Matt Torrence

Making Decisions: Using Electronic Data Collection to Re-Envision Reference Services at the USF Tampa Libraries

Declining reference statistics, diminishing human resources, and the desire to be more proactive and embedded in academic departments, prompted the University of South Florida Library to create a taskforce for re-envisioning reference services. The taskforce was charged with examining the staffing patterns at the desk and developing recommendations to give librarians greater flexibility and to better respond to the information-seeking needs of users. These recommendations were based on statistics of desk usage, collected with the newly adapted online tool Desk Tracker, and structured interviews with library administrators. The taskforce was interested in how these stakeholders use quantitative data in decision making.

Implementing and Assessing Library Reference Training Programs

Comprehensive assessments have shown that academic library users prefer a welcoming environment that provides the opportunity for self-sufficiency. Libraries need to meet these expectations and improve the quality of library reference by creating a comprehensive training program for librarians, staff, and students. This article will review standards for reference training in academic libraries with a focus on one-desk service points and consider best practices for planning, implementing, and assessing training programs for staff, students, and librarians.

Wasted Words?: Current Trends in Collection Development Policies

The transition to electronic resources and the changing role of the collection development librarian are having a tremendous impact on the manner by which libraries select and acquire new materials. The goal of this research project was to further elucidate the current trends of collection development policies in members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) as well as gauge current use and future efficacy. The survey was designed and sent to librarians responsible for collection development at university-affiliated ARL libraries in order to obtain a current picture of academic collection development policies, and how they are changing due to the abundance of electronic resources and new methods of data-driven acquisitions. The goals of the survey are to • Measure the continued use of CD policies as major collection-building tools; • Assess the frequency of updates to collection development policies; • Determine the availability of collection development policies; • Measure and compare the amount of time available to librarians to review and select new materials; • Determine if print materials are being reviewed in new and innovative ways or if they receive the same assessment as electronically formatted materials; • Measure the employment of data or patron-driven acquisition methods. The findings will require additional assessment, but the data does seem to indicate a time of change in the way academic libraries complete and assess their primary collection development activities. This survey was created, at least in part, with the hope of setting a starting point for continued evaluation and longitudinal measurement. If our survey participants are as actively helpful in future years, these dreams of cyclical assessment may well come to fruition. Survey Planning and Dissemination The major goals and elements of this survey, as well as the resulting data, stem from previous research by this group of authors. The initial work was presented at the 2011 Charleston Conference and appears in the proceedings as “Somethings Gotta Give: Is There a Future for the Collection Development Policy?” With this effort, the focus was the examination of the environment and landscape of collection development/ management, with special attention to the primary questions mentioned in the abstract. Following a thorough review of the literature and various best practices, the time arrived to collect original data on these topics. Following the presentation in November of 2011, the researchers set forth to expand the project. The Association of Research Libraries appeared the logical place to set the bar, and their collection of 125 research libraries proved an attractive target. The authors decided, however, that the focus of this initial survey would be only those libraries associated with the 112 public and private colleges and universities, excluding other library-type members (Smithsonian Institution Libraries, New York Public Library, National Library

Collection development for new librarians

Abstract There are many challenges facing new librarians in the academic environment, including collection development. This article analyzes the topic of collection development and how it relates to new professionals in the field of librarianship. The article contains a literature review of papers discussing the collection development curriculum in library and information science programs, expected skills required of collection development offices, and library training programs for new librarians. The article also provides practical advise by recent graduates and their collection development experiences. Topics of discussion include acclimation to a new environment, collection development policies and procedures, liaison work, resource selection, and time management.

Reconfiguring Collection Development: A Faculty Print Serials Review

Follow this and additional works at: http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/charleston An indexed, print copy of the Proceedings is also available for purchase at: http://www.thepress.purdue.edu/series/ charleston. You may also be interested in the new series, Charleston Insights in Library, Archival, and Information Sciences. Find out more at: http://www.thepress.purdue.edu/series/charleston-insights-library-archival-and-information-sciences.