Building the Collection
Course
Evaluation and Management of the Collection [6:11]
- Learn about several collection analysis tools to help evaluate your collections in relation to your community's needs.
- Learn how to use your library's online catalog to gather data for collection analysis.
- Learn ways that the visual representation and usability of your collection influence the perceived value of the library's collection.
Collection analysis tools continue evolving to make gaining a bird's eye view of one's collection more accessible. Not to be mistaken for an audit, a collection analysis tool allows school library professionals to gather data to gauge circulation trends. They help identify redundancy and gaps for the purpose of strengthening the collection. With the aid of third party tools and the online catalog, and by evaluating the visual appeal of the collection, school librarians can gain a better understanding of their library's perceived value.
There are several collection analysis tools that can assist you in the evaluation process. For Follett users, Titlewave includes a tool called Titlewise Collection Analysis, where you submit the MARC records online and supply basic information about the collection and the school. Titlewise then creates a report with the average age of the collection, the number of resources per student, the breakdown of print versus digital items, fiction versus nonfiction, as well as a breakdown of reading and interest levels. Other online collection analysis vendors include Mackin Collection Analysis, Diverse BookFinder Collection Analysis Tool, and Capstone's CollectionWiz. Contact individual database vendors to gather usage statistics within a specific time frame to help gauge whether these digital resources are supporting your research needs.
When selecting titles for your collection, you want to make sure that the titles match your learning community's needs. A great place to start is using your library's online catalog. What are your students searching for? Is there a popular genre or title coming up frequently? The library's online catalog can run reports that share circulation statistics by call number and therefore, by genre. It can also tell you how often items are being circulated and the age of the collection by call number. You will need to evaluate these reports and consider the courses being taught in your school, the age of the collection, and the items circulating. Are newer items circulating more often? Are older resources maintaining high circulation rates because they support the curriculum? Analyzing the data gathered from third-party vendors with circulation statistics from your online library catalog will help determine where to build the collection and what to weed.
The age of the collection can help determine where to concentrate your efforts in evaluating the visual appeal of the collection. Performing a shelf read to assess the visual appeal of the book covers can help determine which book cover styles may be more timeless as you continue growing the collection. For example, nonfiction book covers with photographs of humans tend to date themselves as clothes and hairstyles change. Consider if too many sources are represented within one topic and if that topic is still relevant. For both print and digital resources, what is on display when you first walk into the space or retrieve the digital collection home page? Are newer titles readily accessible? Are they well organized and on display? Each of these factors is important to consider during a collection analysis. Visual appeal of your collection is absolutely something to consider when building your collection.
Building a library collection is an ongoing process that involves a cycle of formal exercises, as well as day to day interactions. Leveraging data gathered from information tools, and your online catalog helps you evaluate your collection in relation to your unique school community. Looking at the visual appeal and usability of your collection will help you determine if your collection is dated or lacking a diverse set of topics. All of these things we've discussed are important first steps in building your collection.
In order to adhere to best practices in building your library's collection, you should know how to run a collection analysis report as well as discover the school's demographic data. After reading Jen Spisak's article, "Collection Analysis for Today's Libraries," consider how third-party collection analysis tools work together with your library catalog's statistical data to help you understand how well your collection represents your school community's needs and wants. Complete the Reflect & Practice activity below.
In this activity, we will learn how to use a collection analysis tool to help evaluate the physical and digital library collection and discover how stakeholders can inform qualitative data in order to make educated purchasing decisions. Using the charts on pages 2–5 of the Course Packet (included in the Resources above), summarize your library catalog's statistical data. Consider the type of data that cannot be gathered from these analysis tools, such as visual appeal, usability, and accessibility. Using the qualitative data gathering exercise found in the above template, make note of the stakeholders you will need to survey and the questions you will need to ask in order to gather meaningful qualitative data.
MLA Citation
Brown, Stacy. "Building the Collection: Launch a Collection Analysis." School Library Connection, February 2023, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2293925?learningModuleId=2293930&topicCenterId=2247902.
Entry ID: 2293931
Additional Resources
About the Author
MLA Citation
Brown, Stacy. "Building the Collection. Evaluation and Management of the Collection [6:11]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, February 2023, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2293925?learningModuleId=2293930&topicCenterId=2247902.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/2293925?learningModuleId=2293930&topicCenterId=2247902
Entry ID: 2293925