3. PRIZES!
Fundamentals of Collection Development &
Management by Peggy Johnson
Assorted Books & Advance Reading Copies
Pair of Banned Book Socks
7. Survey Highlights
Collection Management
What are your most pressing concerns about
Collection Management work?
Please rank these options for sharing
information with other Collection
Management librarians
What kind of support for public
library collection management would you
like from the Library of Virginia?
VLA Program
• What trends and emerging issues keep
you awake at night?
• What trends and emerging issues are
you excited about?
• What topics would you most like to
learn about or discuss at the VLA
program?
• Are there any specific questions you
would like to be addressed at VLA
Public Library Collection Management
Discussion?
• Are there successful practices,
workflows, presentations, documents,
or ideas that you would like to share
with your colleagues?
9. What topics would you most like to learn about or discuss at the VLA
Public Library Collection Management Discussion? Page 1
Trends in budget allocations for print vs. eBook; how libraries are handling demand
for eBooks in relation to the budget (different holds ratios, for instance?). I can still
get so many more circs from a print book than from a Random House eBook :(
Trends in Reference purchasing (resources to support reference work) -
databases/linking to online resources vs. purchasing print Reference materials and
nonfiction
Collection analysis tools; increasing collection use
How librarians are applying their respective collection analysis tools, whether an ILS
or outside product like Collection HQ. What selection model works best.
Measuring public demand--how not to let what circs become a self-fulfilling
prophesy; ie., not just buying more of what circs know it will but perhaps limiting
service to just that demographic.
10. What topics would you most like to learn about or discuss at the VLA
Public Library Collection Management Discussion? Page 2
Creating a balanced collection when only certain types of items are checked out
(e.g. the community has a large African American population, but the children's
books with African American characters never get checked out; weed them or not?)
Collection analysis; division of resources among areas
Balance
Contracts and ebook licenses
Budgeting
The future of collection management. Best practices. Networking
11. What topics would you most like to learn about or discuss at the
VLA Public Library Collection Management Discussion? Page 3
Plans for statewide purchases for public libraries
Share war stories, in a way
Purchasing/contracts
New trends in collection development, new selection resources
Shared collections, collections of last resort
12. What changes are you anticipating for the next fiscal year?
Increase in electronic items; decrease in print
None
No major changes, perhaps some additional spending on digital magazines and ebooks
Cutting databases
With a flat budget, we are looking at dialing back on databases, print reference, and print periodicals, as well as being
careful across the board in other areas.
Cuts across the board
Asking for more money, esp for print and eBooks.
Slightly less in print, slightly more in digital/DVD
Not sure at this time.
I am struggling to keep up with demand for eBooks. So far, all eMaterials have been funded by allocations from our
library's Foundation, not by our regular materials budget. But demand is steadily increasing. I'm reluctant to redirect
money from the materials budget to increase $$ available for eBooks because I have 9 branches with circulating
collections and so far the eBook demand is mostly coming from the few that are also high-circulating for print materials.
I hate to take money away from the lower-circulating branches since they are already on shoestring budgets and am not
sure what to do...
13. Specific Questions & Successful Practices
Are there any specific questions you would like
to be addressed at VLA Public Library Collection
Management Discussion?
Curious to know what
benchmarks/targets others use to
measure collection use (turnover rate,
cost per circ for different areas of the
collection, for instance)
Rising cost management
Are there successful practices, workflows,
presentations, documents, or ideas that you
would like to share with your colleagues?
Ideas about promoting databases to
public/staff and getting buy-in from staff
for new processes, ie floating -Shari
Henry, Arlington Public Library
The acquisitions team has a wiki on
which we keep our budgetary
spreadsheets as well as
recommendations for each other, etc..
We don't get to see each other face to
face much so this helps keep us in
touch. -Nan B Carmack, Campbell
County
15. What trends and emerging issues are you excited about:
Ebooks
Digital collections
eMaterials
Weeding
Minimum copies
Shared storage
Self publishing and creation platforms
PDA
The shift towards digital materials is both exciting and stressful!
User based selection
Collection analysis and purchasing based on circulation
Competition for OverDrive; expanding electronic resources and balancing with print
16. What trends and emerging issues keep you awake at night?
Lack of well-written, non-preachy, literary and popular fiction for those who prefer "clean" stories, especially for teens
and adults
Ebooks
Digital collections
“Crappy” service provided by some vendors (how difficult OverDrive is to use with Kindle, multiple screens you have to
go through on Zinio)
Cost of eMaterials
Expenses
Major publishers' eBook pricing models, particularly for hot bestsellers where we aren't currently meeting demand
Articles about the death of the library
Marketing/Merchandising
All of the above
Money
17. What are your most pressing concerns about Collection
Management work? Top Three
1. Long range planning
2. eMaterials: formats, platforms,
vendors, access, etc.
2. Promoting collections
& Readers Services
3. Collection analysis - tracking
the performance of collections
18. What kind of support for public library collection
management would you like from the Library of Virginia?
Coordination of regional networking/sharing groups would be great!
Continued support for state-wide digital collections.
would love to see more databases purchased for all, like NewsBank, Mango, etc...
We can't afford on our own but would love to be able to offer it.
I am at the Library of Virginia and I'd like to know, too
A list of resources for finding titles, especially in those genres that are more difficult
to find quality materials (e.g. a list of websites that review "clean" fiction or a list of
sites that have mystery series lists)
Training on selection, weeding, analysis for staff
19. What kind of support for public library collection
management would you like from the Library of Virginia?
Not sure
I don't really hear directly about any Library of Virginia support. I certainly
appreciate the Zinio platform and subscription coverage
more input into LVA purchases for resources
Support for and information about Virginia authors
Programming/webinars.
More money; less time needed for staff at libraries to fill out antiquated forms such
as Bibliostat
21. What are your most pressing concerns about Collection Management
work?
2.67
3.11
3.22
2.33
3.33
2.56
2.94
3.22
2.89
2.72
2.94
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5
Allocating & tracking materials budgets
Collection analysis - tracking the performance of collections
eMaterials: formats, platforms, vendors, access, etc.
Weeding
Long range planning
Selection processes
Keeping current with trends and increasing professional awareness
Promoting collections & Readers Services
Communication with Adminstration
Communciation with Public Services
Communciation with Customers/Patrons
VLA CM PRESSING CONCERNS
22. CM Areas Expertise
4
2
5
1
7
4
3
1
1
0
7
8
8
4
8
5
8
1
7
6
9
4
4
7
4
8
6
5
5
10
10
9
6
3
2
6
2
1
2
10
1
2
1
2
ACQUISTIONS (ORDERING, RECEIVING, PAYING)
BUDGETING (ALLOCATION, TRACKING FUND EXPENDITURES)
PURCHASING (RFP'S, BIDS, CONTRACTS, ETC.)
COLLECTION ANALYSIS (STATISTICS,COLLECTION REPORTS, DATA)
TECHNICAL SERVICES (CATALOGING, PROCESSING)
VENDOR RELATIONS
OPENING DAY COLLECTIONS
SELECTION
WEEDING
PRINT AND AV MATERIALS
EMATERIALS: EBOOKS, EAUDIOBOOKS, EZINES, EVIDEO, EMUSIC
ok good very good N/A
38. Options for sharing information with other Collection Management
librarians
3.29
2.29
2.41
3
3.53
3.65
3.18
2.38
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
VLA conference
session
Shared google work
site (online
discussions, file
sharing, etc.)
Blog Email Regional meetings VLA listserv Email newsletter Other (please
specify)
Rating Average
39. Contact
Ann Chambers Theis, Henrico County
Public Library:
actheis@henricolibrary.org
Shari Henry, Arlington County Public
Library: shenry@arlingtonva.us
40. EVALUATIONS
Please fill out the VLA program evaluation form
Also, a link will be sent to a follow up (brief ;-) survey
Additional CM surveys?
41. Thanks to those who filled out the survey and thanks to those
who attended the VLA program!