SIS560 Collection Development Spring 2005Page 1

SIS560 Collection Development Spring 2005page 1

SIS560: Development and Management of Collections (002)[1]

Spring 2007(Tuesdays, 6:30 - 9:10 pm)

Instructor: Dr. Bharat Mehra

Office: 425 CommunicationsBuildingOffice Hours: By appointment

Office Phone:974-5917

E-mail:

Course Description

From SIS website: (3) Selecting and preserving a variety of items (tangible and intangible) to meet needs of particular users; community analysis; policies and procedures; evaluation; purchasing.

This course studies the process of selecting and preserving a variety of items (tangible and intangible) to meet the needs of particular users. It introduces many essential collection development concepts including, but not limited to, community analysis, policies and procedures, evaluation and purchasing. Although the character of collection development may vary in different information environments, there are core concepts and skills that transcend all these environments. Students will learn these core principles and skills and how they might be applied in a variety of information contexts.

Prerequisites

NONE

About the Course

This course is characterized by a collaborative learning atmosphere which requires you to use critical thinking skills and to have a commitment and involvement with our projects and discussions during class meetings and on-line. I will do everything I can to make the course a rewarding learning experience that is meaningful to you as an information professional. However, to get the most out of this course you will need to be actively involved in our readings, discussions, and assignments!

You will be expected to demonstrate mastery of the material in our class discussions, assignments, final examination, and through participation in our “virtual” discussion on Blackboard. You will also be completing a final project. In addition, you will learn how to present all your assignments on individual web pages that will be compiled as a collective web resource on collection development representing your work for the class.

Outcomes

When you complete this course, you should be able to:

Discuss review utility.
Be able to select the best item.
Identify and characterize agency attributes likely to impact selection.
Identify and interpret information about community characteristics, needs and wants, indicating how this information affects collection development.
Develop a priority-oriented selection policy for a chosen subject area.
Evaluate the adequacy of a collection in a chosen area, indicating strengths and weaknesses.
Revise an existing collection according to established criteria.
Build a community responsive collection using a variety of appropriate selection aids.
Apply these principles to the information environment in which you would like to work.
Build individual web modules as a part of a collection on collection development.

Contacting Me

I'm here to help – so always feel free to ask questions or share ideas! You are encouraged to drop-in, phone, or e-mail, as convenient to you. We can also talk after class or we can set up an appointment at another time that is more convenient for you. E-mail is a sure-fire way to contact me. I believe e-mail is an excellent communication tool, and I check mine on a very regular basis. What I like about e-mail is that it is 24/7; that means you can ask a question when it's fresh on your mind – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I've set my mail to sort incoming messages; so to assure a quicker response from me always start your message subject line with SIS560. I'll usually answer within 48 hours, but I'll often get back to you even faster!

Disabilities

Please contact the Office of Disability Services at 191 Hoskins Library at 865.974.6087 if you need course adaptations or accommodations. They will work with you to arrive at the appropriate program and register you for services. Also contact me so we can talk about solutions.

Readings

Required

Evans, G. Edward & Saponaro, Margaret Zarnosky. Developing Library and InformationCenter Collections. 5th Edition. 2005, Libraries Unlimited.

ISBN: 1-59158-218-0 (alkaline paper); ISBN: 1-59158-219-9 (paperback: alkaline paper).

On-line readings: There are some required readings that are available on-line on reserve at the library and through databases at the UT libraries or from web sites. Web site addresses for required readings are on the syllabus. Other supplementary resources will be available in the external links section of our class website.

Grades

OVERVIEW

1. Review the Reviews = 15%

2. Select the Best = 15%

3. Develop a Collection = 60%

4. Final Exam = 5%

5. Class Participation = 5%

TOTAL = 100%

Review the Reviews, Select the best, and Develop a Collection may be completed by an individual or a team of no more than two students. If the assignment is completed by a team, each assignment should also include a brief statement about what each student contributed to the assignment.

All your assignments will be deposited via the assigned space on the class Blackboard site. I will grade and give comments on your assignment via that space. You will also have to submit your assignments in web module format by the end of the semester using the web template that we will discuss in class. 2% of each grade assignment will be deducted if its web module component is not deposited by the end of the semester via the process we will discuss in class. (For example, if I was to deposit the Review the Reviews assignment, the following is the name of the file I will deposit: bmehra1).

All your assignments should use a font of at least 11 points. Use the Chicago (Turabian) style manual. In addition to fulfilling assignment criteria, all assignments will also be evaluated with the following criteria:

The presentation of the paper.
The quality of the writing. Writing that is not of graduate student quality will be returned with comments and the author may elect to rewrite the paper. However, the rewritten paper will not be eligible for full points. Papers that do not fulfill the assignment criteria cannot be rewritten and resubmitted.
The quality of the organization of the paper.
The quality and amount of critical thought exhibited in the paper including reflection, analysis and interpretation.
The use of appropriate literature and source material.

Late submission is subject to point deduction (1 point per day) and will not be credited if the graded assignments have been distributed. Mark your calendars for due dates.

1. Review the Reviews: The purpose of this assignment is for you to gain experience analyzing how reviewers structure their reviews and to critically discuss the kinds of descriptive and evaluative information that appear in reviews. To do this you will identify an item (book, computer software, movie, etc) that has received at least three or more reviews.

You will then write an essay that addresses each of these areas:

Describe your item’s reviews: How many reviews did you discover, and where did you find them? How easy was it to find them and use them? Make the work encompassing and thorough.
Analyze the Reviews: How would you characterize the descriptive and evaluative information found in the reviews? To what degree do these reviews meet the needs of the collection developer? What do you think you need from a review?
Identify the best review: Which review was best and why? What made it most useful?
Applying your observations to collection development: Traditionally, collections have been based on reviews. If your experience is a typical one, how do you feel about that? This should include generalizations on the assets and liabilities of collection development.

2. Select the Best: The purpose of this assignment is for you to demonstrate your ability to evaluate and select the best from a pool of items. You need to assess why the item is best in two different ways: best for what and best for whom. Your essay will address each of these areas:

Describe the situation: identify the purpose of the collection, and the audience for whom you are developing the collection. Characterize the pool of available items.
The selection process: discuss how you evaluated the items including the selection criteria based on the audience and purpose. You should discuss the process you used to create a pool of possible items.
Identify the best item(s): identify the best item and discuss why you made that decision. Be sure to be thorough in this discussion.
Your insights: what have you learned from this process of selecting the best item? How might this apply to your career objectives?

3. Develop a collection: The purpose of this assignment is for you to gain experience developing a collection. A complete description of the project is available in the Collection Development Assignment Handout. A brief description of the project follows.

Items selected may be tangible or intangible. Any format is suitable. Server based collections are acceptable. You will select a local organization or agency that needs a professionally developed collection. Please be sensitive to how much time you demand from your local contacts. The interaction with the agency contact is an important part of this assignment since it simulates working with people in the information environment and it allows you to develop organizational and management skills that are necessary for your professional life. Your organization and subject must be approved by the instructor no later than the fourth week of the semester. See the schedule for the exact date.

4. Final Exam: The purpose of the test is for you to demonstrate your knowledge about collection development and to help you prepare for the School’s comprehensive exam. The test questions will be selected from the comprehensive examination questions available via the School’s website. You will answer one question.

5. Class Participation: In class and online communication develop skills that are an essential part of the professional and academic environment. You will be assessed based on your participation during class and also on the class discussion board. Here are some ideas to help encourage online conversation:

You can post questions to the list based on what we have read, or on related topics that you observe at work or in your community.
You can continue conversation that we have had during class sessions.
You can outline controversies surrounding theories or media clips and encourage others to assess thedifferent perspectives.

How to Compute your Grade

All assignments will receive a letter grade ranging from A+ to E-. The number of points you can earn on a particular assignment can be calculated by multiplying the number of points for a particular grade (see table below) by the weighting for the assignment.

LetterLetter

GradePointsGradePoints

A +140C-60

A130D+50

A -120D40

B+110D-30

B100E+20

B-90E10

C+80E-0

C70

For example, if you receive a "B" on Review the Reviews, you have earned 15 points (100 X .15 = 15). Here's how it works for the course grade: to earn an "A" you must earn at least 120 points; for a "B" you need at least 90 points; for a "C" you need at least 60 points, and for a "D" you must have at least 30 points. You will receive an "E" if you have less than 30 points.

Attendance

Attendance is compulsory because class discussions are an important part of mastering the material. Attendance is part of the participation grade and excessive absences will result in a lower grade.

Cheating and Plagiarism

When you write for this class or when you are making a presentation, remember that any sources you use should be credited and that materials on the web should be cited too. Use Chicago style for your citations, and be sure to include any resources from the web. If you use someone's words or ideas without attribution - that's plagiarism. Remember cheating and plagiarism are violations of scholarly and professional ethics and University policy; don't do it! If you cheat or plagiarize,youwill fail the course (E grade); and could face further actions. Further information is available in Hill Topics, the UTK student handbook.

Schedule of Topics, Readings and Assignments

Week / Class
dates /

Topics

Reading

/ Assignment Due
1 / 1/16 / Introduction to the course, instructor and requirements.
Cindy Lancaster’s (SIS Technology Coordinator) presentation on How To Deposit Assignments for the Collection Development Website.
Begin Concepts and definitions
2 / 1/23 / Concepts and definitions; Information Needs Assessment; Reviews and reviewing / Evans: Chap. 1 and Chap. 2
Locate, read and analyze reviews for the assignment;
3 / 1/30 / Material Selection / Evans: Chap. 4 / 1. Review the Reviews assignment due
4 / 2/6 / Collection Development Policies / Evans: Chap. 3
Explore collection development policies on the web:
Library of Congress

Columbia University

Vanderbilt (Conspectus)

Dayton and MontgomeryCountyPublic Library

Eugene, OR Public Library

InternetSchoolLibraryMediaCenter (ISLMC) Policy Manuals for School Librarians
/ Identify your agency for Develop a Collection assignment due no later than today
5 / 2/13 / Community Analysis / Baker & Wallace: Chap. 2 & Chap. 3 (On reserve)
Adm. Of the Small Public Library: Weingand, Chap. 3 (On reserve) / 2. Select the Best assignment due
6 / 2/20 / Print-Based Publishing—Books and Serials / Evans: Chap. 5 and Chap. 6 / Develop a collection
Parts 3.1 & 3.2 due
7 / 2/27 / Electronic Resources
Digital libraries / Evans: Chap. 7
Gary Cleveland “Digital Libraries: Definitions, Issues, and Challenges”

8 / 3/8 / Collection Evaluation and Resource Sharing / Evans: Chap. 14 and Chap. 15 / Develop a collection
Parts 3.33.4 due
3/13 / NO CLASS
Spring Break
9 / 3/20 / Financial Allocation
Deselection (weeding) / Evans: Chap. 12 and Chap. 13
10 / 3/27 / Purchasing and Acquisitions / Chap. 10 and Chap 11 Explore web resources about evaluation:
RLG Conspectus
/ Develop a collection
Parts 3.5 & 3.6 due
11 / 4/3 / Government Information; Audiovisual Materials / Evans: Chap. 8 & Chap. 9
Explore website:
Federal Depository Library Program

12 / 4/10 / Preservation / Evans: Chap. 16 / Develop a collection
Parts 3.7 & 3.8 due
13 / 4/17 /

Legalities, Censorship and the future of collection development

/ Evans: Chap. 17 and Chap. 18 / Final Assignment due 5/2
14 / 4/24 /

Collections, ideology, and culture

/ Raven, James. “Introduction: The Resonances of Loss.” Lost Libraries: The Destruction of Great Book Collections Since Antiquity. Ed. James Raven, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, pp. 1-40.
“Ideology.” A Critical and Cultural Theory Reader. Ed. Anthony Easthope & Kate McGowan. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1992, 41-65.
(excerpted readings from Marx, Engels, Althusser, and Said)
Foucault, Michel. (1972). “The Discourse on Language.” The Archaeology of Knowledge & The Discourse on Language. New York: Pantheon, 215-237.
Excerpt from Trinh, T. Minh-Ha (1989). “Commitment from the Mirror-Writing Box.” Woman, Native, Other. Bloomington, IN: IndianaUniversity Press, 20-28.
Bhaba, Homi. (1994). “Signs Taken for Wonders: Questions of Ambivalence and Authority Under a Tree Outside Delhi, May 1987.” The Location of Culture,New York: Routledge, 102-122. / Final Exam: 5/4 will be available via the class website on the Black Board server

3.0 Develop a Collection

Introduction

This assignment guides you through the collection development process by organizing your work into eight different activities. These activities will help you assess the organization you are working with, create development rationale, conduct community analysis, construct a policy statement, assess information agency variables, evaluate the collection, select items for the collection, and design a strategy for promoting the collection.

In order to assure that your work is evaluated properly, please be sure that the numbers used to identify your responses match the numbers in the assignment.

Since each student is working with a unique collection, some variables in the assignment may not exactly match the situation. Be sure to identify as many relevant variables as possible, and relate them to your project. The variables chosen for this assignment typically are relevant in most situations. However you may need to modify these specifications or you may find some variables are not applicable. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!

Grading

All parts of this assignment will be graded using the guidelines noted in the syllabus.

The Develop a Collection project accounts for 60% of your final grade in the class. Each part will be graded separately. Parts 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7 are each worth 9% of your total grade, and parts 3.4 and 3.8 are each worth 3% of your grade.

Part 3.1: The Parent Organization (9% of total grade)

You will be building a collection for an organization, institution, or group that you feel comfortable working with. This first activity asks you to identify this agency and to assess it using several variables. In special cases you may be allowed to develop a collection for an individual, but you need to talk to me about it.

Key points: Any agency is suitable. Collections may include any format or type of material – intangible or tangible.

Address these questions:

3.1.1Identify your agency. Characterize the parent organization of the agency and the people who are employed in it. (For example, a university is the parent organization of an academic library). What kind of organization is it? What are its members like?

3.1.2Summarize the parent organization’s mission, goals, and objectives.

3.1.3How does the parent organization measure success?

3.1.4How successful is it? Please be specific.

3.1.5How might an appropriate collection help the parent organization be more successful?

3.1.6If you could develop one collection to help this parent organization to be more helpful, what would it be? Why?

Part 3.2: Development Rationale (9% of total grade)

3.2.1Assess your development topic carefully. Is it too broad given the time available? Decide if you need to narrow the subject or format scope.

3.2.2Define the collection you are developing by listing keywords that are associated with it. Which word(s) would you use in searching for information on your subject? Tag the most productive subject term. If you are working on a collection for a library also list those major class numbers associated with your collection and tag the most productive class number.

3.2.3Discuss the relative importance of this collection. How much difference in the success of your organization or in the quality of life in the community served by the agency might result from a collection on this subject?