Overview: Collection Management and Development Program

The purpose of the Collection Management and Development Program is to provide and maintain collections which meet the academic, research, and information needs of the Library's many user groups. Under the guidance of the Director of Collection Services, twenty-seven subject bibliographers, working with the academic departments they represent, select and manage the numerous subject collections of the Library. Collectively these individuals comprise the Collection Management and Development Committee.

Director of the Collection Development Program

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, the Library administration, individual bibliographers, and faculty, the Director of Collection Services coordinates the library's collection management and development activities system-wide, and has overall responsibility for development, implementation and monitoring of the Library's collection policies and the development and management of the Library's materials budget. Specific responsibilities include: 1) 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) coordination of the Library's external collection development activities, 4) consultation with bibliographers concerning budget and other collection management activities, and 5) participation in the recruitment, orientation, and professional development of bibliographers.

Collection Management and Development Committee

The Collection Management and Development Committee is composed of all bibliographers as well as librarians from Acquisitions Services and Bibliographic Control Services. The committee meets monthly and is chaired by the Director of Collection Development and Bibliographic Control. Established in 1979, the CMDC oversaw the preparation of written collection development policies for each subject area of the collection and the creation of the Bibliographer's manual. In addition to the full monthly meetings , committee members are encouraged to serve on one or more subgroups, which include: Steering Committee, Collection Policies Subgroup, Electronic Information Subgroup, Preservation Subgroup and Serials Subgroup.

The Committee serves as a forum to discuss collection development activities, to define and solve problems, and to develop strategies for coping with pressures on the materials budgets and with the growth of the electronic information environment. The Committee is charged with the following responsibilities: 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 and preservation, 4) decide issues of bibliographic control and access relating to collection management, 5) participate in and contribute to cooperative collection development activities with the Research Libraries Group, 6) monitor the issues and problems which affect costs and maintenance of serials collections, 7) establish ad hoc groups as necessary, to carry out tasks relating to collection management and development, 8) document the policies and procedures of the program, and, 9) maintain awareness of trends and developments in the publishing world and the information marketplace.

The Bibliographer

Bibliographers are subject specialists, with funds assigned directly to them for the selection of materials appropriate for their unit or the library system as a whole. They may decide questions of selection and management on their own and in consultation with faculty, both individually and officially with departmental library liaisons and chairpersons. Their primary mission is to support the research and academic interests of Dartmouth's faculty and students.

Individual bibliographers meet formally and informally several times a year with the Director of Collection Services to discuss funding needs, current and future use of their collections, special preservation needs, new courses and new faculty, publishing and pricing trends, collection evaluation, gift policies, resource sharing, and other related collection matters. Each bibliographer submits an annual report summarizing activities, changes in College programs, faculty changes, etc. Specific responsibilities of bibliographers include the following:

1. Collection development

The individual bibliographer has direct responsibility for the development of collections in the subject areas for which she/he is responsible and shared responsibility for the collection as a whole. Based on subject knowledge, familiarity with the specific collection, and an awareness of College curriculum, programs, and research which the collection supports, the bibliographer is responsible for developing and implementing a collection management strategy which will best meet user needs within the framework of current Library goals, priorities and available resources. This responsibility necessitates that each bibliographer maintain a thorough knowledge of the specific collection(s); maintain a current awareness of curricular, programmatic, research and other user needs relating to the collection(s); monitor individual budgets; and develop and implement collection development policies for specific areas. In addition to responsibilities relating to their respective collections, bibliographers also participate in the development of system-wide policies, programs, and procedures.

Selection strategies are based on the needs of the academic curriculum and the research interests of the faculty, graduate and undergraduate students. Each bibliographer is responsible for making selections which adequately cover his/her subject areas. Bibliographers encourage faculty suggestions, read publisher ads and articles in the relevant literature, and monitor ILL requests to further supplement their knowledge of the field.

Priority is given to current publications in meeting present and anticipated research and teaching needs while recognizing the importance of retrospective purchases. Retrospective acquisitions are made to enhance existing subject areas and special collections, to build collections in new areas of interest, and to replace missing or deteriorating material. The significance of retrospective acquisitions varies from field to field; decisions regarding purchase, preferred format, etc., are left to the discretion of the individual bibliographer.

Library collections include monographs, serials, maps, sound recordings, scores, audiovisual materials, realia, manuscripts, and electronic resources. Printed materials currently represent the bulk of the collection, but non-print formats are acquired as well. Monographs and serials are the most common types of printed materials collected; others include maps, pamphlets, and musical scores. Non-print formats include microforms, sound recordings, video and audio cassettes, manuscripts, realia, photographs, slides, laser disks, computer files and interactive media.

When an item is available in both print and non-print formats, the bibliographer weighs such factors as cost, space requirements, and preservation considerations in making the selection decision.

Each bibliographer works closely with Acquisitions Services to encourage timeliness of acquisitions . Bibliographers may institute standing orders and subscriptions for serial-type material. Blanket orders may be established with particular publishers, organizations and learned societies. Approval plans are established for subject areas as appropriate. Materials received by gift or exchange make a small but meaningful contribution, except in the case of the Rauner Special Collections Library, where gifts represent an important and substantial component of the collection.

2. Collection management

Collection management covers the range of activities - bibliographic control, binding, preservation, transfer, weeding, and collection evaluation - that determine how materials will be organized, used, and protected. Bibliographers collaborate with Collection Services personnel in these activities.

Collection evaluation is an ongoing management process. It may also become a special project, occasioned by such institutional events as accreditation reports, new degree programs, or new faculty members and interests. Evaluation of strengths and weakness in a collection are undertaken to verify effectiveness of collection development policies or to identify areas for retrospective development.

3. Fund management

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. Adjustments to the budget may be made to meet special requirements.

The individual bibliographer has direct responsibility for allocating, expending and monitoring the budget(s) for his/her area(s) of responsibility. The Acquisitions Department authorizes encumbrances against individual budgets based on bibliographer's instructions (i.e., firm orders, standing orders, etc.) and is responsible for the preparation of regular financial reports which provide bibliographers with current information on encumbrances, expenditures, and cash and free balances. The bibliographer is responsible for monitoring the rate of encumbrance and expenditure during the fiscal year. Other fund management responsibilities include:

a. Preparing and justifying major purchase requests.

b. Negotiating cooperative funding of expensive items with other bibliographers and/or academic departments.

c. Preparing proposals for alternative and external funding.

4. Faculty-student interaction

Interaction with students and faculty is among the bibliographer's most important activities. Regular communication with faculty and students is essential to building collections that meet the instructional and research needs of academic departments on campus.

Collection development policies

Collection development policies are drafted by the bibliographer(s) responsible for selection in a particular subject area. The drafts are then reviewed by the Collection Management and Development Committee; once approved, the policies may be revised as often as every two (2) years. Policies are used to guide bibliographers in making appropriate selections for the collection and to provide at a glance a statement of the breadth and depth of the particular collection. Collection development policies include the following sections:

General Purpose

Dartmouth College Program

General Subject boundaries

Languages

Geographical areas

Types of materials collected

Format of materials collected

Special Collections and manuscripts

Other resources available

Detailed subject areas

Levels of collecting intensity

The section entitled "Levels of collecting intensity" provides a numerical analysis of the extent of collecting in a particular subject area. Rankings from 1 (minimal collecting) to 5 (research level collection supporting PhD programs) are assigned as appropriate. This analysis is based on the Research Libraries Group Conspectus, a tool designed for use in collection development and evaluation. The Conspectus, available both in paper copy and on-line in the RLIN databases, compares and analyzes the existing strengths and current collecting policies of member libraries and distributes primary collecting responsibilities among members. If certain RLG members are collecting on a comprehensive level in a field in which Dartmouth does not offer an instructional program, a bibliographer might use that information as a basis for deciding to limit collecting in that field.

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Last updated October 14, 1998 by: CMDC@Dartmouth.Edu (jdh)