Collection Development

This was presented for the 3rd Annual Children and Teen Services Conference (C.A.T.S.) which was located in Kelowna, British Columbia. We had 67 participants from across B.C. and some from Alberta.
The presentation was to encourage other librarians to create their own Diversabilitiy Service Provider lists, and Teen and Children's bookslists, do programming and workshops on this topic in their communities.
All these lists have been sent across Canada. Interior Health, MCYSN, and Work B.C. are using them, as well as Doctors on the provincial website - Divisiont of Family Practice FETCH and PATHWAYS.

Alberta Library Conference presentation by Harper Collins

Presentation by Harper Collins at Alberta Library Conference

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.