Help. I have been wrestling with a problem.
As Collection Development Unit Leader, one of my
responsibilities is to review gift books to determine what
should be kept. I guess I have a very broad view of what is
valuable while the cataloger that processes gift books has a
narrower view. Repeatedly, books are returned from
cataloging with the explanation that they are too "popular"
or "dated" (even though they are historical). The most
recent case was a collection of about 20 books illustrating
and documenting early train service in the region.
At least part of the problem is the time it would take to
catalog all of the gifts. Our collection development policy
is not specific enough to guide decision on what gift items
should be kept. How to others deal with such matters?
1) Does your collection development policy include specifics
that can guide decisions on gifts of things that do not
correspond directly to the curriculum?
2) Who participates in the decision process involving gift
items? Who makes the final decision?
3) Is there any other advice you can give me?
Thank you.
Cynthia Lenox
Business Librarian/Collection Development Unit Leader
Grasselli Library
John Carroll University
20700 North Park Blvd.
Cleveland, OH 44118
(216)397-3056 phone /(216) 397-4256 fax
Received on Wed Mar 03 2004 - 14:04:56 EST