Central Selection
Dates: 2/12/01,12:01 PM through 2/12/01,1:58 PM (2 postings)
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FROM: MaryKay Bird-Guilliams <marykbg@wichita.lib.ks.us>
REC'D: 2/12/01, 12:01 PM
Our library system (11 branches in a 400,000 city) is going to
centralized selection ala Johnson County, Kansas. My concern is with
people (these are degreed librarians, that's not my issue) who do little
or no public service (readers advisory or reference) being the decision
makers on selection. I keep hearing that suggestions can always be made
to the selection committee. Will people sitting in an office recognize
the need for speed in getting timely books on order? We have entered an
era where getting a professional library review is not always necessary.
If its an Oprah book, if its in Time or Newsweek, if its hit the
bestseller list on Amazon, its (usually, not always, there are
bestsellers on Amazon that are not library worthy, but not very many) a
benefit to the library system to have it as soon as possible. The trend
toward limiting review sources also is a concern, for the same reason and
because local materials are pretty important.
You lose diversity for every selector you eliminate. You can replace that
with suggestions, but you rely on your staff to be forthcoming and if they
don't know that their suggestions are going to be acted upon, the
motivation kind of slides.
What's more, I don't really see this subject mentioned much in the
journals. When they discuss selection its usually about electronic
resouces and how everything is on the web. Not just yet in my world,
anyway.
So, does anyone have an opinon? (chuckle, chuckle)
"I will cast a cold eye on management fads." from Our Singular
Strengths by Michael Gorman
Mary K. Bird-Guilliams
Branch Manager
Rockwell District Library
Wichita Public Library
marykbg@wichita.lib.ks.us
FROM: "Bill Crowley" <crowbill@email.dom.edu>
REC'D: 2/12/01, 1:58 PM
From the point of view of the effective use of "professional
knowledge" or "tacit knowledge," a total or predominant reliance on
centralized book selection does not make a lot of sense. However, it
really is a delicate balance. Librarians who know their communities
(including neighborhood branch library communities) are much more
likely to select material which will be used in those communities. But,
if community librarians spend all their off-desk time time ordering
relevant materials, they will not be doing the programming and
community visits that are so necessary to effective service.
Certainly, there are some high demand leisure and reference materials
which can be ordered system-wide. However, if more than 50% of
the materials are ordered centrally, the librarians responsible need to
get out of the main building and spend part of their work week at
public service desks around the system. If they don't, the result will be
almost as bad as having a library and information science professor
order your books from her or his office! ("You got to know the
territory.")
Bill (Who spent 23 years "doing" before "teaching.")
Bill Crowley, Associate Professor
Graduate School of Library and Information Science
Dominican University
7900 West Division Street
River Forest, Illinois 60305
crowbill@email.dom.edu
708.524.6513
FAX: 708.524.6657
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