Competency F

Preparation and Evidence

Professor Loertscher's INFO 266 Collection Management class comes to mind when I think about Competency F because my understanding of library collections comes from this course. I took this course last semester, so the lessons I learned are still fresh. However, I can attribute the course materials in connection with the work I performed at the library to develop my understanding of library acquisitions and collection management. Upon taking this course, the children's librarian allowed me to weed materials. The children's library instructed me to do the following: first, remove items older than ten years, and two, to remove damaged items. The instructions were doable; however, the librarian grew worried when she realized I was withdrawing too many materials from the easy books collection. Her solution was to modify instruction one and remove items that were 13 years or older. This modification allowed me to condensed the number of materials I withdrew, but after taking Professor Loertscher's class, I learned that there were more elements the librarian could have covered.

Chant describes that weeding performance requires librarians to remove items by number (Chant, 2015), which means that items with poor circulation statistics are eligible for removal of the library's collection. This piece of information is a detail the librarian left out. Had I know this, perhaps I would have withdrawn less from the easy book collection. The second description of weeding practices described by Chant states that the age of the material can also lend itself to weeding purposes (Chant, 2015). Materials, particularly in subject areas that encompass science, politics, and technologies, may have outdated information that focuses on themes or practices irrelevant to our times (Chant, 2015). Weeding practices urge librarians to remove these items from their shelves to secure patrons have access to current and relevant data. Information remains a crucial part of the information gathering process for research projects and scholarly studies. Outdated materials can hinder results and provided misinformation. When working with the librarian, she informed me to exclude classic materials from the age rule. Classic books, whether they are children's books or fiction literature, are exempt because academic settings study classic pieces of literature while characters like The Cat in the Hat continue to remain popular among parents and children.

Libraries engage in weeding practices for a variety of reasons. Removing outdated materials creates space for items that reflect new scientific data, current political and economic practices, and relevant information regarding new modern technologies. Chant describes that by creating space, libraries can add new materials or expand library spaces to make room for maker space programs or other library initiatives (Chant, 2015).

The benefits of removing unwanted materials are that it increases circulation statistics. When librarians mix new materials with old materials, patrons a less likely to find items they are searching for or may find appealing (Chant, 2015).

As mentioned, Professor Loertscher's class guided my understanding of collection management as I studied the children's collection at the Lynwood Library. My evidence for collection management competence is presented in two Presentations created for INFO 266 Collection Management. In Presentation 3 , I created an infographic using Piktochart, that provides an overview of the libraries collection while emphasizing on the children's collection. The purpose of this infographic and assignment sought to get students acquainted with areas that may need further attention. For this class, I wanted to study the children's collection at the Lynwood Library because it is one of the largest in this library.

For Presentation 3, there were many areas I wanted to cover, from unique collections to programs and services. The outline for the infographic separated the topics I wanted to explore. These sections include the core collection, online learning tools, the children's collection, a statistical analysis of the children's collection, special programs for children, other library services, and a calendar depicting upcoming programs. These sections played a crucial part in my analysis of collection management and identifying gaps.

In part one of the infographic, I provide an overview of the number of materials this library contains and the online learning tools they provide, so that audiences draw focus on the core collection. The purpose behind introducing this information to viewers will eventually segue in identifying gaps within the libraries collection.

In part two, I focus on the children's collection by indicating how many materials are in the easy books area, Juvenile Fiction and Non-Fiction section, and AV sections. The intent of this introduction served to prepare me for Presentation4, where I would identify areas that the children's collection required attention, maintaining or downsizing. While I could provide a number of available materials for each field of focus, magazines and comic books is the only area where I could not provide collection statistics because the information is unknown. Although there was not a statistical number, the results did not affect my research due to my involvement with the library.

In my first prototype, I included information regarding the Spanish Children's Collection, but Professor Loertscher declared that information regarding that particular area was irrelevant to my study. The Lynwood Library has a large collection, and 20% of the collection is in Spanish because nearly 80% of the population in this community are Latino. As a result, there are also items in the children's section that include Spanish materials. I felt it was crucial for my analysis in the infographic to incorporate this information. I was not sure how it was irrelevant if the materials, regardless of the language, belong to the children's collection.

Professor Loertscher asked me to revise the infographic and remove the Spanish collection from my analysis. His explanation clarified that a Spanish collection is a special collection that provides emphasis on that particular collection. If my attention focuses on children's collection, adding a Spanish collection would distract my emphasis and observations for the children's collection.

After removing the Spanish children's collection from my analysis, I modified the statistical graph I included in the infographic. I used https://www.meta-chart.com/pie to create my pie chart, a tool that is free to the public, to create the pie graph. Initially, I wasn't sure about the type of information I wanted the pie graph to display. I was undecided between displaying circulation statistics or collection statistics. However, because I did not have accurate reports that demonstrate circulation statistics, I created the pie graph using information I did have at hand. The pie graph taught me that 66% of the children's collection is composed of Juvenile Fiction and Non-Fiction materials.

In part three, I wanted to emphasize the type of applications and programs and services that are available at the library. The library offers a multitude of online services and online learning tools, but not enough online learning tools for children. The children have access to digital entertainment, but in Presentation 4 I explain that this raises many concerns. ABC Mouse is a perfect online learning tool for young children and providing them with access to Libby and Hoopla could help them gain access to learning materials; however, this limits target audiences. The library should focus on programs and services that focus on early development, but what about the youth? The library offers homework help, but that also limits the number of people that can receive help since it focuses on younger children. The library needs to broaden its scope and aggregate online learning tools, programs, and services for children older than four years old "to meet the informational, educational, cultural, and recreational needs of a highly diverse public."

In Presentation 4, I addressed the areas where the library could build, downsize or maintain their children's collection in three parts using a new Infographic created using Piktochart. The infographic also aimed at emphasizing areas that demonstrate healthy library practices, weakness, and areas that can reflect improvements.

In part one, I wanted to focus on the areas that the children's collection need further development. The items with higher circulation rates include J Fiction books, DVDs, and Comic Books, and as a result, items are in poor conditions. The continuity of item checkouts adds wear and tear to the materials. If these items continue to circulate, one of two things could happen. First, these items can distract users from locating newer items, as described by Chant (2015). Two, circulation statistics may drop. Items damaged beyond repair are removed from the collection but are seldom replaced with new copies. The collection department at library headquarters is responsible for purchasing new books, and this affects how quickly librarians can access their collection. Since these items reflect a higher count of checkouts, then we must build these collections.

In part two, the emphasis is on collections that must be downsized. Ironically, the items I chose to downsize are items that the library builds. The library receives new items daily. A large portion of these items is for the children's collection. In the infographic, I describe how the library builds its Easy Books, I Can Read (ICR) books, and children CDs collection because they receive new items of these kind daily. However, the library should downsize these collections because they are overflowing with materials. The library needs to re-evaluate these areas to remove items that no longer circulate and create space for new inventory.

The library also needs to downsize its Juvenile Non-Fiction materials, Young Teen (YT) Fiction books, and audiobooks for diverse reasons. Juvenile Non-Fiction materials are overflowing with outdated sources, which prevent children from having access to accurate sources of information. A lack of materials that present up-to-date data can hinder the information-gathering process. The librarians must weed these sections often to ensure that current students and future students have access to proper sources.

Lastly, in part three of the infographic, the area of focus were items that the library should maintain. For this area, I chose items that seldom circulate. YT Fiction materials are not as popular as J Fiction materials. Therefore, in the infographic, I propose that the library integrate these items with the J Fiction collection to increase circulation statistics. The integration of YT materials could help young readers locate items much quicker. Audiobooks for children receive very little attention and my studies taught me that these items circulate the least. Very few children know what CDs are or how they function and confuse them for DVDs. Parents are aware the children express interest in digital technologies, and their inquiries reflect these details. The library uses Libby and OverDrive to satisfy the needs for digital technologies, but they are not advertised like other program and services. My final proposition in this infographic declares that the library should develop a plan that will inform the public about this service, and perhaps host a program that educates them in how to utilize these tools. Programs that reflect digital technologies may also attract the attention of older children, which is an observation I made in Presentation 3 that I wanted to explore in this infographic.

Professor Loertscher also wanted us to examine topical areas that need attention. For young children, these topical areas include colors, shapes, and sizes. The library has a section for concept books, but there are very few materials. The library needs to increase materials in this collection because they target early childhood development. For older children, topical areas include the following categories: animals, English grammar, foreign languages, fantasy, mythology, science, geology, and history. From my experience working for this community, children ask for materials in these categories for research and project assignments. Building these categories will address the needs expressed by patrons and guarantee access to proper materials.

The final piece of evidence that demonstrates my competence in collection management also comes from Professor Loertscher's class. In Presentation 5, I observe the library's acquisition procedures. Library acquisition is an analysis of multiple areas, from examining current collections to defining their role in the community, and understanding the purchase of specific items or how they are obtained (American Library Association, 2017). According to the American Library Association, larger libraries have teams, library staff, that focus on collection development. This observation is apparent for my library, a branch of one of the largest library systems in the nation. For this assignment, I interviewed the YA librarian and learned that they do not have control over collection purchases. Instead, she explained, Library Headquarters has a collection development department (CDD) that is responsible for overseeing the needs of the libraries. In the interview, she explains that the CDD is not always accurate in identifying the needs of the community; and as a result, materials that would thrive in our community are sent to locations where they may not have the same circulation success. I asked if librarians provide any input and she mentioned that the CDD conducts a survey where librarians are asked to provide input in areas they would like to see more materials, which again, only limits the control the librarian has over her collection.

Library acquisitions also involve gift donations from patrons. The LA County Library policy states that the library has full ownership of donated materials. Any final decisions regarding the status of the materials are conducted by the library and not the patron. Professor Loertscher was surprised with the results of my research, stating that there were too many restrictions that forbade librarians from making decisions about their collections.

For Presentation 5, I used Google Slides to create a Powerpoint to discuss what I learned from my interview with the YA Librarian. I chose to interview the librarian because the library website provides minimal information regarding library acquisitions. If it wasn't for my interview with her, I don't think I would have learned that our library has a special collection development department at library headquarters. Prior to the creation of the Google Slide, my group and I shared what we had learned about library acquisitions in our libraries. During that meeting, I learned that very few libraries have an updated policy, and that many of their policies are not accessible. I also learned that smaller libraries have control over the collection. The libraries where my group members work allow librarians to purchase and add items to the collection. The patrons also play an active role in the library's collection by ordering books for donation based on the library's Amazon wishlist. The differences between libraries presented a deeper understanding of how different libraries access library acquisitions and collection management quite differently.

The principles I learned in this class provided me with the opportunity to reflect and examine the collection at my library. The library performs well in addressing some of the needs of the customers, and I have been able to identify weaknesses in the past; however, Professor Loertscher's class taught me there exist many gaps in the analysis of collection management for this library. The result of having less control over purchases has delayed weeding projects, which provides a negative impact on our collection. The library may have access to invest quite heavily in programs and services, but the target audience does not encompass pre-teens when examining the children's collection and services. This age group also requires attention, more than other groups, because our success depends on them. If the library shows children what we have to offer, then there is the probability that they will return as adults.

Future Applications

Collection management is an intriguing subject in LIS, and through my research, I learned more about my library and how they manage collections. Library acquisitions procedures help librarians learn about the information needs of their community while examining current collections. Analyzing the materials that provide higher circulation statistics is a great way to learn about subjects or materials that spark an interest in the community. Engaging in weeding projects can advance the prosperity of the library in many ways. Removing older or damaged items provides the public with a healthier collection that consists of materials that are up-to-date or trending, which ultimately leads to higher circulation rates. As noted above, weeding projects also condense library space to provide room for new opportunities where libraries can add maker space programs or other educational initiatives.

Understanding the life cycle of purchased or donated materials is also crucial in collection management. Each item plays a role in the collection to satisfy the informational needs of patrons and the community as a whole. It is imperative to learn and make use of these practices to connect with patrons at a level that solidifies there is a mutual understanding of information needs.