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From The Libraries

How Decisions are Made on
Building Library Collections

Ruth K. Seidman

Faculty members often ask us how the MIT Libraries go about building collections. How do we decide what books and journals to purchase?

Each of the divisional (e.g., Science) and branch (e.g., Music) libraries has subject specialist librarians who are responsible for building portions of the library collections. Currently there are 26 librarians responsible for 49 subject categories, ranging from Aeronautics/Astronautics to Women's and Men's Studies. These librarians and their specialties are listed on the Libraries' Website at http://libraries.mit.edu/subjects/experts.html. We encourage those faculty members who do not know their subject specialist librarians to take a look at this list and be in touch with the librarians in fields of interest to them.

These librarians each manage collections, both print and electronic, in their areas of expertise.

Many bring subject background to their jobs. Others have developed familiarity with the literature of their fields through extensive experience. All have training and experience in library and information science. The subject librarians assess the changing needs of library users, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of existing collections, decide what materials need preservation or replacement, and select items for transfer to storage. Within their budgets they decide what to buy and what not to buy.

The subject categories and the decisions made within each category are developed according to the teaching and research needs of MIT. Librarians learn about the special emphases of MIT through contact with faculty, researchers, and students and by keeping current on research trends and curriculum developments taking place on the campus. Selection decisions are also based on the librarian's knowledge of the discipline itself, its major contributors, and its publication patterns.

Many tools are used in the selection process. Subject specialists follow publishers' catalogs and announcements as well as Web pages of professional societies and other publishers. Some of the books are purchased through an approval plan, through which a vendor regularly sends new books according to profiles developed by the MIT Libraries; the subject selectors then have an opportunity to look at the books themselves to decide on whether or not to purchase them for the collection. Librarians also follow book reviews, some specifically for academic libraries and some from scholarly publications.

In scholarly fields publishers often announce books long before they are published; if they do not receive enough advance orders, they may cancel the publication. This is one reason for the importance of the publishers' advance announcements. It is also a factor in the time that may elapse between when a faculty member has seen an announcement and when the book is actually published and sent to the library. The Libraries make every effort to process new materials in a timely manner.

Some of the considerations in choosing a book, in addition to the basic criteria discussed above, are how the title fits into the strengths of the existing collection, how often similar materials are being used, and whether the current material in the collection is sufficiently up to date. Other questions asked: Is the author a recognized authority in the field, is the publisher reputable, is there an MIT connection, what is the cost, and is the book at an appropriate level for MIT's needs?

Faculty input into the selection process is encouraged. A suggested purchase form is available online, http://libraries.mit.edu/mitonly/purchase.html, and as a paper form at library reference desks. Faculty members often send book announcements and reviews to their subject librarians. Some academic departments have faculty library committees and others have particular faculty members who follow library developments for the department and stay in contact with their subject specialists. Library subject specialists also make a point of keeping up informal contacts with their academic departments. Many librarians are on e-mail lists with their departments as well.

The subject librarians all work at the reference desks in their divisional and branch libraries; this provides a very good source of information on what materials are being used by faculty, students, and researchers, as well as classroom needs and research trends.

It is important that the collection keeps up with and sometimes even anticipates changes in teaching and research so that good support can be provided to the MIT community. We follow the research specialties of new faculty, changes in core requirements, new degree programs, grant proposals, and emerging research areas of the labs and centers.

MIT's emphasis on interdisciplinary teaching and research is reflected in the subject organization of collection development. Several of the subject fields, such as those of Energy, Environment, and Transportation, are interdisciplinary. It should also be noted that there is regular and frequent consultation among library subject specialists, and among collections managers for the various libraries.

Journals constitute a very important part of the collection, particularly in science and engineering. With the increased ease of access to bibliographic citations online, the MIT Libraries are experiencing more requests than ever for titles to which we do not subscribe. The subject selectors continuously reassess existing subscriptions in order to free up funds for new titles. Purchasing electronic versions of the entire output of large commercial and society publishers has helped, but funds are finite and the choices at times seem infinite.

With the advent of electronic publishing, collection specialists must consider what is available online, particularly in journals and databases. Selection decisions now involve the question of what to purchase electronically, what in print, and what in both formats. The development of the MIT Libraries' electronic holdings was dealt with in detail by Associate Director for Collection Services Carol Fleishauer, in the MIT Faculty Newsletter, January/February 2000, pp. 10-11, "Digital Information Resources Brought to your Desktop" http://web.mit.edu/afs/athena/org/f/fnl/www/fnl123.pdf.

In the MIT Libraries, electronic titles constituted 4% of the journal collection in FY99, 12.6% in FY00, and 25% in FY01. Many of the titles in electronic format continue to be available in paper format as well. At present, the Libraries are making available to the MIT community 232 electronic databases and 3146 electronic journal titles.

Hand in hand with the services offered, the development of a strong collection is what makes an academic library valuable to its institution. Building the collection in an academic library is challenging and exciting work. The needs of the entire community must be served, evolving research fields covered, and a print/electronic balance kept in mind. In addition, financial considerations, the amount of space available, and staff time to select and process materials all set parameters.

Input from the faculty is very important in contributing to collection decisions. We welcome your specific recommendations as well as information on new research and teaching directions. It is the Libraries' goal to continue to build a high quality collection of greatest relevance to the MIT community.

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