Competency F
use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of information
The most important aspect of a library is its collection. Everything else, acquisitions, facilities, staff, marketing, services, etc. revolves around the wealth of information that the library offers its patrons. It is important then for librarians and information professionals to understand and practice the concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation, and organization of information when building successful collections. This competency refers to the 'behind the scenes' processes that ultimately make a collection accessible to its users. Though it is entirely possible for modern librarians and information professionals to specialize in only some of these processes, it is important that we understand all the different aspects of this competency in order to create consistent collections and fulfill our organizations' mission.
My understanding of the concepts and principles governing this competency is demonstrated through class work examples in the paragraphs that follow. For this competency I have chosen to discuss the individual components separately in order to organize them in a readable fashion.
Creation
Usually librarians are not seen as creators of information as much as they are perceived to just be the managers of it. However, in my opinion, librarians and information professionals do create plenty of information during the course of their jobs. For example, when processing collection items librarians are in effect also creating information.
The items or records in a collection have a life-cycle consisting of different phases: creation, distribution, usage, maintenance, and disposition. Each phase necessarily generates an untold number of documentation that is created by librarians and information professionals. By doing so we are ensuring the effectiveness and organized flow of every record's movement through its life cycle.
In a processing assignment for LIBR 256 (Archives and Manuscripts) I had to process a collection that consisted of the personal and professional papers of Edward F. Fisher, one of the founders of General Motors. The collection had been hypothetically donated by the General Motors Fisher Guide Division to the Detroit Public Library National Automobile Collection. Once I identified the items pertaining to this collection I had to organize them in a logical manner. As part of this step I had to create descriptive documentation for each record (i.e. provenance, creator, sources, physical condition, and others) as well as main headings and categories in order to effectively classify all the information in the collection. In a related assignment for this same class, and aided by the information in the previous task, I also created a finding aid for this collection. Besides the acquisition information and a brief description of the collection, I also included detailed container lists.
Both exercises taught me the 'ins and outs' of the records creation process in our profession. I realized that the information we create and generate during our normal course of business has to be carefully organized in order to be useful and effective to our users.
Evaluation
Librarians and information professionals regularly evaluate resources in order to determine their value or relevancy to existing collections. In doing so, we aim to follow the organization's mission, maintain a high quality of information, and have collections that are useful and relevant.
Once again, for my LIBR 256 (Archives and Manuscripts) course, I had a great opportunity to evaluate a series of archival web sites related to the Cuban Missile Crisis (CMC). This historical confrontation took place at the height of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States so most Internet resources usually feature the two subjects together. However, for this assignment I was tasked with only evaluating those archival resources that referred exclusively to the CMC. First, I determined the expanse of the sites to be reviewed by evaluating archive reputation, content quality, scholarly background, number of external links, and number and quality of references. Next I spent some time navigating through each resource's web site. Finally, I gathered all the information obtained and submitted my analysis and evaluation as it pertained to quality of content, ease of navigation, collection organization, availability of finding aids, and insight into how each archive preserved and provided access to its collection.
I found this assignment useful in letting me analyze resources from the user's point of view. I realized too that online and electronic resources must be carefully evaluated in terms of their credibility by checking their publisher's reputation. I also learned that each resource and item must be evaluated against the backdrop of its added value to the existing collection.
Selection
Item selection can be accomplished in a variety of different ways. The librarian or information professional can consult reviews, directories, and vendor catalogs to consider acquisition. Additionally, he or she can also consult circulation records and user requests to determine what the library's collection needs are.
For a LIBR 266 (Collection Development) assignment my group was tasked with selecting and compiling a collection of ethnic resources applicable to a variety of library settings (i.e. elementary school, academic, public, private and medical) that would empower information professionals with the tools needed to help ethnic populations with their information needs, as well as help them create collections that are balanced, useful, comprehensive, sizeable, qualitative, and diverse. My role in this group assignment was that of team captain. As such I was responsible for dividing the assignments among team members, gathering their work, editing the format of the paper, and writing the introduction in which I detailed our group findings and conclusions. This assignment was useful for me as an exercise in carefully selecting only those materials which were relevant to the users and the collection's goals.
Acquisition
Here again there are a variety of methods that librarians and information professionals may choose to acquire materials. Materials can be acquired directly from publishers, other providers, or book vendors such as Amazon.com from which volume discounts can often be obtained. Whichever method is used, it must be strategized with regards to shipping time, any deadlines for materials which must be met, cost, and delivery arrangements. From what I have learned in several MLIS courses I can safely conclude that librarians and information professional are expected to conduct acquisitions in the most efficient, fast, and cost-effective way possible.
During a final (p. 2) assignment for LIBR 256 (Archives and Manuscripts) I was given a situation for which I had to enumerate and detail all the steps to be taken in the case of a donation of materials. As part of this exercise I had to describe how to process the acquisition and transfer of the materials from the donor's house to the repository. This exercise made me aware of the process to be followed from transferring legal ownership to bringing the materials under the physical and legal control of the archives.
Preservation
After materials are acquired, it is the task of librarians and information professionals to prepare and keep them in a satisfactory condition. “Preservation has value to society over and above the value of the content that is preserved” (Smith, 2007, para. 1). I interpret this to mean having a deep understanding and awareness of the preservation process as an important factor in the availability and accessibility of our social and cultural history. Preservation also serves other purposes like insurance against loss of value, protection against loss of business continuity in the case of business disruptions, and optimization of material reuse value (Smith, 2007).
In order to preserve materials properly librarians and information professionals must be knowledgeable of the different preservations techniques as well as the environmental aspects (e.g. sunlight, air, room temperature, and moisture affect the state of materials) of the facilities where the materials will be stored. As I learned in LIBR 256 (Archives and Manuscripts), it is also crucial to implement emergency plans that ensure the guarding and safekeeping of all materials in a collection. For the same final (p. 3) assignment as in the section before this one, I had to determine how to best preserve the donated materials based on the description of the items, their physical condition, and their value to the repository. After partaking in this exercise I now know to take into account all the different conditions (i.e. environmental factors, physical state and maintenance of facilities, availability of preservation tools, disaster preparedness, etc.) when planning for the preservation of materials.
Organization
This aspect of the competency is the key to being able to access information. Librarians and information professionals use varied organizational tools such as cataloging and classification schemes.
In the assignment for a finding aid previously mentioned I was given the opportunity to process and organize a group of donated items. In this case I classified the papers according to their business or personal nature and assigned them to different containers. In addition, I created descriptive documentation for each record (i.e. provenance, creator, sources, physical condition, and others). Next, I established sub-categories within each container. In the business papers box, for example, the categories were varied (e.g. annual reports, faxes, meeting minutes, patents, transcripts of speeches, trade articles, etc.). In the personal papers containers the categories were more limited (e.g. cards, correspondence, journals, letters, etc.). Once I organized the files alphabetically and chronologically with the aid of folders, I completed the task by creating containers lists that served as a reference index to the contents of each box.
This exercise was a great practice in organizing a collection that took into account the particular needs of the repository's audience. I learned to plan and follow appropriate steps in order to organize materials so that they are accessible by users later on.
I have analyzed in this page the most basic principles involved in the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of items or collections of information. Doing so has allowed me to realize that they do not exist independent of each other but instead are closely dependant on one another. As such it is important that librarians and information professionals understand their concept, benefit, purpose, and relationship in order to create and maintain collections that are relevant, coherent, useful, and successful. I feel that I have the tools to understand and execute this competency in my future information endeavors.
References
Smith, A. (2007). Valuing preservation [Electronic version]. Library Trends
56(1), 4-25.
Retrieved September 9, 2008, from: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1387/is_/ai_n21055184
Evidentiary
LIBR 256 - Archives and Manuscripts - Processing
LIBR 256 - Archives and Manuscripts - Finding Aid
LIBR 256 - Archives and Manuscripts - Website Evaluation
LIBR 266 - Collection Development - Ethnic Collection Development Resources
LIBR 256 - Archives and Manuscripts - Final Collection