Collection Development

In this lightning talk, Brenda and Dhara will discuss their collaborative efforts to get the Afrocentric Library Collection off the ground at Toronto East Detention Center (TEDC). The Afrocentric Library Collection is part of a much larger program created by Dhara to highlight the distinct needs of the institution's predominantly Black inmate population. This collection fills in the gaps that the general collection has had for years and has increased access to materials by Black authors for our inmates. Brenda and Dhara will discuss how the library has supported the collection, as well as other advantages and the difficulties of having such a collection within a maximum security institution.

The increasing cost of post-secondary education is a problem faced by students across our country. Although libraries do not have control over contributors such as rising tuition fees and student debt loads, they can provide some financial relief through their collections. Library collection policies have traditionally been designed to exclude textbooks as items that are purchased. However, in the age of digital, the reasoning behind many of these policies could be called to question. Is it time to begin looking at expanding the library’s role in supporting students with some required course materials? How can we design library collections to support the curricular needs of users, while also balancing shrinking budgets and ensuring the needs of our entire communities are met? Over two semesters, Okanagan College Library saved students more than $110,000 in textbook costs by purchasing electronic versions of required and recommended books through library suppliers and making them available through the Library. Learn about the project and the steps involved, what worked well, and what we would recommend others do differently. 

Edmonton Public Library’s Collections Assessment and Trends Intern Librarians will tell you how they found a way to turn collections data into meaningful information. The presenters will share findings from their research of EPL's physical and digital collections (including user analyses, floating, and interlibrary loan), and discuss how emerging trends in relevant industries might impact public libraries.
Learning Objectives:

• Gain insight into shifting collection usage and trends.
• Learn ways to contextualize and analyze quantitative library data.
• Consider more than circulation statistics to ensure decisions are community-led.

At VILSC 2016, Lisa and Jean introduced a new shared print monograph initiative undertaken by 10 academic libraries in Western Canada. The Shared Print Archive Network (SPAN) Monograph Project, an initiative of COPPUL, helps ensure we retain and preserve enough copies of rare, local-interest print materials for future access by scholars and citizens. Please join us for an update on the outcomes of this exciting project! We will also demonstrate how we are analyzing our collective holdings and circulation data, using an online tool called GreenGlass, to advance local collection management goals in responsible, sustainable, evidence-based ways. Finally, we will share some of our thoughts, experiences and workflows around that bête noire of libraryland, weeding, as well as possible future uses of the data beyond deselection and retention.

This information has been transferred to Word documents as this forum doesn't support Excel documents. Statistics are totalled at the end of the year and put into the first document '2017 circulation stats to use in purchasing 2018 books for Toolshed' based on the different categories that are set up for our library. The second document '2018 Book Budget Report for Toolshed' takes the percentage of circulation from the first document and multiplies it times the available funds to determine what should be spent in each category. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
The first document also allows you to compare from one year to another whether your circulation has increased or decreased via category and what you should look at changing.  Keep in mind that you can alter an amount.  For instance, the first year this was created we added money to the Graphic Novel area as our collection was old and not receiving circulation but our staff knew that there would be a demand for it from a number of people who struggle to read.  Since then we have automatically been able to receive a dollar percentage for this category due to circulation.