[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       publib
Subject:    Book selection (fwd)
From:       hilyard () pol ! org (Nann Blaine Hilyard)
Date:       1996-06-28 0:06:48
Message-ID: Pine.3.89.9606280040.H19467-0100000 () nysernet ! org
[Download RAW message or body]

Sender: hilyard@pol.org (Nann Blaine Hilyard)
Subject: Re: Book selection

publib@nysernet.org,Internet writes:
What do you do concerning book selection? The issues I am considering:

1. Is book selection a task most appropriately assigned only to M.L.S. 
   staff? What about those experienced paraprofessionals, perhaps with
other
   advanced degrees? 
     That only MLSs can select books is nonsense.  I think department
heads should be receptive to their staff's suggestions, and that the
director and dept. heads should be aware of staff interests.  For
example, our nonprof. cataloger is a science fiction buff and we rely
on her for that area.   None of our children's staff have MLSs.  They
divide the review journals among themselves and discuss their choices
regularly.


2. How much money to give to adult non-fiction? Is dedicating 1/10th of
the 
   adult non-fiction budget to each 100 range of the Dewey system too 
   simplistic of a formula? Should it be tied to circulation?
       1/10th is too simplistic.  How many 400's do you buy (in fact,
how many
are published) in contrast to 641's or 332's?   You don't need to buy
entire
sets of nature guides every year but you'd better keep the travel
guides current.
       Our materials budget right now is too small ($1.95/capita) to do
much more
than keep up with what's new and with patron requests.  If our campaign
to 
raise the budget ("a buck for books," for $1 more per cap) then we'll
be able to
work on conscious development.   In doing that the selection committee
will 
collectively consider what areas need attention and chip away at the
very big
pile of needs a subject area at a time.


3. Should book selections be approved by a senior M.L.S. librarian?
        My practice has been that the director is ultimately
responsible for selection but s/he
may delegate the task to staff.  Therefore I maintain awareness of what
the selectors
choose--I attend the monthly committee meeting, I look at the
processing shelves to see
what's come in (okay, okay, so I can put reserve stickers on the ones
I'd like to read!)


4. Should book selection assignments be rotated periodically to keep
staff
   (and the collection) fresh, or should a person be allowed to
maintain an
   area for an extended period of time to develop extensive expertise?
       I don't know about your library, but our children's staff would
be terribly resentful if
the reference staff selected their materials.   The bookmobile staff
would not be comfortable choosing all the adult nonfiction.  


What do you do in your library (or wish you did in your library)??
	I mostly wish we had more money!   



Thanks for your thoughts.

- Bruce Flanders, Director, Lawrence Public Library, bruce@idir.net
 
     "For a list of the ways that technology has failed to
              improve our lives, press 3 now."




[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]