COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT IN DIGITAL LIBRARIESBy: Agnes Kawa

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

“Libraries are not about books; they were, are, and will be about facilitating communication across space and time. Books have been a way to do that historically, but today there are other, often better, ways to accomplish this. Libraries need to become facile at supporting all sorts of media, and they must continue to embrace the new, or face the consequences of losing relevance to the mainstream culture”.

- Mark Sandler

TOPICS OF DISCUSSION

Defining Digital Libraries Advantages vs. Disadvantages of Digital libraries Examples of different library settings and their digital

collection Weeding in a digital library

DEFINING DIGITAL LIBRARIES

Digital Library – A library in which collections are stored in digital formats and accessible through computers

Function of a digital library: Access to large amounts of information to users wherever

they are and whenever they need it. Access to primary information sources. Support multimedia content along with text Network accessibility on Intranet and Internet User-friendly interface

ADVANTAGES VS. DISADVANTAGES OF A DIGITAL LIBRARY Advantages Nearly unlimited storage space at

a much lower cost Re-allocate funds from some staff,

collection maintenance, and additional books.

No physical boundary Round the clock availability

Multiple access

Enhanced information retrieval.

Preservation for some print material

Disadvantages Lack of screening or validation Lack of preservation of a fixed copy

(for the record and for duplicating scientific research)

Lack of preservation of “best in class”

Difficulty in knowing and locating everything that is available, and differentiating valuable from useless information.

Job loss for traditional publishers and librarians

Costs are spread and many become hidden.

PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND DIGITAL COLLECTIONS Looking at the big picture 299 Public libraries participated in a survey about digital

collections How the numbers add up about increasing a digital

collection What type of digital items are in demand What Patrons have been requesting since the digital rise Print vs. Digital in the Public Library

DIGITAL COLLECTIONS FOR THE DIGITAL NATIVES Who are the Digital Natives? How children view the digital world Open access Digital Libraries and Digital Design Features Using Digital Children’s collections in your library International Children's Library

ACADEMIC LIBRARY AND DIGITAL COLLECTION When looking at Academic

libraries, need to consider: Core Values: equity of access

intellectual freedom, open access, stewardship and trustworthiness

Scholarly communication issues

Author rites and copyright issues

Acquisition of digital material Develop tools for digital

material

WAYS TO REDEFINE COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT IN THE NETWORKED AREA

Focus on what is sustainable Consider what a collection does rather than what a collection is As our parent institutions are changing, so must we We must make strategic decisions about what formats we support in

the multi-format universe Changing current practices will add value for our patrons We must seek the right balance between competition and

collaboration We must seek creative partnerships with publishers and vendors We need to exploit our new understanding of the collection to the

best of our ability. Collection librarians must expand their skills and expertise

WEEDING A DIGITAL COLLECTION

Ebooks should be treated the same way as physical collections with guidelines for retention based on use, accuracy of information and relevance to the patron

Knowing the numbers Ebook vendors and customer needs- OverDrive OverDrive Video http://ebooks.nypl.org/A55F27A7-AB28-49FF-B295-1803F6D87A09/1

0/257/en/Default.htm

Standards to your eBook collections Ebooks need to be manually weeded when materials become

outdated, demand decreases and relevance can be compromised Ebook platforms are not merged with the ILS

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN WEEDING OverDrive reports- Turnover Rate by Subject B&T Axis 360 – Top Circulation by Subject Create a plan to use information as it becomes available Take steps to be proactive in pursuing outdated material When purchasing new titles in popular subjects check

holdings to look for titles to weed When considering the purchase of backlist titles, look at

the other titles by that author to inform your purchases and consider weeding