The Portable MLIS - Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - Reflections on Creating Information Service Collections by G. Edward Evans

Evans shares his collection development thoughts and experiences with us in this chapter. He lists seven important points to keep in mind when building a library's collection. I think that the most important one of these points is the need to know the community the collection will serve. A library may have a wealth of newly published books with shiny covers and that wonderful new book smell. If these books are not ones that will be of interest to the library community, they will be uncirculated books sitting on a library shelf taking up space. In times of increasing book prices and shrinking budgets, this is a waste of valuable budget dollars.


Besides perusing circulation and user statistics to view typical trends in subject matter and type and format of materials circulated, other surveys can be done to assess what materials would best serve the users. In public and special libraries, community analyses can be done. I think that it is easier in a school library because each library serves a certain number of grade levels. Some libraries may be solely elementary grades (K - 5), or maybe they include only early elementary (K-2). Maybe they also include middle school level students, or maybe it is a school library that serves students in grades kindergarten through high school. The target audience is a known commodity. To further understand the needs of the user, school librarians would need to know the demographics of the school community including social status and have an understanding of the basic reading levels of the students.


School Librarians need to know the state and school's curriculum requirements. Knowing these, they are more prepared to select materials that will support the curriculum. When teachers come to the library looking for resources, it is great to be able to go to the shelf and pull off several books that will aide them in their teaching. Another way to know what materials to add to the school library collection is by listening to the students and faculty. Requests for materials makes the selection process easier.


Lastly, I wanted to share an experience that I had with a library vendor this past school year. One of Evans' seven main points was to build relationships with vendors. At least once a year, a Follett district representative visits with me in the school library for a short visit. Although he always seems to come when I am buried with work, I always agree to meet with him. He tells me all about his company's products, shows me several books, and I listen as he sells his company's services. While listening to his spiel, I think that at least he will leave me with a new pen, some notepads, and a new Caldecott poster and I can get back to my work. Last year there was a new representative – a young man, newly married to a librarian, and expecting his first child. I took a different approach to our meeting. I asked him questions about his librarian wife and about his upcoming role as a new father. The conversation was very pleasant. The next time he came to see me, I asked about his new baby and he showed me several pictures. This time, as he was telling me about new books, I told him that the school district had just frozen all budget accounts and I no longer had money to spend. I told him that I had planned on spending the last of my funds on books to support an upcoming author visit. He told me to select three books that I would have purchased and he would get them to me at no charge. Needless to say, the author visit went well, the books were well used, and I'm actually looking forward to our next visit.


Evans, G. Edward. (2008). Reflections on creating information service collections. In Haycock, Ken & Sheldon, Brooke E. (Eds.), The Portable MLIS: Insights from the Experts (pp. 87-97). Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.