How can libraries best assess community needs when thinking about developing relevant collections? Created for a UCLA collection development and management course, 2013.

1. Community
Assessment
IS 430 (UCLA)
Sarah Clark
Monday, October 7, 2013

2. Design the Perfect Car
Flickr @Doug88888

3. Design Debrief
● How did your
group approach
the design?
● What obstacles
or frustrations
did you
encounter?
Flickr @Doug88888

4. Get to know your client
● If you could
interview your client,
what questions
would you ask?
Flickr @OperationPaperStorm

5. Here is your client.
Name: Veronica*
Age: 29
Car: Doesn’t own one.
Parking available:
Street.
Worried about: $$$
Life Change: New job,
longer commute hard
by subway.
Flickr @ heyimlindsayp
*Note: this information is all made up! I don’t know who
this stylish lady really is. But Veronica is a great name.

6. Cars? Library Collections?
● What questions should you ask when
developing a collection that is new to you?
● Which methods might you use to get to know
your community and to get to know their
needs?
● How would you use information about your
community to inform your collection?

7. Library’s Purpose vs. Community
Needs and Wants
■
■
What do you see as the purpose of a library
within a community?
Can you imagine any discrepancies
between a community’s wants and needs and
the library’s institutional purpose? How might
those discrepancies be resolved?

8. Think Like a Designer
● Begin with problems, not solutions.
● Be empathetic. First, you must understand
user needs and experiences.
● Work creatively to come up with solutions.
● Develop a prototype or model.
● Test. Evaluate. Refine.

9. Design Thinking -- David Kelley
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?
id=50138327n

10. Imaginary Case:
University of California, Sunnydale
Location:
Somewhere in CA
Enrollment: 21,000
Type: Public
University

11. For now, ignore that this campus is
on the Hellmouth.

12. UC Sunnydale Mission
Mission*: UC Sunnydale is a leading research institution
that also offers an unparalleled liberal arts experience. We
are committed to students being fully involved in their own
learning through experience, research, and collaboration in
an environment that promotes both teamwork and
independent thought. Moreover, as a research institution,
UC Sunnydale is fully committed to the creation,
dissemination, preservation, and application of knowledge
in order to better our global society. In all of our pursuits,
we strive for excellence and diversity.
*Note: much of this language is stolen from real UC missions!

13. UC Sunnydale Library Mission
Mission*: The mission of the UC Sunnydale Library is to
provide access to and delivery of information resources to
UCSD students, faculty, and staff in support of the research
and instructional mission of the university. The Library
develops, organizes, and preserves collections for optimal
use and provides links to remote information sources. The
Library provides services, including instruction for
information literacy and information management, to enable
its users to fulfill their academic and intellectual needs. The
Library provides resources and services to non-UCSD
users to the extent possible.
*Note: actually the UCLA Library Mission

14. UC Sunnydale Library -- Current
Concerns
● Library staff feels out of
touch with community:
most users are remote.
● Library staff don’t
understand student and
faculty research needs
well.
● An external committee
review recommended the
library evaluate how well
resources are meeting
faculty and student
needs.

15. UC Sunnydale Library -- Additional
Concerns
● Library usage of print
materials is at an all time
low.
● Many undergraduates
report they do the majority
of their research online.
● Librarians feel like even
faculty rely on them less
and less for research
needs.
● $$$ Resources are being
cut for libraries at UCSD.

16. UC Sunnydale Library -- Connecting
with the Community
● How should UCSD
librarians learn about their
community’s needs?
● Come up with a plan that
addresses the following:
○ Data collection
methods.
○ Who will collect and
analyze data.
○ How data will inform
collections and
services.

17. Community Connection:
Oakland Public Library Tool Lending
Tool lending program at Oakland Public Library branch -- Video (4 min)