Seminar-Workshop on
THE ESSENTIAL LIBRARY: CREATING AND SUSTAINING A LEADING EDGE
October 25-27, 2004
Villa Escudero, San Pablo City, Laguna
Developing Outstanding Core Collection
Dr. Marilou P. Tadlip
Director of Libraries
University of San Carlos
I.
Introduction:
Collection development involves the recommendation, selection, acquisition and
evaluation of the library collection for the customers. While it is the goal of collection
development to meet the information need of the customers, this is not usually realized
due to some factors such as: budget constraints, the diversity of customers information
needs and the vast amount of available information. Nonetheless, information centers
and libraries strive to provide an outstanding collection of core titles in every subject
field.
II.
From Development to Management of Library Collections
The rapid growth of higher education, the reshaping of the academic research
agenda and emergence of technology trigger the 180 degree turn for a better collection
management and for more effective cooperative collection development and resource
sharing among libraries. Paul Mosher, then head of collection development at Stanford
University and one of the leaders in this new field, challenged librarians to move away
from a traditional “collection development” perspective, which emphasized only
acquisitions, selection and collection building toward a new vision of “collection
management”, which encompassed a much broader range of policy, planning, analysis
and cooperative activities during the first Collection Management and Development
Institute. (July 6-10, 1981 at Stanford University, Stanford, California)
III.
Collection Management
Collection Management includes the theory and practice of collection policy
development, collection analysis, collection use and user studies.
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Assessment, in which the collection is described according to the different
subjects and formats of the materials
Evaluation, in which the collections appropriateness for the customers is
judged.
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Environmental San for Collection Development, critical issues
1. Access vs. ownership debate
 Decisions in the past were made for a printed based environment
 Consideration for various resource sharing arrangements
 Today’s decision considers the need for computer infrastructure
support for electronic access
2. Restricted Materials Budget
 Information explosion
 Users want everything
3. Changing management strategies to maximize budgets
 Downsizing of staff
 Merger of departments or positions
 Use of outsourcing of cataloging functions for gains of efficiency and
cost
 Greater reliance on external funding
 Continuous improvement (CI) programs for customer satisfaction
4. Impact of information technology
 Changes in library role as provider of information
 Vast array of information resources
 New skills and competencies needed for staff
 Need to evaluate resource sharing opportunities

Shifts in Collection Resources
1. Availability of a wealth of information resources
 The array of resources offer users a lot o choices as they enter online
catalogs and other information resources
 Choices can be overwhelming and confusing
2. Cooperative collection development and resource sharing takes on new
meaning
 Providing access in a digital format in addition to the traditional
activities of selecting, cataloging and providing bibliographic access
3. Development of Internet tools, World Wide Web Access and Online
Multimedia capabilities enables access to collections regardless of format
or location
 Approaches to managing information (refer to diagram)
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Approaches to Management Information
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IV.
Models developed by AAU/ARL Taskforce on a National Strategy for
Managing Scientific and Technological Information
Models characterize the shift in collection development approaches and
the shift in collection cost from building tangible collections to cost of
DATA TRANSFER with nothing tangible retained by the library
Implications to collection development are:
1. University and library funding for information infrastructure is
critical
2. Electronic resources are varied and complex; need to be
chosen well and properly evaluated for appropriateness to
needs
3. Computer infrastructure system need to be stable at all times
for access
Collection Evaluation:
4.1
How Collections are Measured:
Evaluation and assessment techniques fall into two broad categories:

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Collection-centered (counting holdings and checking lists to determine the
collection’s scope and depth)
Client-centered (conducting user surveys and gathering information on
how clients use the collection)
An effective assessment uses both types of techniques to gather two types of
data:

Quantitative (including numbers, age and/or use of statistics)
Ex:
Number of titles: A manual or automated shelf list count, a physical count
or estimate of titles from the shelves, a count of acquisitions and
expenditures, the percent of each subject’s yearly growth, the percent of
acquisitions compared to published titles.
Use: Circulation statistics by type of subject and interlibrary loan borrowing
statistics

Qualitative (such as observations)
Ex:
Percent of standard titles or items: Calculated by consulting “best” lists
Individual or group evaluation: Shelf scanning by the librarian,
observation by an outside expert or observation by a committee.
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Assessment Techniques:
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Examination of shelf list data
This technique gathers quantitative data about the collection, including
number of titles, percent of the total collection, median age and mode. An
automated system can often provide detailed reports of this information.
Direct examination of the collection
List checking
This method compares the collection to authoritative lists of what is available
and appropriate for a particular type of collection.
Evaluation by an outside expert or a specialist on the library staff
A knowledgeable person from outside the library staff can be enlisted to
survey a portion of the collection and provide qualitative data.
(The current trend in large universities abroad is to employ a bibliographer or
resource specialist)
Citation Analysis
This technique is most applicable to research or special collections. It can be
characterized as a specialized form of checking, in which the lists are created
by the assessor from scholarly books and articles.
Bibliographer or Research Manager or Resource Specialist
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Changing scenario has broadened the roles of the collection specialist
Areas of specialty are now broader than just specific programs or
departments
New specialist of resources must have the ability to work with
interdisciplinary programs and resources
Some new tasks are:
1. Collection development, evaluation, selection and management of
resources; local, networked and remote
2. Development of strategies and software for subject/discipline network
access
3. Decision making regarding resource sharing
4. Providing specialized research assistance to users; networked or local
5. Assisting users in the use of databases and electronic resources
6. Development of a resource map to guide selection and evaluation of
resource
 A resource map is an information map on web page to guide
users to vast sources including a hot link to the resources
specialist
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Assessment Framework: The Conspectus Approach
Standardizes definitions, breaks the collection down into subject areas
and defines a rating system for acquisition/collection levels and goals.
Collection Codes:
CL – Current Collection (the current strength of the collection compared
to what is available worldwide)
AC – Acquisition Commitment (the collection’s current growth rate,
including purchases and gifts)
GL – Collection Goal (the library’s target level)
PC – Preservation Commitment (the library’s commitment to intellectual
content
The ratings ranges from 0 – 5
0 – Out of Scope (The library does not collect in this subject)
1 – Minimal Level (a subject area which is our scope for the library’s
collections, and in which few selections are made beyond very
basic reference tools)
2 – Basic Information Level (A highly selective collection which serves to
introduce and define the subject and to indicate the varieties of
information available elsewhere. It includes major dictionaries
and encyclopedias, selected editions of important works, historical
surveys, important bibliographies and a few major periodical in
the field)
3 – Study or Instructional Support Level (A collection which is adequate
to support undergraduate or graduate course work, or sustained
independent study; that is, which is adequate to maintain
knowledge of a subject required for limited or generalized
purposes, of less than research intensity. It includes a wide range
of basic monographs, complete collections of the works of more
important writers, a selection from the works of secondary
writers, a selection of representative journals and the reference
tools and fundamental bibliographic apparatus pertaining to the
subject.)
4 – Research level (A collection which include the major source materials
required for dissertations and independent research, including
materials containing research reporting, new findings, scientific
experimental results, and other information useful to researchers.
It also includes all important reference works and a wide selection
of specialized monographs as well as a very extensive collection of
journals and major indexing and abstracting services in the field.)
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5 – Comprehensive Level (A collection in which a library endeavors, so far
as is reasonably possible, to include all significant works of
recorded knowledge (publication, manuscripts, other forms) in all
applicable language, for a necessarily defined and limited field.
This level of collection intensity is that which maintains a “special
collection”, the aim if not the achievement is exhaustiveness)
The ratings do not judge the collection as “good” or “bad”. The collection
is evaluated by comparing the levels of current collection (CL) and acquisitions
commitment (AC) to the collection goal (GL) and preservation commitment (PC).
4.2
Customer Needs Assessment
A process that will help determine how well your library is currently
meeting the needs of your customers and what other types of resources and
services it can provide in the future. Results of a needs assessment study can be
used to determine:
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V.
How extensively the collection is being used and to identify gaps
Who uses the library and ways to reach non-users
How successful library services are and how they can be improved to reflect
the customers needs
Whether staffing patterns and library hours are adequate.
Suggested Ways of Developing Bibliographic Competence in a Subject Area
(Capacity Building for Collection Developers)
1. Prepare a topical outline of the subject content. Use general encyclopedia
divisions to obtain an overview of the subject.
2. Consult a principal subject encyclopedia.
3. Locate and examine all literature guides. Begin with the card catalog. In
examining literature guides, look at the table of contents and index for key
concepts of the subject.
4. Prepare a list of basic textbooks and other general works devoted to the
whole field.
5. Make a similar study of the books and monographs devoted to a special
aspect of the field.
6. Pay special attention to producers of materials like associations, museums,
universities, libraries
 An association brings together key men with their own special talents
 An association library or university press puts out accessions lists and
bibliographies which are often the best selection tools.
Example: Women in Literary Arts (WILA), BATHALAD, Lubas sa Dagang
Bisaya (LUDABI), Puting Dagang, Historical Association of Cebu (HACE),
Cebu Historical Society
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7. Become familiar with periodical and serial publications.
8. Make a thorough study of reference books in the subject area.
9. Learn the trends of reference in the subject by looking at annual reviews and
annual reports.
10. Be familiar with kinds of data, materials and methodology in the discipline.
11. Keep up with latest research of the subject area, through abstracts of
dissertations
VI.
Conclusion
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Up to now, many good librarians will confirm that the measure of a good
library is the collection
For several reasons, including diminishing budgets, size may no longer be the
single most dependable gauge of a library
As a result of IT, information gateways other than print sources have made
possible access to a vast array of digitized information packages, thus
expanding a library’s reach of resources
The libraries of the FUTURE will be distinguished not by size and quality of
collections alone but by their
o Ability to provide network access to resources and
o Agility in providing wide access to remote resources
The librarian-developer of good core collections must be cognizant of the
changing scenario in collection management and must possess the competence and
commitment to do the essential paradigm shift. Only then can libraries and librarians
maintain and sustain the leading edge.
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