Collection Management Responsibilities
Generic Statement of Professional Duties and Responsibilities
Collection managers are responsible for all aspects of collection management and
development for their assigned subject area(s), including selection, preservation, storage and
weeding decisions of resources in all relevant formats; developing and maintaining liaison
relationships and partnerships with faculty; collection interpretation (specialized reference
and instruction service in an online and face-to-face environment); collection evaluation;
and budgetary management.
Competencies
The following describe collection manager competencies, related to the above responsibilities.
NOTE: The degree to which competencies apply may vary, depending on one’s subject area(s).
Selection of Information Resources
















Develop knowledge of the assigned subject(s) and maintain an awareness of current trends
in the subject(s)
Develop, use, and routinely review a working list of selection tools
Be timely, accurate, and thorough in following specific procedures such as approval book
review, providing information for ordering or cataloging, ordering from selection tools,
response to requests
Select library materials for purchase on a timely and continuing basis according to the
Collection Development Policy
Review and maintain approval plan profile for relevant assigned subject(s)
Create and manage GOBI notifications
Review and be responsive to indicators of gaps in the collections (e.g. user requests,
complaints, ILL requests)
Review the collection development policy for assigned subject(s) to insure it meets the
relevant UCSB teaching, research, and service programs, and revise as necessary in
consultation with faculty and the relevant Collection Coordinator
Work with collection managers in related fields to coordinate selection of materials, as
appropriate.
Work with UC bibliographer group(s), as appropriate, to coordinate selection and
management of materials including titles in systemwide licenses
Evaluate potential gifts
Select non-purchase items (e.g. gifts, Web sites, open access content) in subject area(s) for
addition to the collection
Maintain appropriate records of desiderata, serials subscription/cancellation decisions, as
needed
Solicit gifts and exchanges to supplement purchased items in subject area
Establish relations with book dealers, publishers, and database vendors specializing in
assigned subject area(s)
Encourage suggestions for materials purchases from library users
1
Collection Management: Storage, Preservation and Weeding









Maintain awareness of the collaborative infrastructures for long-term preservation of
collections (e.g., HathiTrust, Western Regional Storage Trust, Portico)
Designate appropriate processing priorities
Review current serial subscriptions for appropriate action
Consult with appropriate departments on cataloging and binding problems
Monitor use in order to identify needed additional copies, replacement copies, or subsequent
editions
Identify deteriorating library materials that should be preserved
Evaluate materials for limited access because their condition, value, or demand requires
special protection
Negotiate needed transfers from one location to another
Select lesser-used materials for location in SRLF, the Annex, or withdrawal
Faculty Liaison Activities













Establish and maintain good communication with the academic department's library liaison
Visit the department chair on a regular basis to discuss the department's plans, including the
recruitment of new faculty and the development of new courses
Visit each member of the faculty at least annually to discuss his/her library needs.
Become familiar with the research interests, professional activities, and related technological
needs (e.g., digital content preservation and management) of each faculty member
Contact each new faculty member and offer to provide a special orientation to the library's
resources and services
Become familiar with issues around management of intellectual property (e.g., Merritt for
preserving and managing digital content, UC eScholarship’s publishing and repository
services)
Become knowledgeable about the composition of the academic department, including
number of full-time faculty, lecturers, majors, teaching and research assistants, graduate
students, etc.
Keep informed about the curriculum and any curricular changes
Offer to attend faculty meetings to update the department on library issues
Develop communication mechanisms for informing the department about library resources
and services
Consult with appropriate faculty before acquiring expensive items or changing collecting
policies
Offer to work with the faculty to develop library instruction for classes with research needs
Provide research consultation for faculty and students as appropriate (e.g., via email, faceto-face, during departmental office hours)
2
Collection Interpretation
Direct User Instruction: Provide general and specific assistance to users in selecting and locating
appropriate materials for their research.
Types of general assistance:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Provide general reference service
Conduct general orientation tours
Offer general workshops in new sources, especially new technologies
Participate in library instruction program
Types of specific assistance:
5. Establish with graduate advisors a system of notifying each graduate student of
library services (e.g. research consultations, online searches, etc.)
6. Offer faculty course-related lectures
Indirect User Instruction: Encourage user interest in and understanding of library resources and
services by actively undertaking the following:
1. Create and maintain LibGuides for general reference and course-integrated
instruction
2. Offer staff training/workshops on new resources
3. Maintain ongoing awareness of new resources for referrals, including those in
regional libraries and open access resources
Collection Evaluation



Know the strengths and weaknesses of the assigned subject collection(s)
Conduct an evaluation of discrete parts of the assigned subject collection(s) each year
Undertake major assessments of significant portions of the assigned subject collection(s)
every 3-5 years
Budgetary Management






Manage all funds for assigned area
Stay abreast of the current trends in discipline-related costs for different types of materials
(books, periodicals, software, etc.) and formats (print, electronic, media, microform, etc.)
Stay abreast of the current trends in exchange rates and other costs associated with acquiring
materials
Develop written justifications for funding special needs
Establish and apply priorities for spending allocated funds
Monitor spending and adjust spending as needed
3
Resource Sharing






Develop knowledge of existing resource sharing agreements and their impact on selection
decisions
Consider potential resource sharing agreements and their impact on the collection
development policy
Coordinate selection policies with other collection managers, libraries, and UC
bibliographer groups
Recommend materials for Shared Purchase Program
Review Shared Purchase Program proposals and recommend action
Explore resource sharing possibilities with other collection managers, libraries (e.g., Center
for Research Libraries), and UC bibliographer groups
Scholarly Communication
Familiarize yourself with and maintain awareness of the following:










the various lifecycles of scholarly publishing in assigned subject area(s), from creation to
dissemination and use, including author rights, copyright and other intellectual property
issues
the basics of digital curation and preservation services in support of the intellectual content
production activities on campus
systemwide policies and initiatives related to scholarly communication [e.g., of the
Systemwide Library and Scholarly Information Advisory Committee (SLASIAC) and the
University Committee on Library and Scholarly Communication (UCOLASC)]
the collaborative infrastructures for the long-term preservation of collections (e.g.,
HathiTrust, Western Regional Storage Trust, Portico)
the common situations where scholarly communication issues can be raised and related
services can be promoted
UC3’s (UC Curation Center) Web Archiving Service for acquiring, disseminating and
preserving Web content
the information production and consumption habits of faculty members in assigned subject
area(s), including Web 2.0 applications (e.g., Dedoose, blogs, social networks)
the issues around management of intellectual property (e.g., Merritt for preserving and
managing digital content, UC eScholarship’s publishing and repository services)
new open access publications (especially UCSB’s), collections, mandates, and repositories
related to assigned subject area(s)
open access activities and positions of societies and associations related to assigned subject
area(s)
Updated 2/22/12
Sherri L. Barnes
Updated 6/17/04
Lucia Snowhill
L:\collections\collmanduties02-22-12.doc
4