Evaluating the Collection

Collection-Centered Evaluation

1. Examining the Collection Directly

Evaluating the library collection directly allows the librarian to immediately see and address needs. Books and other items that appear worn out can be removed and discarded, and the librarian can note which sections of the library are being underutilized and may need to be reorganized or promoted.

a. The librarian will make a regular practice of visually evaluating books as they are checked in and reshelved.

b. Books that are need repair or are worn beyond repair will be removed from the shelf to be repaired or discarded.

c. The librarian will make a monthly practice of scanning the shelves and reviewing circulation data to determine if certain genres or sections of the collection are consistently empty or underutilized and decide on the appropriate action to take. Actions include adding titles to popular sections, promoting genres, and reorganizing topics or genres.

d. During the annual inventory of the collection, the librarian will evaluate titles against the established collection development policy and determine if there are topics, subjects, or books that are no longer needed or used.

2. Mapping the Collection

Creating a collection map allows the librarian to see a visual representation of the collection centered on various criteria. Collection maps can be made based on average age, genre, Dewey category, or curriculum topic.

a. The librarian will use Titlewave to evaluate the collection according to desired criteria such as average age of books, number of titles by genre, and number of titles by Dewey number.

b. Depending on the current focus, the librarian will create a collection map that displays relevant information in a table, chart, or graph.

c. Using the data from the collection map, the librarian will determine which areas of the collection require weeding and which areas need more and newer books.

d. The librarian will use the collection map to compare the current collection to curriculum needs to determine which topics may need additional titles.

Use-Centered Evaluation

1. Circulation Studies

Analyzing circulation data allows the librarian to quickly identify high- and low-usage materials as well as which student groups or courses are utilizing certain materials. The librarian can use this information to decide on what items to remove and what items to add to the collection.

a. The librarian will routinely generate circulation reports arranged into categories such as genre, user groups, or subject.

b. Using this data, the librarian will determine which user groups or courses may need additional titles or materials because of high usage or lack of current material.

c. The librarian will also use the data to justify budget requests for areas of the collection that are often used or that support particular areas of the curriculum.

d. The librarian will use the circulation data to determine if certain areas of the collection are not being used and may need weeding.

2. User Opinion Surveys

While potentially time consuming and labor intensive, user opinion surveys give the librarian valuable feedback from users about their needs and experiences in the library.

a. The librarian will create a simple, informal survey on paper or a Google Form to solicit ongoing satisfaction feedback from library users.

b. The librarian will routinely review the feedback to determine if certain users or user groups are happy or unhappy with their library experience, and which users or user groups are able to find the books or material they're looking for.

c. Once per school year the librarian will use a Google Form to request feedback from library users in a more formal and detailed survey.

d. The librarian will review this detailed survey data to determine if the library is achieving established goals and adequately serving JRMS teachers and students.

Simulated Use Studies

1. Citation Studies

In a citation study, the librarian reviews the bibliography or cited works from student papers or projects and compares this data to the library collection. This will show if students have to use other libraries for their academic assignments.

a. The librarian will request student bibliographies and works cited from teachers after paper or projects are completed and graded.

b. The librarian will create a list of the titles that students used to complete their work.

c. They will compare the titles on this list to current holdings in the library collection to determine which titles are not available in the school library.

d. This information will help the librarian to decide if additional nonfiction titles or research databases should be purchased and added to the library collection.

2. Document Delivery Tests

This method of evaluating the collection allows the librarian to determine the availability of titles that students need for research papers and projects.

a. The librarian will work with teachers to determine what papers or projects their students will be working on soon and what specific titles or particular topics students will need to reference for the assignments.

b. They will search the library collection for the requested material using the online catalog and by searching the shelves.

c. They will determine which titles and materials are available in the library and which students or teachers would have to find in another library or by inter-library loan.

d. The librarian will use this information to make future purchasing decisions for titles and materials that are often requested or needed for student papers and projects.