For the administration of collection development and management, the Dartmouth College Library divides into eight units: Baker/Sanborn (humanities and social sciences), Dana (biomedical sciences), Feldberg (business and engineering), Matthews-Fuller (medicine and nursing), Kresge/Cook (physical sciences and mathematics), Paddock (music), Sherman (art), and Special Collections. The Library's Director of Collection Services coordinates the collection development and management activities of the librarians in each of the units, both individually and through the Collection Management and Development Committee.

Collection Management and Development Committee: structure and responsibility

Collection development program decisions are made by the Collection Management and Development Committee, a group composed of all bibliographers as well as librarians from Acquisitions, Bibliographic Control, and Circulation. The committee meets monthly and is chaired by the Director of Collection Services.

Prior to 1979, most of the functions of the Collection Management and Development Committee were carried out principally by the bibliographers who constituted the now defunct Selection Office and who reported to the Associate Director for Technical Services, and by the Public Services unit heads, who reported to the Associate Director for Public Services. In 1979 a serious shortfall in the serials budget and consequent need for rigorous review and cutback of serials holdings prompted the formation of an Ad Hoc Committee on Serials to be made up of those two groups and headed by the Associate Director for Public Services. Shortly thereafter this group was formalized as the Collection Development Committee under the newly created position of Director of Collection Development and Bibliographic Control. The main focus of the group for the next several years was the writing of the Library's first collection development policies. In 1985 the Committee merged with the Technical Services Users Group and was given its current name to reflect its mission to deal with all aspects of the subject. In 1988, following a recommendation from the Library's Public Services Self-Study, membership on the committee was expanded to include all bibliographers within the system. The Committee now meets once a month in its entirety; in addition, bibliographers are encouraged to serve on one or more subgroups, which include: Steering Committee, Collection Development Policies Subgroup, Serials Subgroup, Electronic Resources Subgroup, and Collection Management Policies Subgroup. The responsibilities of the various sub-groups are listed in the Appendix.

The Committee serves as a forum to discuss collection development activites, to define and solve problems, and to develop strategies for coping with the growing pressures on the materials budgets. According to its charge (see Appendix for full text), the Committee is responsible for the following:

1. revise and approve collection development policies written by bibliographers.
2. develop principles and methods to guide the evaluations of collections.
3. establish criteria for review of collections for storage, preservation, and reclassification.
4. decide issues of bibliographic control and access relating to collection management.
5. participate in and contribute to cooperative collection development with the Research Libraries Group.
6. review current serial titles and develop a plan to control serial expenditures.
7. establish ad hoc groups as necessary to carry out tasks relating to collection management and development.

Other Library committees whose decisions may affect collection development issues include the Preservation Committee, the Collection Sevices Group, the User Services Group, and the various Library Roundtables.

Budget/Allocation of funds

The fiscal year of the College runs from July 1 through June 30; the Library follows a similar budgetary cycle. Departmental budget requests are filed in October and approved or amended by the following January for the upcoming fiscal year. The Library derives its revenue for the purchase of library materials from the income of endowments designated for that purpose and from the general funds of the College. Funds for the purchase of library materials for the associated schools (Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School, and Tuck School) are allocated by the administrators of each school. Other sources for library materials include gifts in kind and cash.

The budget for each bibliographer is set according to the types, costs and amount of material published in each field as well as the need to support College programs. In the spring, the Director of Collection Services notifies each bibliographer of the percentage increase or decrease in his/her budget for the coming year. This is based on projected endowment income distribution, an analysis of the previous year's expenditures and an estimation of future costs for library materials. The bibliographer then meets with the Director to discuss specific needs, considering support for the curriculum, special programs, and collection evaluation. The meeting is one of approximately three held throughout the year between the Director and the individual bibliographers. Adjustments to the budget may be made to meet special requirements.

Budget Timetable

July 1	Start of fiscal year.
Summer	Annual reports submitted to Library Directors describing any new programs projected, identifying special budgetary needs for the next fiscal year.
Summer/Fall	Each bibliographer meets with the Director of Collection Services to discuss anticipated needs for the coming year. The bibliographers of the associated schools meet the Director of Collection Development and Bibliographic Control for budget monitoring and expenditure analysis as well as with their respective deans to negotiate acquisitions budgets.
October	The Director of Collection Services submits the library materials budget, based on bibliographers' needs, projected endowment income, anticipated inflation and publishing statistics, for discussion with the Library administration.
November	The library materials budget is incorporated in the overall Library budget. The budget is reviewed by the Provost and the Library Administration and necessary adjustments are made.
Nov./Dec.	The final budget request is sent by the Provost to the President through the Financial Services Office for approval.
January	The President submits the Library budget, as part of the College Budget to the Board of Trustees for consideration.
Winter/Spring	The Library Administration is given the final budget for the next fiscal year.
Spring	Bibliographers may meet with the Director of Collection Services to discuss anticipated needs.
June	Individual budget report sheets are distributed to bibliographers at meetings with the Director of Collection Services.

Tools for collection development planning and decision making

1. Annual reports

   A report sheet for each collection area is submitted to the Director of Collection Services before the annual budget allocation is made. The reports note changes among faculty, curricular changes, costs of materials, trends in the literature, changes in collecting patterns, and significant collection management activities which have occurred over the past year. Data from any available usage reports or departmental faculty activity reports may be incorporated.

   For a sample of the Bibliographer's annual report form, see Appendix.

2. Budget reports

   INNOPAC reports are sent to each bibliographer, recording expenditures, encumbrances, actual and working balances for monographs and serials. The schedule for reports is monthly (July-December), bi-weekly (December-April), weekly (April-June). Bibliographers are encouraged to search INNOPAC themselves or to consult with Acquisitions Services if more current information is needed. Reports on approval plan expenditures are distributed quarterly.

   For a sample budget report, see Appendix.

3. Statistical reports

   Collection management statistics are issued monthly, describing cataloging activities, creation of machine readable records, binding, and collection growth by format and by library. The library also issues an annual statistical report.

   For samples of both reports, see Appendix.

4. Serials bibliographic control activity reports

   Reports are compiled in Innopac which describe changes to serials titles (cancellation, cessation, title changes, etc.) in the past month. No longer routinely printed, this report is available within the Innopac system to any interested bibliographer. Please contact Acquisitions Services for more information.

5. Circulation/use reports

   (Not yet implemented.)

Collection Development Officer

The Director of Collection Services is responsible for administration of the Library's collection management and development program. Working with the Collection Management and Development Committee, which he/she chairs, the Library administration, department heads, and individual bibliographers, the Director of Collection Services coordinates the library's collection management and development activities system-wide, including overall responsibility for development, implementation and monitoring of the Library's collection policies and the development and management of the Library's materials budget. He/she is directly responsible for the administration of the Collection Service areas of the Library and the system-wide coordination of technical support activities, which constitute an integral part of the Library's collection management program. Specific responsibilities include:

1. Annual development and allocation of the materials budget.
2. Representation of the collection management and development program and its needs to the Library and College administrations.
3. Serving as liaison for collection management and development with national and regional organizations and coordinating the Library's external collection development activities.
4. Consultation with bibliographers concerning budget and other collection management activities.
5. Participation in the recruitment, orientation, and professional development of bibliographers.

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