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6-2005 Training New Acquisitions and : Some Technical and Philosophical Guideposts Antje Mays Winthrop University, [email protected]

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Publisher Citation Mays, Antje. “Training New Acquisitions and Collection Development Librarians: Some Technical and Philosophical Guideposts”. Against the Grain, vol.17:no.3 (June 2005), pp.38-41. Special issue on training and mentoring new librarians.

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Ida Jane Dacus Library at Digital Commons @ Winthrop University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dacus Library Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Winthrop University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Training New Acq1UI.isifions anJ CoRRection JDevelio]p>men£ Lil6rariansg Some Technical anJ Philioso]p>hicali G1UI.iJe]p>os£s by Antj e Mays (Head of Monograph & AV Acquisitions, Winthrop University, Rock Hill, South Carolina)

I. Coming into the field Some Best Practices For Training Acquisitions L ibrarians Coming into acquisitions/collection development is an exciting time Since new librarians come with varying degrees of prior knowledge for newly minted librarians and librarians switching from other areas and initiative, the amount of in-depth time and hands-on train ing should alike. Acquisitions and collection development are the hub where edu­ be tailored to the new 's pre-existing knowledge and learning cation, cwTiculum analysis, needs assessment, business, and technology style. Training acquisitions librarians entails showing them the way ini­ come together, combining the business and intellectual worlds. To suc­ tially by introducing them to the library's workflow, giving them a feel ceed, acquisitions and collection development librarians must be able to for the library's vendor base, and encouraging them to meet with other interact with a vast variety of people with differing perspectives and work areas' staff to get a sense of how the functions and workflow interrelate styles, organize and complete multiple projects on time and on budget, library-wide. It is a challenge to teach workflow organization and project pace purchasing within the fiscal-year calendar, have a good grasp of management, and it is equally difficult to instill the sense of fairness users' needs and interest, and - in the academic setting - understand needed to be an effective and impartial supervisor. Before hiring new the programs being supported and stay ahead of programs' creation, ex­ acquisitions librarians it is a good idea to ask them about their manage­ pansion, changes, certification, and (re)accreditation. ment style/philosophy. Many people enter Librarianship with a broad mix of prior experi­ A crucial part of bringing someone on board is reviewing the fund ence. The new librarians may come into acquisitions/collection devel­ structure, financial reporting, and acquisitions system, as well as opment right out of graduate school with little or no prior work experi­ making the new librarian aware of important dates such as ordering ence, or they may come from other areas of librarianship. Some make deadlines, program review/accreditation calendars, recurring reports the transition from acquisitions support staff. There are those who come and their due dates, and calendar of staff-evaluation due dates. A to librarianship with experience from a broad range of other fields. Some complete departmental procedures manual for the new librarian to incoming acquisitions/collection development librarians have experience study is another excellent introduction to all the organization-spe­ with supervision, accounting, marketing, vendor relations, customer ser­ cific aspects that the new librarian will need to learn. This type of vice, and systems/e-business tools; others do not. While all new acquisi­ documentation provides an in-depth in troduction to the organization­ tions and collection development librarians have the fou ndation of the specific workflow, shows how the acquisitions system is used, and professional degree, graduate programs in librarianship differ in empha­ other specifics. The manual serves as an excellent tutoria l for the sis on thc01y and practice. Some students will choose theoretical courses librarian to refer to at any ti me, and the new person can study it in a as their electives while others will choose independent studies or a pro­ self-paced manner while taking on the actual work. In tandem with fessional internship for the elective library-course credits. As a result, no providing new acquisitions librarians with documentation on depart­ two new librarians' experiences are alike, and training needs for acquisi­ mental workflow, it is equally important to be avai lable as a resource tions and collection development librarians vary greatly as a result of person for any follow-up questions. A new librarian will inevitably these differences. need further clarification of anything that is commonly understood A certain degree of autonomy and judgment is expected at the in-house but not necessari ly fa miliar to an incoming new person. Of­ professional level. The urge to guide a new librarian's every step can ten, new ideas will arise from internalizing the documented proce­ be very tempting, but doing so can also stifle the new librarian's dures and engaging in the departmental work. New acquisitions li­ growth. Especially in the beginning, it is important to refrain from brarians should also be encouraged to obtain specific hands-on pulling them into too many competing directions lest they become information from their support sta ff who are the closest to certain discouraged. It is better to assess the new librarian's work by out­ tasks. The mix of initially sharing deadlines and organizational spe­ comes in clearly defined task areas. Balance is best achieved by show­ cifics, procedures documentation, a climate of continued openness, ing the new librarians the way initially and then being available as a and being accessible as a resource person for follow-up information resource person in areas such as specifics about the library system, is immensely helpful as the new librarians make the organization's specific organizational history about academic programs and vendor aspects, deadlines, and needs their own. relationships, but giving them enough space to grow and develop their own style. Training should be focused on skills such as techni­ III. W hat Collection Development L ibrarians cal expertise and specific aspects of the organi zati on 's needs; Need For Success mentoring should be geared toward the librarian's long-term profes­ There are two types of collection development librarians: ( 1) the di­ sional growth. rector of collection development who oversees collection development II. W hat Acquisitions Librarians Need For Success for the entire library (or all within a large system of specialized and/or regional libraries), and (2) the subject specialist whose role is It is crucial for acquisitions librarians to understand busi ness func­ collecting in specific subject areas. Collection development directors tions. Rurming an acquisitions department is very similar to managing a must understand the institution's intellectual, technological, budgetary, corporate purchasing department. In today's automated environment, ac­ and political big picture. They should have an innate abi lity to un­ quisitions librarians also need to be technology-savvy and have the ca­ derstand the spectrum of knowledge taught by the university and pacity to learn the library's acquisitions system functions and its data­ should be able to build relationships and open communication lines analysis capabilities; w1derstanding e-business tools is also helpful for with the rest of the university to know when programs are changing speeding up purchasing and invoicing transactions. Acquisitions librar­ and/or coming up for (re)accreditation. This person should have broad ians generally supervise other personnel. The best temperament for suc­ strateg ic-planning skills and flexible leadership ability to work cess in acquisitions is an innate sense of time and knowing how to orga­ collaboratively with the many other library areas and constituencies nize workfl ow to maximize efficiency and timeliness. Fairness, outside of the library. Subject specialists need the ability to work impartiality, and ability to delegate are needed to be a good supervisor closely with a teaching unit in a ll ways in order to stay abreast of the rather than a micromanager. Finally, negotiating and other social skills programs' ongoing development and transformation. are needed for dealing with vendors, library constituencies, and prepar­ ing RFPs for bids. continued 011 page 40

38 Against the Grain I June 2005 Library selectors often struggle with scheduling their materials selec­ Training ~ew Acquisitions and Collection ... tion amidst their other- always constant - duties in reference, biblio­ !im11 page 38 graphic instruction, and interlibrary loan. While the perspective of ac­ quisitions is more inlmediate in the sense ofprocessing orders and pacing Training Guidelines For Collection oneself to beat fiscal-year deadlines, collection development's perspec­ Development Librarians tive is more long-term. Often, the types of questions asked at the refer­ ence desk and the collection gaps uncovered while preparing and teach­ A well-rounded training strategy for collection development librar­ ing bibliographic instruction classes help the selector identifY collection ians would address the university's (or community readership's) envi­ strengths and weaknesses. In a , collection development's ronment. This includes reviewing information such as the library's size, role is to understand its library community's reading preferences, keep type and technological environment. It is also important to introduce on top of new materials coming out in those areas, and regularly study prevailing program accreditation and certification requirements, includ­ current bestseller lists. ing master time lines of self-study and site visit dates. The collection development librarian also should meet with representatives from all li­ Acquisitions is the business arm of collection development. The brary areas and assigned constituents early on. Acquisitions department purchases and processes the materials and is responsible for getting them in before each fiscal year's end. The Acqui­ For subject selectors, some libraries assign collection development sitions department lives with strict ordering and expenditure deadlines, areas based on the librarians' interest; others assign them based on the tight schedules, and constant workflow. It is helpful for library selectors librarian's undergraduate background or second graduate degree. Get­ to know about the calendar of deadlines so that they can pace themselves ting to know either one's own or all subject areas in an academic setting in their materials-selection activity. While collection development oper­ is a twofold process: meeting the faculty and learning about their needs, ates more in a long-range mode of analyzing the curriculum (or reader and meeting the librarians who participate in the daily activities of serv­ preferences in a public library) and where it is headed in the long-term ing the departments. The selector needs to meet with teaching faculty to future, acquisitions operates on a cycle geared toward getting tl1e materi­ discuss their teaching and research goals (especially in research settings), als in on time. Acquisitions librarians are the experts in vendor relations obtain course syllabi to get a feel for the approach to the knowledge and the marketplace to the end of knowing, for example, where to fmd areas, study the undergraduate and graduate course catalogs and keep that small-press publication from overseas. Degrees of freedom and ini­ abreast ofo ngoing faculty research projects and related information needs. tiative to incorporate collection development into acquisitions work vruy Within the library, the selector should meet with their Reference, Biblio­ greatly from one library to the next. graphic Instruction, and Interlibrary Loan colleagues to get a feel for how the knowledge areas are covered and where gaps are in the collec­ An Example of Collaboration Between Acquisitions and tion. Collection development librarians need to receive and understand Collection Development: The Approval Plan their budgets in order to make their selections within budget and on sched­ One exrunple illustrates the result of collaboration between mono­ ule. Part of the training should also entail meeting with Acquisitions graphic acquisitions librarians, library subject specialists, and departmental early on in order to learn about deadline needs and ordering guidelines. library liaisons. The approval plan is a customized pW"chasing method in Choosing formats is an outgrowth of keeping an eye on the market­ which libraries identifY their needs in a curriculum-descriptive profile. place of library materials regarding formats and delivery technologies. The profile is then "translated" by the vendor into appropriate books or One key to success is understru1ding each knowledge area's approach to print I e-mail announcements about new and forthcoming books that match research and preferred formats. How do the departments use the techno­ it. Approval plans can be comprehensive and cover tl1e entire curricu­ logical environment? Do faculty want to access library resources online lum or they can be small and focused in very specific areas of need (for from their offices? Do off-crunpus or distance education courses require exrunple, literature in a specific language from a vendor who specializes support from eBooks and other online resources? Maintaining aware­ in such materials). The acquisitions librarian and collection develop­ ness of the latest developments in print I electronic pricing packages, ment director are the most likely to work witl1 tl1e entire range of vendor online database packages, and access models can also help the collection choices, publishers, selection tools, trends in the fields, accreditation agen­ development librarian make the best choices for their subject areas. No cies, and state program review bodies. The acquisitions librarian serves two libraries are alike, and the best choice of format is customized to the in a consulting capacity in matching the selection needs with the best needs of one's specific environment. vendors. The selectors, reference librarians, departmental liaisons, and Training a new collection development librarian includes an over­ other interested teaching faculty provide constant feedback on the in­ view of current realities and trends in publishing and information-deliv­ tellectual content needed, while the acqui sitions li brarian continually ery models. This includes reviewing the marketplace of e-journals and fine-tunes the vendor's services to the collection needs. While each aggregated databases, accreditation standards for core journals, and print party contributes a unique perspective to the finished product, the vs. "e" - both in introductory meetings and ongoing discussions with acquisitions librarian is the central catalyst in bringing the approval library working groups. Good training strategies also include pointing plan to successful fruition. to specific selection tools such as print and online reviews, discipli ne­ Budget Allocations - How Acquisitions and specific sources of book reviews, bringing the new selector into close Collection Development Work Together contact with teachi ng departments and encouraging them to collaborate with Reference and Librruy Instruction for the latest observations of re­ No two allocation formulas are alike because no two libraries are search and collection needs. alike. However, library-materials budget allocations generally take into account the following mix of considerations: IV. What Incoming Librarians Need To Learn About I. Knowledge areas represented The Relationship and Collaboration Between • Level of collecting (undergraduate, masters, doctoral), Acquisitions and Collection Development • depth of area collecting (in-depth or cursory), and Acquisitions and collection development go hand in hand, and as • enrotlment figures and trends in each area. such these areas are two sides of the same coin. Collection development 2. Prior expenditure patterns. is the intellectual side of the coin: in an , this entaiJs Some allocation preparations also tally unfunded curriculum analysis, understanding how the disciplines are taught on one's requests on hand, and these are factored into the campus, including areas of specialization as well as discipline cores and evidence of demand for library materials in each at what educational level. In doing so, the collection development librar­ area and become part of the percentage distribution ian will learn what programs are coming up for (re)accreditation. Then, of the next year's materials budget. when assessing the collection, collection development can take the lead in building pilot collections for new programs and filling collection gaps, 3. For monographs, average price per book i.n each discipline. all the time workiJlg with the teaching faculty to tailor the library's col­ Some formulas go so fa r as "this many books per lection to the curricular-support needs. FTE in this knowledge area" per year. continued on page 42

40 Against the Grain I June 2005 P (())§Jl ti

Part I: Introduction and Discussion ing the future of the functions represented in ten invoicing and payment), or a state-wide sys­ the acquisitions process. The fourth assump­ tem or consortium that even places these fimc­ Acquisitions departments are often located tion is that this article will lay out issues and tions in different cities or states. in technical services, but sometimes other mod­ els prevail. Acquisitions can be part of a single ways of thinking about the organization and not Technology has enabled some of the above supply answers. Those issues are best resolved technical services mlit or an independent unit scenarios to come into existence, but technol­ side by side with other milts in technical ser­ by the individual organization. The questions ogy has also driven changes. Regardless of the vices; part of a collection development w1it that and chart at the end of this discus- ideal that technology is a tool and not is also under technical services; part of a col­ sion can aid library staff in deter­ a driver, this is not always the case. lection development unit that is part of public mining where acquisitions is best There are times when the incorpora- services; part of an administrative Wlit in the suited within the organization in tion of technology leads to library that is responsible for all purchases for order to achieve the library's goals. natural and logical changes collections, operations, etc.; or paired with an There are some long-standing that affect the optimum or­ administrative unit handling ordering and/or fi­ factors that affect how acquisi­ ganizational model, but nances for the central organization. What fac­ tions fits into the Library's or­ there are times when tors contribute to the evolution of acquisitions' ganizational structure. One technology drives place in a library organization and what are the is size. If an organization is changes. Some can be pros and cons of these various arrangements? small enough, one person less desirable, resulting may be handling acquisitions from the lirnitsofcurrent To begin, there are some assumptions inher­ ent in this article. The first is that the acquisi­ among other duties, e.g., technology, and some other types of purchasing can reflect the use of tions function encompasses the processes of (equipment, supplies), cata­ ordering, receiving, and paying for library in­ technology for political formation in multiple formats. The second is loging, etc., although in most cases, reasons. These also affect the that when an organization chart is created, that this person is likely to be at a paraprofessional organizational model. organization chart represents a decision regard­ or clerical level and not making collection de­ Library automation systems, for example, velopment decisions. In a larger organization, ing where acquisitions best fits within the for­ have tended to drive certain activities to the mal structure of the organization. That, in tum, however, where each person becomes more of "front end" of the teclmical services process, implies a single relationship; however, while a specialist, the question of placing acquisitions such as downloading records from a biblio­ that relationship reflects a decision regarding in a stru cture is more of an issue. graphic utility. This used to be the responsibil­ the primary or the most important relationship Geography is a similar factor. In a smaller ity of catalogers, wbo chose tbe correct record in that organization, it is not exclusive. Second­ library, everyone tends to be closer together or at least the record they thought most fit the ary relationships and synergies are possible and physically, facilitating conununication between library's circumstances. Now, that decision falls can be reflected through "dotted" lines on the acquisitions and other areas, such as collection to acquisitions and the cataloging function chart or may be understood tacitly, with no development, cataloging, or processing. In merely makes decisions about overlaying when physical line on the formal chart. The third as­ larger libraries, however, these functions may the record chosen by acquisitions is detennined sumption is that the library has a strategic plan be on different floors or even in different build­ to be less desirable than another one that is now for the organization before a fom1al organiza­ ings, especially if branches are involved. There available. This was one of the early effects of tion chart is structured. Part of that plan in­ can be a central purchasing unit that handles all integrated library systems, which made it more volves acquisitions and cun·ent decisions regard- or some aspects ofthe acquisitions function (of- continued on page 44

share with them how acquisitions and collection development intenelate Training New Acquisitions and Collection ... - both administratively and philosophically. ln time, the new librarians jiwn page 40 will gain a larger-scale perspective and their grasp of the technical and philosoph.ical elements will become second nature. 4. The preferred ratio of serials vs. monographs in each area, depending on where each discipline's cutting-edge research Long-term growth can be encouraged in a variety of ways. Whether tends to be published: there is a formal mentoring arrangement or simply infonnal exchanges between "jtmior" and "senior" colleagues, exposing the new librarian to For example, in the physical sciences a high per­ the organizational community, pointing them toward publishing, schol­ centage would go to serials subscriptions and a low arship, and service opportunities, and encouraging their lifelong learrling percentage to monographs, whereas in literature and will inspire the new librarian to set goals for long-te1m knowledge en­ history, serials and monographs are often split 50/ hancement and overall growth. 50 or even tilted in favor of monographs tf' 5. Statistical evidence of use for e-journals, databases, and eBooks. us for UNC-Greensboro. Any­ Acquisitions and collection development need to consult each other Rumors way, Bill didn't make it to the dedi­ in pursuit of fair budget allocations. Acquisitions brings the knowledge jiwn page 36 cation even though he had hoped of ordenng patterns and their numerical breakdown while collection de­ to. Instead, he hopes to make it to velopment knows the direction of the library's intellectual environment. the Charleston Conference in November. Both should monitor marketplace trends and developments in informa­ tion-delivery technologies and access models. Congratulations to Charlene KeUsey, assistant professor and acting head of the Original Monograpllic Cataloging Unit at the University of V. Long-term Success and Career Growth Colorado the winner of the 2005 Coutts Nijhoff International West­ While training is oriented toward starting out and familiarizing the ern European Specialist Studies Grant. KeUsey's proposal was en- new librarians with specifics about their new organization, it is useful to continued on page 84 42 Against the Grain I June 2005