ABOUT THE LIBRARY
New Collection Development Plan Emphasizes Timely Availability of Materials In Demand
July 7, 2005
IMCPL's Director of Collection Management Elaine Drew oversees the selection, ordering and processing of materials at the Library Services Center. The Library's new collection development plan will create a more streamlined system of processing materials in order to get them on library shelves faster.
The Library is streamlining its process of evaluating and processing materials in order to have them more readily available as soon as they are published.
"If the Library is to remain relevant in today's fast-paced world, we have to rethink and retool to meet and exceed our patrons' demands," stated Elaine Drew, IMCPL's Director of Collection Management.
Based on studies of materials most requested by patrons, the plan will focus on ordering more copies of newer items, both fiction and non-fiction, and having them prominently displayed at all 22 IMCPL branch locations and the Interim Central Library.
"We're not talking necessarily about bestsellers, but rather current and in-demand materials that our patrons want," added Drew.
Research materials, foreign language materials, self-help books and older materials will continue to be an integral part of the Library's collection. But due to their relatively low demand, the Library will house fewer copies. A more "in depth" collection of such materials will be found at the Interim Central Library (the transformed Central Library opens in 2007).
A team of four centralized selectors for adult materials will be able to work more quickly in their evaluation and assessment of materials, purchase enough copies to meet patron demands and make sure copies are available throughout the Library system. Their goal is to have new materials on branch shelves within one week of their arrival for processing.
Some staff will be cross-trained to receive and process materials, and weekend deliveries of new materials to branches also will help in getting materials in the hands of patrons faster.
One example of the Library's improved system can be seen with the July 16 release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The Library has ordered 400 copies of the blockbuster book which will be available for patron checkout on the release date. Already, there have been over 600 hold requests for the book.
The number of overall items in the Library's collection, approximately two million items, will remain stable. Not only will fewer copies of less popular materials be ordered, but systematic weeding of materials that no longer serve a need will keep the collection responsive to patron needs and insure its vitality.
Patrons will continue to have the ability to request items to be included in the collection and to ask the Library to reconsider items in the collection not deemed appropriate.
Full implementation of the new collection development plan is scheduled for September 1, 2005.
