Tag Archives: collection development

Subject Librarians’ Perceptions of Collection Work in a Changing Academic Library

Peer-Reviewed Article, , , , , ,

Lizzie Cope
ORCID: 0000-0003-4800-103X
Assistant Professor and Assessment Projects Librarian
University of Tennessee Knoxville Libraries

Luke McDonald
ORCID: 0009-0009-8832-3296
Assistant Professor and Electronic Resources Librarian
University of Tennessee Knoxville Libraries

Alexander Harriman
ORCID: 0000-0003-3809-1588
Collections Data Analyst
University of Tennessee Knoxville Libraries

Kat Brooks
ORCID: 0000-0003-0568-5179
Assistant Professor and Collections Strategist
University of Tennessee Knoxville Libraries

Abstract

Subject librarians, also called subject liaisons, liaison librarians, and subject specialists, have seen many changes through the years at academic libraries. Subject librarians face a new world of functional expertise and data driven decision making. Twelve subject librarians at an academic library were interviewed to uncover how they perceive themselves in the development and maintenance of library collections. Overall, findings suggest that while they recognize the support and collaboration available from technical services staff, they feel undervalued by the library at large. Misalignment, inconsistent communication and professional isolation are found to contribute toward feelings of distrust in leadership and frame the perception of collaboration between units within the library.

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Cryptozoic Librarianship: Deck-Building Games as a Microcosm of Collection Development

Essay, ,

By Samuel S. Ready, MLIS

The main article written at this time about deck-building games and library collection development appears to be the one by Robbins for Library Journal in 2012. Robbins recommends deck-building games for acquisition by libraries with robust game collections—but this is only the beginning of the relationship between such games and libraries.

Robbins (2012) does a good job of explaining why trading card games such as Magic: the Gathering are not a great fit for libraries: competitive and commercial, they present a never-ending arms race that is won by spending money buying new cards all the time. Trading is not the same as sharing, and the game is not a closed system. Robbins points out that deck building games are more democratic and self-sufficient, which is true. What Robbins fails to then say is that deck-building games such as those manufactured by Cryptozoic Entertainment are a good fit for libraries because they are in a way a simulation of library collection development.

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Out With the Old, In With the New: Revitalizing a Leisure Reading Section in an Academic Library

Peer-Reviewed Article, , , , ,

By Alexandra Boris
Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0276-9281
University Libraries, University of Tennessee

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Alex Boris, University of Tennessee Libraries, 1015 Volunteer Blvd., Knoxville, TN 37996. Email: aboris1@utk.edu.

Abstract

Every university has a different way of providing its patrons with popular or leisure reading titles. In academic libraries, mission statements and collections policies focus on resources supporting research and teaching. A leisure reading collection within academic libraries may be tended with care or fall by the wayside when resources are needed elsewhere. It can be overwhelming to find oneself responsible for a collection that has not been the priority.

This case study will discuss how a relatively stagnant leisure reading collection was revived to engage users with library spaces and collections. While such a task can seem challenging at the beginning, intentional selection, care, and marketing can increase the accessibility, visibility, and usability of the collection. Over five years, the leisure reading collection at the University of Tennessee Libraries became a tool for engagement and a visible connection to library values.

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