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Collection Development and Materials Selection Policy
Spoken Word Sound Recordings The spoken word audiocassette and CD collection consists of both fiction and nonfiction materials. The fiction area includes contemporary and classic fiction with an emphasis on contemporary works. Works of best selling authors are represented primarily in unabridged versions. The nonfiction collection covers a range of subject areas including best sellers, instructional and self-improvement cassettes on topics such as computer use and exercise, and TOEFL preparation guides. Language instruction, with a strong demand for the Spanish language in particular, is a very popular area of this collection. Influencing Factors Advances in technology have given us audiocassette players that are both portable and inexpensive. The ability to have an audiocassette player both inside and outside the home broadens the patron base for this particular medium. The availability of players to all age and economic levels and the high interest levels associated with recorded books has created a large audience for spoken word sound recordings. Patron requests, circulation statistics, and budget constraints play a large part in determining purchases and buying patterns.
Standard selection magazines such as Booklist , Library Journal and Publisher's Weekly include audiocassette reviews. Bowker's On Cassette is also helpful, in both selection and verification of titles, publishers, and prices. Additional sources include publisher and vendor catalogs such as Baker & Taylor Hot Picks, G.K. Hall Audio Books, Recorded Books, Inc., and Emery Pratt. Growth areas of the collection include classics, popular fiction and non-fiction titles and language materials. MGPL's primary focus will be on ordering unabridged titles, as budget permits, in order to provide a wider selection of the preferred format for most users of spoken word/audiobooks. Factors influencing the decision to concentrate on the unabridged format include the durability and sturdy packaging of audiobooks in the unabridged format. Abridged audiobooks are packaged in flimsy cardboard and have to be re-packaged in a more durable vinyl album for library circulation, thereby increasing the cost of the abridged audiobooks and decreasing the cost differential between them and the unabridged format. Many distributors of unabridged audiobooks offer free replacements for missing or damaged tapes during the first year and charge only minimal replacement charges thereafter. In addition to their packaging limitations, abridged audiobooks do not stand up to the repetitive use patterns of the public library and, consequently, have a high damage and withdrawal rate. Consequently, the replacement policies of vendors of unabridged audiobooks offer a substantial advantage in contolling maintenance costs of the audiobooks collection. Funding for audiobooks will be expanded as budget guidelines allow. The spoken word audiobook collection is a rapidly expanding area of our collection development that is responsive to high demand and interest level. Therefore, at present, a primary reason for weeding would be damaged cassettes in both formats and abridged cassettes that have low circulation counts. Circulation statistics will continue to be the principal deciding factor in the replacement or withdrawal of a title from the collection. As this section continues to expand, shelf space, as well as circulation counts and new technology, will be factors to consider in the weeding process. Budget and space considerations will determine how much expansion can take place with the spoken word recordings/audiobooks. The continuing focus will be on expanding the collection of titles in the unabridged format. Existing standing orders for unabridged titles should be supplemented with the selection of a wide range of individual unabridged titles, particularly classics. There should be an increase in instructional, self-help and language tapes to meet the educational and recreational needs of MGPL patrons. |
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