Comp F | Collections Management

Use the basic concepts and principles related to the selection, evaluation,

organization, and preservation of physical and digital information items

Section A | Definition of Competency

Basic concepts and principles to the selection, evaluation and organization of physical and digital information items are explored in course readings and collection management projects. For both physical and digital content records management the COAT principle is recommended. According to course reading for INFO 287 Oral History, MacKay (2015) describes COAT representing consistency, objectivity, accuracy, and timeliness of records regardless of management system selected, which is dependent on collection size, learning capacity and budget (pp.50-52).

Management of collections for both physical and digital content “are brought into the space through the process of collection development, and the space functions as storage for these materials” (Pomerantz, 2007). As realized through experience and course readings for INFO 287 Digital libraries, whether on shelves or within hardware both collections rely on physical space as repositories in some capacity. Managing a collection involves applying principles as well as concepts that are better expressed through background and evidence.

Section B | Background to the Competency

Competency F is satisfied though course readings, background and especially evidence for understanding concepts for management collections of data or objects which include selection, evaluation, organization, and preservation. The general understanding of these concepts is learnt through INFO 287 Digital Libraries and INFO 284 Oral History as confirmed in their syllabus. The demonstration of basic concepts and principles is found in the evidence of a digital library evaluation and oral history project proposal.

Section C | Discussion of Evidence

INFO 287 | Digital Library Evaluation

https://medium.com/@kejobuchanan/digital-library-evaluation-cjru-9ec8f480bca5

This digital library evaluation was on the new music library archive for CJRU campus community radio station. The evaluation includes analysis of catalogue and repository of music added by staff and volunteers. The digital content is selected based on 6 months release date, non top Billboard, and mostly Canadian content. The catalogue was organized in a Google sheet and scheduled for an improved online management system and collection process to improve timeliness of additions. Also, the repository was only available on site in MP3, instead of standard archival preservation WAV format for storage and compatibility with radio and media software. Therefore, principles and standards serve as great recommendation however, there needs to be flexibility once available tools and resources are assessed.

INFO 284 | Folk Recovery

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CuM6cNMUxQcsGM7FSDcaOq73hra16FtZ/view?usp=sharing

Folk Recovery is an oral history proposal to celebrate BIPOC artists through their Canadian folk stories and contributions. The project includes an archival component to preserve these video and audio recordings, and transcriptions in both industry standard and accessible formats. The project is designed to be available on social media and project website as well as preserved in high quality through an archival partner. Similar, to the digital music library storage, formats are dependent beyond preservation and need to be compressed to assure interoperability and access through online platforms.

Section D | Conclusion

Both digital libraries and oral history readings, study and projects verify competency F through demonstrating basic concepts and principles to the selection, evaluation, and organization of physical and digital information items. They also raise the importance of hybrid and interoperable approaches to collections organized in response to resources available for preservation as well as access.

Section E | References

Buchanan, K. (2020). Digital library evaluation: CJRU The Scope new music library archive. Medium. https://medium.com/@kejobuchanan/digital-library-evaluation-cjru-9ec8f480bca5

Buchanan, K. (2021). Folk Recovery: Oral History Project Proposal. PDF. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CuM6cNMUxQcsGM7FSDcaOq73hra16FtZ/view?usp=sharing

MacKay, N. (2015). Curating oral histories: from interview to archive. Taylor & Francis Group.

Pomerantz, J., & Marchionini, G. (2007). The digital library as place. Journal of Documentation, 63(4), 505-533. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00220410710758995