Teens & Technology: Connecting to Health Information

Laudato, Maricar

Farmer, L. (2014). Issues in teen technology use to find health information. The Journal of Research on Libraries and Young Adults, 4(1). April 27, 2015.

Summary

Lesley Farmer’s article outlines the information seeking behavior of teens in regards to them looking for information related to health issues. She says that teens seek health information when they need it or are in fear about their health (are afraid that they may be sick), rather than being proactive about wanting to maintain or stay healthy. Another reason they may seek health info is because they value anonymity because of a health condition they may feel embarrassed asking about (acne, mental illness, sexuality). Because of this, a great majority of teens will not seek librarians for help. Rather, teens will oftentimes go to the internet first for confidentiality reasons. Due to the information-sensitive nature of the content teens are seeking, Farmer lists ways in which libraries can help connect teens with the health information they seek. 

Evaluation

I wanted to read this information because of HIPAA laws. In what capacity can librarians aid patrons, especially minors such as teens, find the health information they need? For example, what types of reference interview questions are we permitted to ask, and which ones should we refrain from asking at all? As a librarian working at a school, sometimes I hear too much information that a teen divulges about their personal well-being that I am mandated to report (i.e. suicidal thoughts, abuse, etc). I found Farmer’s suggestions on how libraries could still involve themselves in helping teens (whether directly in person or as an intermediary by including/referring good health website links on our website) as something I’d consult in the future.

The Fight of the Century: Dewey vs. Genre Classification Systems

Laudato, Maricar

Buchter, H. (2013). Dewey vs. genre throwdown. Knowledge Quest, 42(2), 50-57.

Summary

In this article, Holli Buchter outlines the overhaul of the Red Hawk elementary school library’s classification system from the Dewey Decimal System to an organization system based on genre named after her, the BCS (Buchter Classification System). In this system, fiction books are organized by genre, nonfiction books are organized by subject, and all “call numbers” on the spine are word based—there are no numbers. The result—it was a success with the entire community and circulation statistics across fiction and nonfiction titles went way up, especially when compared to neighboring schools that still utilized the DDC.

Evaluation

 

I’ve been talking about overhauling our classification system from Dewey to a subject specific one as well, but it terrifies me because I love being organized. A project of such magnitude would involve getting used to a large measure of chaos, especially in the beginning. I’m hoping to see if there are any local high school libraries who have done this already so that there is some type of model that our school library can refer to. It’s going to take a lot of teeth-pulling, however, to get a project like this approved! 

Teen Services: A Call to Action

Laudato, Maricar

Institute of Museum and Library Services. (2014). Executive Summary: The Future of Library Services for and with Teens: A Call to Action (pp. 1-59, Rep.). Chicago, IL: Young Adult Library Services Association. www.ala.org/yaforum/project-report

Summary

In this 59-page report, the Institute of Museum and Library Services works in conjunction with YALSA to provide an in-depth analysis on the issues affecting teens today and how libraries can utilize its resources to best serve them. Things to note: there have been a drastic decrease in library services available to teens due to library closures, reduced hours, lack of trained staff, and insufficient resources to attend to their specific developmental needs. In addition, there has been a significant shift in the demographics of the teen profile, which is becoming increasing of minority and/or immigrant background, while those staff in the field of librarianship is still overwhelmingly Caucasian. It has also been seen in the report that teens are entering the workforce without any critical skills, which is extremely problematic.

Evaluation

I’ve been wanting to read this report for quite some time now. As you can probably already tell from my choices in additional reading, my bent is in school and teen librarianship. While this report was lengthy, I found that the material was relevant to what I see in front of me every day. However, the teens I work with are definitely teens who are the “haves” and not the “have nots” so they do not have to worry about the digital divide. But from my previous stint as an English high school teacher in urban Los Angeles, I can attest to the fact that the inequities are real, and that libraries have an opportunity to be the “equalizers” in this social dilemma. For the teens I used to teach, they did not have access to a computer at home, and they had to wait in line to use the computer in the library during its limited operating hours. I feel that this report was not that eye-opening because I’ve seen the bad stuff first-hand, but it’s good for those communities that, I suppose, are not exposed to the inequities that teens face in regards to library services. The good thing that the report does do, however, is make suggestions on how to improve library services for teens.

Weeding Made Easy

Laudato, Maricar

Kalan, A. P. (2014). The practical librarian's guide to collection development: Weeding and acquisition made easier. American Libraries Magazine.

Summary

Abby Kalan offers tips on both the weeding and acquisition process. She jumps right into her weeding process because it provides her insights on what not to purchase when it comes to the acquisition process. Quick weeding tips include getting rid of subject areas that change rapidly such as guidebooks, books with shifting political, scientific, or technological content, and books that are now politically incorrect. As for easy acquisitions, getting books that are always in high demand from patrons, such as bestsellers are no-brainers. When it comes to ordering non-fiction, it’s best to order materials that have been published within the past 1-2 years.

Evaluation

 

I thought that Kalan’s article provided an excellent introductory overview if you’re new to the weeding process. I wish she had written this article when we started extensive weeding back in 2011. But I’m glad that I have access to the article now. Even though I’m already doing what she outlines what you should keep in mind while weeding, it’s nice to see it written down somewhere. I plan on adapting her article and adding it to our section on weeding in our collection development policy.

Bringing Mental Illness & YA Literature to the Forefront

Laudato, Maricar

Scrofano, D. (2015). Not as crazy as it seems: Discussing the new YA literature of mental illness in your classroom or library. Young Adult Library Services.

Summary

Diane Scrofano underlines the importance of including literature that focus on the topic of mental illness into your classroom or library’s collection if your patrons are young adults. The reason for this, she argues, is because the age of onset, for a majority of the lifetime cases of mental illness, are those from 14-24 years old. She writes how, unfortunately, having a mental illness continues to have a stigma attached to it. Because of this, many teens affected by mental illness have no source of literature that they can see themselves (or their family/friends) on the written page and have their experience be validated.

Evaluation

Diane Scrofano makes a compelling case for including literature on mental illness into our libraries’ collections. I recently attended the YALLWEST book festival in Santa Monica this past April and one of the author panels was “I’m a Basketcase.” It was an awesome panel in which these best-selling authors that you would think have their ducks all in order shared their fears and personal experiences with mental illness. I thought it was really brave of them to do that, especially with all of the stigma associated with being mentally ill. I feel that the more that mental illness becomes part of the dialogue in regards to human rights, in the same vein that cultural diversity is, it will only help us to serve the developmental needs of our teens better.

The Future of School Library Collections

Laudato, Maricar

Stephens, W. (2014). Checking out tomorrow's school library collections. Young Adult Library Services. 18-20.

Summary

In this article, Wendy Stephens talks to school librarians about the current and future directions as to what the ideal school library collection should look like. Stephens observes that most school libraries are seeing a decrease in their nonfiction and reference print collection due to an increase in subscription to online databases. While there was a definite trend in the overall decrease in print resources, the seemed to be an increase in the amount of print books in the fiction collection. Stephens also discusses the increasing role that Common Core State Standards is playing in how school library collections are being developed, even if the school is not a common core school. Stephens relates that since the overall climate is leaning towards adopting Common Core across the nation, school libraries would do well to take heed of these standards when planning the collection.

Evaluation

For the most part, I agree with Stephens’ observations on school library collections because I have seen it mirrored in the school library I work at. When I started working at the school library 5 years ago, our collection consisted of over 30,000 print materials. Now, after extensive weeding projects to prepare for the renovation last summer, our collection has been trimmed to a lean 9000 print resources. And we don’t miss those sources at all; we got rid of a lot of the “fat” from our collection. Any information lost has been supplanted by superior updated information by the databases we have subscribed to since I got hired. And we still order books despite all of the weeding…constantly, in fact. They just happen to be mostly fiction books that teens request, or print books and/or audiovisual resources that faculty request for curricular support.

Rethinking How We Organize Teen Spaces and Collections

Laudato, Maricar

Pattee, A. (2014). Rethinking library collections for young adults. Young Adult Library Services, 15-17.

Summary

In this article, Amy Pattee wants her readers to reconsider how young adult library collections are organized. In regards to the physical space, Pattee feels that placing literature that is deemed as “young adult” in the teen section is preventing adults who like reading ‘YA” books from accessing those materials. The same thing happens to teens who may like readings books that are in the “adult” collection. Pattee argues that this problem would be solved if librarians interfiled the young adult and adult print collection together. If libraries put the YA print collection with the adult collection, Pattee argues that it would free up the teen space for other opportunities, such as creating a Makerspace or create a computer lab.

Amy Pattee also discusses the importance of promoting the library’s eBook collection to teens. According to a Pew Internet Study, less than a 1/3 of adults own ereaders, and even fewer young adults. It is unclear whether teens are using their cell phones to access eBooks. Because of this, Pattee argues that librarians must actively enable and promote access to the library’s eBook collection to teens.

Evaluation 

I agree with Pattee that we should rethink how we organize our print collections because it is restricting our patrons to certain sections of the library and making them feel unwelcome in certain areas, or even discouraging patrons from accessing different genres of literature. In addition, if libraries interfile their YA collection into the adult collection, libraries can transform their teen spaces into a Learning Commons. Then, instead of merely inhabiting a space, teens would be using the space; thus making libraries more relevant in their lives.

In regards to eBooks, I personally feel that teens still prefer the print source when it comes to reading for fun, and I remember reading about it in a recent survey. When it comes to schoolwork, students prefer online eTextbooks. Students do not like reading on their phones because they equate that with socializing with their friends. But when it comes down to reading for pleasure/recreation, students seem to prefer holding the actual book in their hands.

The Project Gutenberg for TV/Film/Radio History Buffs

Laudato, Maricar

Moorefield-Lang, H. (2014). Ideas for using AASL best websites: Media history digital library. Retrieved from http://www.aasl.ala.org/aaslblog/?p=5317.

Summary

In this article, Heather Moorefield-Lang outlines the plethora of newly digitized classic media periodicals that have been added to the public domain by the non-profit project, The Media History Digital Library. The Media History Digital Library houses more than 1.3 million scanned documents relating to TV, film, and radio history. Information professionals would also appreciate the availability of cataloging information made available on the site.

Evaluation

Named as being one of AASL’s best websites, The Media History Digital Library is a web resource that information professionals should familiarize themselves with as soon as possible. This library is to TV/film/radio history in a similar vein in which Project Gutenberg is to classic literature. The Media History Digital Library can be found here: http://mediahistoryproject.org/

You Want Me to Select for What?

Rowland, Sarah

You Want Me to Select for What? Getting Started in a New Area [Motion picture]. (2009). YouTube: https://youtu.be/6FiMgZgNwbc?list=PL2FFE2735B171F4A4.

Summary: This is a webinar given by the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services the presenter was Virginia Kay Williams. It started with letting you know the first thing to do is collect background information such as reviewing the collection development policy, reports on missing books, circulation statistics, any surveys that had been done and any existing information on the subject area that has been done previously. Find out the library goals and who the users of the collection are. It really gives a general overview of strategies for selecting in an unfamiliar subject area. Next is making a list of major concepts for the subject area that you are reviewing. This is a list you can refer back to when making selections. Other sources out there that she mentions are to see if your library has a subject specific collection policy, bibliographies or guides, review journals, industry sources, best books list, award lists, media and requests from patrons. If you are working in an academic library you could go talk with faculty and students to find out what they are researching. In other words talk to the people using the collection.

Evaluation: It was a nice overview on what to do when faced with selecting materials in an area that you’re not familiar with. It was nice to see that she started with similar concepts we learned in class about getting to know your community. ALCTS has a nice YouTube channel with lots of webinars dealing with many topics we have covered in class. Highly recommend as review or to learn more about specific areas.

A Dual Approach to Assessing Collection Development...

Rowland, Sarah

Danielson, R. (2012). A dual approach to assessing collection development and acquisitions for academic libraries. Library Collections, Acquisitions, & Technical Services, 36(3/4), 84-96. doi:10.1016/j.lcats.2012.09.002

Summary: This article is about a dual approach study that was done to evaluate the collection development and acquisitions process. This was achieved by looking at what was collected, what was actually used and what wasn’t collected, but should have been. The study was done using B.L. Fisher Library of Asbury Theological Seminary and the collection was split up using the LC Classification. They concentrated only on monographs excluding serials, electronic resources, reference and other materials. They looked at what was bought within a certain time frame and how much was checked out. They mention that it isn’t exact science due to “There is no way to know how a particular monograph was used, if it was check out and never read, or if it was a foundational resource for an academic paper” (p. 86). They examined what should have been bought by looking at what patrons requested through Interlibrary Loan. In conclusion it was determined that, “Both of the two studies revealed important strengths and weaknesses in the library’s approach to collection development and acquisitions. One type of study alone would be insufficient to get a clear view of how effective the library is at these tasks” (p. 95)

Evaluation: I thought it was a well written study and article with lots of details of what they looked at. If a library wanted to do a similar study they could determine how to approach it from this article. I found it fascinating that they determined that 526 titles should have been added to the collection but weren’t, along with “six to seven out of every ten books acquired are not being used” (p. 87). It would be interesting to see this study done in a patron driven acquisitions system. 

Legal research and law library management

Rowland, Sarah

Marke, J., & Sloane, R. (1982). Collection Development. In Legal research and law library management. New York: Law Journal Seminars-Press, 132.

Summary: This is a looseleaf and the one I looked at was last updated in 2006. I read chapter 2 which was a nice overview of what collection development is along with specifics dealing with an Academic Law Library, County Law Library or Law Firm Law Library. The chapter right away tells you how laying out collection development policy can help, “Every library is unique, yet al library collections benefit when they grow in a thoughtful manner following guidelines set forth in a formal collection development policy (p. 2-5). It gives information on what to include in a collection development policy such as the mission, overview of the collection, selection guidelines, retention and weeding procedures. I liked that it gave examples from other law libraries along with giving specific references to other collection development tools to help develop a law libraries collection. It also had a section on acquisitions policy and things to consider such as need, cost, quality, duplication, currentness and availability.

Evaluation: The chapter of this book really helped me throughout the semester because I wasn’t only an academic library I was also a special academic library with a focus on law and having no background in law. However, I feel like it was laid out in a way that even with no background in law it gave me a great understanding on what a typical law library should look like. One example is that I noticed I didn’t have anything dealing with intellectual freedom in our collection development policy whereas other academic library did. The authors let me know that this is typical for law libraries to overlook having one even though they should. I would highly recommend anybody who finds they are working in a law library to especially check out the chapter of the book for a nice overview. It really helped me feel less lost during the semester when I had a question specifically about law libraries. I’m hoping the rest of the book is this useful.

Teens are from Planet Earth too: Adopting a Whole Library Approach

Laudato, Maricar

Braun, L. B. (2011). The importance of a whole library approach to public library young adult services: A YALSA issue paper. Young Adult Library Services (Issue Paper). Chicago: IL.

Summary

In this article, Linda Braun advocates for the equitable treatment of teens from all library staff personnel. Even though teens have very specific developmental needs, Braun argues that teens deserve the same level of high customer service from all library staff they come in contact with. Braun cites different ways in which library staff can support young adults with its library spaces and resources: staff training and professional development, collaboration in collection development, information literacy support, programming for parents regarding trends that affect teens, and cross-generational mentoring opportunities. For the most part, Braun contends that everyone should be an advocate for young adults, and that it is everyone’s responsibility to be aware of the specific developmental needs of teens. In regards to collection development, Braun discusses the importance of young adult staff, reference staff, and children’s services staff to collaborate and plan how they will build the library’s collection together. To do so, they need to find out the personal interests of teens, along with knowing their educational needs.

Evaluation

I thought that Braun’s article was important because she stresses the importance of every staff member being an advocate for teens. Too often, any issues or problems that have to do with teens are often relegated to the YA or teen specialist, and no one else is expected to think about the needs of teens. With the “whole library approach,” Braun has a refreshing outlook on how to strengthen services to teens. If the library staff views providing quality library service to teens as providing quality library service to future tax-payers, then I think that service to teens would be very different from what it looks like today.

Urban Decay: A Survey Report of Urban School Libraries

Laudato, Maricar

AASL urban schools task force survey report. (2011). American Association of School Librarians Survey. (Survey). Chicago, IL.

Summary

A task force was created to gather information from urban librarians and library administrators about their current work situations and specific needs. Urban schools were determined to be those districts that served 40,000 or more students. Profile of urban students from the survey show that a significant majority of the students qualify for the free or reduced lunch program and are of minority ethnic/racial background. About a quarter of students are identified as being English Language Learners. While libraries should be positioned as the “equalizers” of society for the disenfranchised, many urban school libraries have print collections whose average age is 11 years or older. In addition, many urban school libraries face the challenge of being unable to provide sufficient access to computers and the internet in their libraries. In addition, the survey recounts how urban librarians feel that the level of online subscription database access is not as comprehensive in content as they would like it to be. In regards to staffing, roughly 1/3 of urban libraries are staffed by a full-time credentialed librarian. Most librarians are staffed by part-time credentialed librarians, non-credentialed teachers, or non-credentialed library aides. Furthermore, the great majority of libraries have seen a decrease in their budget over the past 2-5 years, despite already being underfunded in the first place. When the urban librarians were asked as to what were the top three needs that were necessary to support their libraries, the top three responses were: increased funding for books/programs, additional technology/hardware/tech support, and improved staffing.

When the urban library administrators’ answers were collected, they were more concerned with issues related to advocacy on behalf of the school librarian. For example, the administrators wanted to shed light on the contributions of school librarians to student achievement. In addition, they wanted to make professional development available to district librarians at minimal or no cost.

Evaluation

 

I’ve seen the gamut of school libraries. I currently work for a private high school library in an affluent neighborhood that has amazing resources: 32 shiny new PCs with large, flat touchscreen monitors, a Tech Service Center staffed by 2 full-time technicians, 4 lounge areas, 2 full-time librarians and 1 part-time librarian (all with either a MLIS or earning a MLIS) where the library is open 11 hours on Mondays-Thursdays, and for 9 hours on Friday. And I’ve been a student teacher in Downtown Los Angeles where students must make do with subpar computers with slow internet connectivity, which is staffed by one harried part-time non-credentialed staff member. And I’ve taught for a high school in Lawndale, CA where they didn’t even have a library at all. Usually the word “survey” bores me, but the fact that this was a survey conducted by AASL on urban schools is the reason this caught my eye, and I’m glad it did.

Survivor: Can We Outlast, Outwit Amazon?

Laudato, Maricar

Braun, L. B. (October 2014). E-book subscription services: It's about convenience. VOYA.

Summary

Linda Braun discusses the concern that some librarians have over the growing popularity of eBook subscription services such as Amazon Unlimited, Oyster Books, and Scribd. With these services, customers pay a subscription fee to gain unlimited access to that server’s collection of literary works. Adding fuel to the fear is that libraries will no longer remain relevant because of the ease and convenience of these eBook subscription services over the limitations that one faces with library. However, Braun argues that libraries will continue to remain relevant as long as we continue to provide the service that we are trained to do: show students how to find, evaluate, and use reliable information sources.

Evaluation

I thought that Braun’s article was interesting because it underlined how important the role of convenience went into play when it came to how patrons wanted their information delivered. Libraries had long relied on the fact that simply because their services and information was free that people would consume it. Therefore, it is completely understandable that the notion that people would pay to have information delivered to them because it is more convenient and easier would strike fear in librarians’ hearts. However, libraries have survived the mega-bookstores, but it has yet to be seen if libraries can outlast the services of the “Amazons” out there!

Building Library Community Through Social Media

Rowland, Sarah

Young, S. s., & Rossmann, D. d. (2015). Building Library Community Through Social Media. Information Technology & Libraries, 34(1), 20-37.

Summary: This paper follows an academic libraries attempt at changing the way they handle Twitter by bringing a more “intentional, personality-rich, and interaction-driven approach to its social media activity” (p. 20). It gives a nice literature review talking about where libraries currently stand on social media and how the conversation so far has been pretty disjointed and not very useful. It also discusses how a majority of libraries use social media for marketing, announcements or promotional material instead of developing an online community. They evaluated Montana State University’s current Twitter activity to gauge user type, action-object mapping and interaction of the followers of the libraries account. They determined by changing the type of tweets they increased the number of students who follow the libraries Twitter account went from 6% to 28%. This was just from Phase 1 to Phase 2. Over the course of one year by using more personality-rich two way interacting their community of students grew by 366 percent and their interaction grew by 275 percent. From this research it was concluded that, “Our research demonstrates the value of social media as a community-building tool, and our model can guide social media in libraries toward this purpose” (p. 32).

Evaluation: This was an excellent study and article that was done. If you are interested in how to increase student usage of social media for your libraries account I think this article gives a great overview. It really showed that moving away from the one way communication that most libraries use social media for that one could build an online library community that students will use.

Libraries and English Language Learners

Sullivan, Maureen

Libraries and English Language Learners

Lynch, G. (2015). Libraries and English language learners. School Library Journal. Retrieved from: http://www.slj.com/2015/04/diversity/libraries-and-english-language-learners/#_

Summary:

This article highlights a library in Hennepin County, Minnesota to illustrate the rich diversity of its patrons and their particular needs regarding language and culture. It also addresses the challenges involved in developing collections to meet the varied linguistic needs of its patrons. For example, the Hmong written language was only developed 50 years ago, making the availability of items in print very limited. Lynch plugs the need to hire librarians that are culturally and linguistically representative of its patrons, making recruitment of more diverse pool of MLIS students key.

Evaluation: I have experienced this challenge first hand last year, when I was trying to purchase books in Samoan for a small public school in San Francisco with a large Samoan population. I worked with the public children's librarian from the local branch as well, but their collection was also quite small. The fact that many publishers that do carry books in languages other than English are much more expensive, making meeting school library budgets match the language needs of the library especially challenging. However, that doesn't mean that librarians shouldn't strive to procure diverse materials. Our students depend on it.

The Role of the Academic Library in Promoting Student Engagement in Learning

Roscoe, Whitney
Kuh, G. K., & Gonyea, R. M. (2015). The Role of the Academic Library in Promoting Student Engagement in Learning. College & Research Libraries, 76(3), 359-385.
Summary:
Kuh and Gonyea have undertaken a massive study in their article that spans 19 years.  The study surveyed more than 300,000 students from the years of 1984 to 2002, with the aim of evaluating students' experiences with academic libraries and how libraries contributed to student learning.  The survey was composed of 166 questions, from questions inquiring about the student's background to how often they use the school library and for what purpose. 
Evaluation:
Due to the rise of popularity of computers, students are using databases and indexes now more than ever before.  The study also proves that when students perceive that their university places a value on information literacy, they are more likely to foster better information literacy skills.  A better understanding as to how students learn and study can provide valuable insight as to how to better develop the library collection to foster an environment that is current with the times.

Cost Differentials between E-Books and Print in Academic Libraries

Roscoe, Whitney
Bailey, T., Scott, A., & Best, R.  (2015). Cost Differentials between E-Books and Print in Academic  Libraries. College & Research Libraries, 76(1), 6-18.
Summary:
This article covers a study done at Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) that demonstrates that electronic resources are not always the most cost-effective solution.  At AUM, 462 requests for acquisitioned were examined to compare the pricing of print and electronic versions.
Evaluation:
This article is valuable because it looks beyond the face value of the cost of electronic resources and urges the reader to consider the long-term costs of these materials as well.  Not only must the materials be purchased, but one must also consider matter such as how many users can access it at one time, are there yearly or monthly recurring costs, and what platform should be used to provide access to these sources?  Though this article is not a comprehensive guide to navigating the perils of replacing print resources with digital resources, it does make suggestions to aid in the decision process and gives specific examples of price differences between print and electronic resources of the same title, complete with price differences based on how the e-book is ordered (through a special Patron Driven Acquisitions program versus through traditional channels).

Bottom-Up Strategic Planning: The UC San Diego Libraries Experience

Roscoe, Whitney

Williams, J. j., Dearie, T. t., & Schottlaender, B. b. (2013). Bottom-Up Strategic Planning: The UC San Diego Libraries Experience. Library Leadership & Management, 27(3), 1-12.

Summary:
This article is a comprehensive explanation of the strategic planning process that was used by the UC San Diego libraries in 2011-2014.  Faced with drastic budget cuts and the impending knowledge that much of the collection in the future would be digital information, the libraries were forced to imagine a strategic plan to combat multiple complexities simultaneously.  A group of 22 members was assembled to gather information from staff, faculty, and users.  After data was synthesized, it was determined that six main themes would be presented to the Libraries Administration.

Evaluation:
This essay provides many great tips for strategic planning and contains specific details that are well-researched.  The only thing this essay is lacking that I was a bit curious about is what kind of pitfalls the team faced during the entire process and how they overcame those difficulties.  I would certainly point other students who are interested in researching alternative methods of strategic planning to read this article.

 

 

 

Data Visualization and Rapid Analytics: Applying Tableau Desktop to Support Library Decision-Making.

Michelle DeFazio

Murphy, S. (2013). Data Visualization and Rapid Analytics: Applying Tableau Desktop to Support Library Decision-Making.  Journal of Web Librarianship, 7(4), pp. 465-476. Doi: 10.1080/19322909.2013.825148.

Summary: This article discusses the use of Tableau software to rapidly analyze usage of LibGuides at the Ohio State University Library.   Tableau could be a great advantage to understand statistics collected in terms of usage of materials and tools as well as other statistics that librarians should keep track of in today’s academic libraries to promote better service, support education and research,  and justify library budgets.

Evaluation:  While Tableau's visual analytics can rapidly show usage of services, the library must first do the hard work of collecting the statistics which is not something that all libraries do.  Moreover, Tableau is primarily a business tool and the language reflects this.  The person who runs the software must be knowledgeable  enough to change the terminology from terms like "revenue" to "usage" as the article states, which requires a whole new set of expertise on the library staff.

Why Did We Buy That? New Customers and Changing Directions in Collection Development.

Michelle DeFazio

Downey, K. (2013) Why Did We Buy That? New Customers and

Changing Directions in Collection Development, Collection Management, 38:2, 90-103, DOI:

10.1080/01462679.2013.763741.To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01462679.2013.763741.

Summary:  This article discusses collection development directions at Kent State by supporting Administrative goals of international recruitment and increased international programming through the purchase of language learning software.

Evaluation:  This article brings up the interesting point that rather than just wrangling for the library's share of a university budget, it makes sense to work with university administrators to accomplish their goals by seeing what the library can do to support those goals.  This tactic can make administrators more sympathetic to library missions.  In this case, Kent State wanted to feature their international programs and attract international students.  The library supported this through the purchase of language learning software.  

Collection Development Challenges for the 21st Century Acquisitions Academic Librarian.

Michelle DeFazio

Herzog, S. (2004) Collection Development Challenges for the 21^st Century Acquisitions   Academic Librarian. The Acquisitions Librarian. 16:31-32, 149-162. http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J101v16n31_14.

Summary: Susan Herzog shares helpful advice on how to hit the ground running as the new collection development librarian in an academic library. It shares suggestions about  tools  of the trade and online resources and gives advice about building relationships with the faculty.

Evaluation:  This article is slightly dated but extremely useful as it shares the basics about collection development in an academic library including whether or not there is an existing policy on the subject and how that can guide one.  It assumes that there are staff shortages and the librarian doing the job may never have taken a collection development course.  

Sherman Alexie Novel tops List of Books Americans want Censored

Sullivan, Maureen

Flood, A. (2015). Sherman Alexie novel tops list of books Americans want censored. The Guardian. Retrieved from: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/13/sherman-alexie-novel-tops-list-of-books-americans-want-censored-2014.

Summary: The American Library Association released its top ten banned books from 2014, and Sherman Alexie's Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian made the number one spot. The article discusses the reasons why some of the books are banned, but also points out that over half of the books that are banned contain diverse content, and/or were written by authors of color, referring to Malinda Lo's study of diverse authors and banned books.

Evaluation: In considering books to purchase in our collection, I am especially interested in culling the blogs and reviews of diverse books, about young people from all backgrounds, and written by authors from all backgrounds and experiences. While I am not surprised by some of the books on the banned list, I am concerned about the idea raised by Malinda Lo that the underlying reason that those books may be banned is due to their differences. "Diversity is actually under attack." Deeming a book inappropriate for readers is challenging to navigate as it is, but if it is also potentially denying a student or young person to read about an experience they have experienced, or inspire them to write their own story, that is oppression.

Bring Board Games to Your Library: Collection Development Tips and Best Practices

Sullivan, Maureen

Spina, C. (2015). Bring Board Games to Your Library: Collection Development Tips and Best Practices.  Retrieved from: http://ccgclibraries.com/bring-board-games-to-your-library-collection-development-tips-and-best-practices/

Summary: This articles touts reasons board games in the library might attract new visitors and allow for different activities in the library. It discusses providing a game space as well as factors to consider in building up a board game collection. The author also provides a list of resources to find games online.

Evaluation: I appreciate the fact that board games are still given some play in the maker space movement. As a school librarian, I feel that face to face interactions are incredibly important for students, and gaming is a lower stakes way for them to practice social conventions than on the yard, perhaps. It is clear that this article was meant to be general, and more as a suggestion to consider including board games in your library's collection. It would have been nice to read about some of the benefits that board games offer, to help provide a rationale to teachers and admin why playing is paramount.

Collection Development & Budgeting

Rebecca Perkins

Martin, M. (1995). Collection development and finance: A guide to strategic library-materials budgeting. Chicago, IL: American Library Association.

Summary: According to Amazon, “This text covers topics such as how collection budgets are planned, built and defended, and implemented, in straightforward language.” It provides a number of budget samples and includes a chapter on access verses ownership and the budget implications of digital materials. It also covers setting up an annual budget and making adjustments to it as needed. The focus is on academic and public libraries but could be used for other types as well.

Evaluation: Although this book is a decade old, the general principles remain relevant and the budget samples provide a good starting point for those new to managing a collection development budget. The area of most interest for public library staff handling collection development is the base budget example for a public library (pg. 9) which breaks down a $250,000 total budget allocation for each material audience type: adult, young adult, and children and further within each by fiction, nonfiction, and audiovisual subsections. Of specific relevance in this sample is the percentage of the total budget listed for each of these break downs. However, the cost of materials has changed drastically since the book was written and specific price breakdowns should factor that in. Additionally, modern breakdowns would further define digital media rather than lump it all into audiovisual. Another aspect of the book that shows its age is a statement saying, “Public libraries, other than the central libraries in large systems, seldom invest a large portion of their budget in serials” (pg. 46). With the availability of digital newsstand and serials services like Zinio, this may no longer be the case. Despite its age, overall this is a really good resource for creating strategic materials budgeting.