. Also, labels sometimes carry stigma and authors may avoid them. The librarian contacted authors to verify categories when MARC records were unclear. For more about individual titles, one might want to prepare an annotated bibliography from this list. There are still not enough books for teens about Mental Illness and situations that may affect emotional/mental well-being, such as substance abuse, rape, etc. and finding books on the shelves helps teens realize they are not alone, that others have had similar experiences. The author also points out that while not a substitute for therapy, readers gain insight on problem-solving and coping skills in the lives of characters, and that understanding and knowledge may be transferable to their own lives. There is also a place for comments and discussion.