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Student Learning Outcome 8
Libraries rarely function with just librarians or one type of librarian. It takes different types of librarians in their respected specialties as well as paraprofessionals and administration to operate a library. There are many moving parts to an information organization that all work together to serve their users. Collections and Electronic Resources Librarians need to know what the patrons want in the collection and who better to know that than the Reference Librarians who guide the patrons to the resources. Administration is usually the source of how the budget will be distributed. In order to do that, administrators have to consult each department for what is needed and what would be put on a wish list. In order to plan and fund programs, it’s important to know what is working for users and what is not. Who is on the forefront of customer service but the staff who work the service desk and interact with the patrons the most. Everyone has a role in the library that impacts not only the day to day, but also the future of the institution.
There are many courses in this program that highlighted the different positions and roles everyone in the library takes on. Everyone in the program brought in different experiences and their own perspective on what librarianship means. I thought this was very characteristic to the environment within most libraries. The support we have for one another as information professionals and the fact that we come together for the mission of the library and information sciences. I’m very thankful to have met classmates from all walks of life: students, working professionals, career changers, those with and without library experience, and those with differing undergraduate degrees. Even though our library paths may be different, we all came to this program to better ourselves, exercise our skills, and help this field prosper as libraries continue to transform into community centers and information hubs for all users.
Collaborations are the foundation of many successful services and programs within the library. As information professionals, the more minds we put together the better the outcome. Individual ideas and voices help make the work we do better and appealing to our patrons. Our minds all work differently and perceive things in different ways. I’ve found that sometimes I can get too literal in my work, which makes me hyper focused. It’s these times when I rely on my colleagues and classmates to help give me a fresh take on the task at hand. It’s pertinent to work together because we all support the library and want to be able to continue to help the patrons that use its services.
In my Collections Management course, my academic library group came together to make a libguide showcasing a collection we created. As a whole, we decided the theme of our collection was education. Then, each individual took one topic in the scope of education to curate. There was a section of Music education, LBGTQ education resources, flim studies, law, and my choice of Open Education Resources. We called our collection the “PEWWK Education Collection.” The “PEWWK” is actually sort of an anagram made from the first letter of each member’s last name it was also used as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the word puke. The idea was fun and unintentionally poppy and attention grabbing. To make our libguide collection cohesive when each section would have different sources available, we agreed on a color scheme that helped keep us uniformed throughout. We also collectively edited and approved the home page for our site. This project came together well with great effort from the group as a whole.
Probably the biggest takeaway I had from my Collections Management course is that it takes a lot of planning and research to build and manage a collection. A library can’t simply spend money on what they want. They also can’t provide everything to everyone, fulfilling every ask on the wish list. Planning has to be strategic and realistic to what and how the library can provide for their patrons. Environmental scanning, as I’ve learned, is an excellent tool to assess the impact libraries and their programs have on the community around them in order to plan for the future of the institution. Libraries usually have to find funds from other resources, which make relationships important and teamwork even more so.
One project we had in my Collections Management course was to, as a group, develop a collection plan using the method of environmental scan. My group had a focus in academic libraries and developed a plan for a library based off of Atkins Library at UNC, Charlotte. For my part, I researched and contributed to the budget section. I was able to research what would be needed as far as funding sources such as programs and donors. This encompassed an analysis of what funds have been used in the past and what resources can be acquired in the future. It’s about shareholders and investors and where to find these supporters. Budgeting takes finesse when it comes to funding and accommodating funding sources. Investors want to see what their support will get them and a projection of the future. Planning for a fictional library collection imparted an innate respect for the administration in all libraries and information institutions.
The future of a library or information institution also takes a lot of planning. Depending on the funding and its sources, creating a projection for the library can be intense. Stakeholders and investors have to be on board with the plan and supporting any future endeavors. Users current and future needs have to factor in, especially with the advancements and want in technology. Environmental factors have an impact on the library and the surrounding community. There’s also the needs within the library like staffing, space usage, facilities, collections, subscriptions, events, etc. To create a five-year plan for a library there is a lot of foresight and anticipation and collaboration involved.
The final project for my group in Collection Management was to create a Five-Year Collection Development Plan. It encompassed the scope of the collection and fictional library we devised as well as future projections for what our library could accomplish. We described how we would advertise for the collection and how it would benefit not just the faculty, staff, and students, but also the community. Each of our subjects within our collection were described with resources and benefits to the patron. The funding was explained through the foundation that supported the collection. Individually we devised a five-year collection plan for our topics that correlated with the overall education collection. Our future projection describes events that we would have that celebrated the collection as well as regularly meeting with the Education Librarian to make sure the collection is reaching the right audience. For my first Five-Year Collection Development Plan, my group was pretty comprehensive.
Patti Wilson
Writer & Librarian
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