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HILTON C. BULEY LIBRARY
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT REPORT
FY'2006, AY' 2005-2006
July 28, 2006

Narrative Discussion

A. Circulating Collections Overview - Nancy Bobrek

• Discipline-specific Funds
• Special Allocations
• Librarian-Selector Changes

B. Reference Collection - Winnie Shyam

C. Media Collection - Hing Wu

D. Special Collections - Dr. Paul Holmer

E. Assessment Efforts

• Continuing Evaluation of Collection Assessment Products
• Acquisitions from the Rittenhouse Core Collection Review of the Medical and Allied Health Disciplines
• CHOICE List of Outstanding Books for Academic Libraries

F. Graduate Program Reviews

• Foreign Languages & Bilingual Education Program
• History
• Library & Information Science
• School Library Media Specialist
• Public Health

G. Library Liaison Fall Meeting

H. Special Projects

• Artists' Books - New Collection Development Initiative (Tina Re)
• Upgrades to Faculty Authors Collection
  

Appendix A: List of Librarian-Selectors for Academic Departments

Appendix B: Acquisitions Support Staff

A.  CIRCULATING COLLECTION - Overview

During FY'06 , $510,000 was allocated for the purchase of new book titles to be added to the Buley Library's circulating and reference book collections. Of this total amount, $366,000, or 72% of the budget, was designated for the purchase of books to be added to the circulating collection, while the remaining 28%, or $144,00 was designated for the purchase of new titles to be added to the non-circulating Reference Collection. The Reference Collection allocation also supports the continued receipt of some 650 reference items that are issued regularly as new editions, or series continuations, and are received on a "standing order" basis. In total, 8,869 monographs were purchased for the collection during FY'06. Of this number, 981 items were Reference titles, ordered directly as "firm" orders, or received on standing order from the vendor.

1. Discipline-Specific Allocations - Funds for the circulating book collection are allocated each year to the specific subject selectors for the assigned disciplines, based on a pre-determined formula. During FY'06, 60% of the allocated funds were designated for the use of the librarian-selectors who support specific academic departments, according to the following percentages:

2 . Special Allocations - In addition to funds that are designated for academic departments within the various schools of the university, the remaining 40% of the library's book budget during FY'06 was designated for Special Allocations, in the amounts listed below.

Both the Collection Development Fund and the Director fund, which are administered by the Collection Development Librarian and the Library Director respectively, are discretionary funds used to acquire titles in all disciplines. In addition, the Collection Development Fund, as well as many of the subject-specific funds, may include replacement items for missing or damaged titles.

During FY'06, the Director's Fund was further subdivided into the Director's Fund for the Connecticut Room Collection, administered by the Special Collections Librarian, and the Director's Fund for New Faculty Members, administered on behalf of the Director by the Collection Development Librarian. This year, a portion of the Director's Fund for the Connecticut Room has been used to expand the Faculty Author's Collection, as a special projects initiative. The Director's Fund for New Faculty Members supports requests from those faculty members who are in their first year of teaching at Southern, and is designed to administer to the unique instructional and research interests of these individuals. In addition, a small portion of the Collection Development Fund was allocated in FY'06 to a new collection development initiative, which supports the building of a focused collection of Artists' Books. This fund was administered by Tina Re, librarian selector for the Arts, who developed the proposal for the Artists' Book Collection, which is profiled later in this report.

Lastly, a portion of the special allocation for the Curriculum Lab/Juvenile Collection is used to support the Children's Book Awards Program, which consists of standing orders for 31 different book awards in the Children's and Young Adult Literature categories. Last year, this amounted to almost 600 fiction and non-fiction titles. The three largest awards, which are: Notable Children's Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies, ALA Best Books for Young Adults, and ALA Notable Books for Children, account for nearly a third of all the titles received. Collectively, the titles purchased through this standing order program represent the best resources currently being published in the category of Children's and Young Adult Literature. The Children's Book Awards Book Program is supplemented by individual selections made by Ali Zamouri, Librarian-Selector for the Curriculum Lab/Juvenile Collection.

The purchase of non-print items continues to be accomplished through the Media Fund, with an allocation of $40,000 during FY'06. The Media fund is administered separately by Hing Wu, Acquisitions/Media Cataloger in the Technical Services Department, who works closely with the professional staff of the Learning Resources Center , the subject specific librarian selectors and members of the teaching faculty to acquire resources in DVD and other multi-media formats.

3. Librarian-Selector Changes - During FY'06, a number of key changes were made in the selecting responsibilities of the librarian-selectors. Susan Miller joined the professional library staff in the summer of 2005 as the Library Instruction Coordinator, and assumed selection responsibilities for Foreign Languages/Bilingual Education, Journalism, Philosophy and Religion, and Recreation and Leisure Studies. Diane Tomasko acquired the Mathematics subject area, in addition to maintaining selection responsibility for all of the business-related disciplines, and Rebecca Hedreen acquired the Science and Environmental Education Fund, to complement her other selection responsibilities in the Science disciplines. A complete listing of the selecting responsibilities of the departmental librarian liaisons appears in the appendix of this report, along with the number of titles selected with their departmental allocations.

B. REFERENCE COLLECTION

(written by Winnie Shyam) - The Reference Department's book budget allocation for FY '06 was $144,000 ($59,000 for monographs and $85,000 for continuations). The actual expenditures for the year as of 06/30/06 were $56,310.53 for firm orders and $134,729.64 for Reference Continuations. Total expenditures for Reference titles as of 06/30/06 were $191,040.17.

Reference librarians have continued to work tirelessly to create a comprehensive and useful core collection of reference books. As of 06/30/06, a total of 331 firm orders (excluding continuations) were placed and 299 have been received. Only twelve titles were canceled due to an out of print or discontinued status. The Reference Department acquired many new titles in almost every subject area.  Librarians exercised extreme discretion to order the most relevant books for the collection. Considerable amounts were spent in purchasing History, Political Science and English titles this year.
 
Approximately 550 titles are on the standing order list for Reference being supplied by Coutts Library Services. These items are supplied on a year-round basis and we continue to receive them through the summer. They include individual titles that appear as part of a series, as well as regularly scheduled new editions of existing titles. Currently there are approximately 20 titles that are published as series. These include titles dealing with current issues (Annual Editions, At Issue, Contemporary World Issues, Information Plus, Opposing Viewpoints, and Taking Sides ) ; various travel guides (Baedeker, Fodor, Mobil), publications on countries (Area Handbooks, Global Studies, World Today); Literature (Contemporary Authors Series, Contemporary Literary Criticism, Dictionary of Literary Biography, Literary Criticism, Nineteenth Century Literary Criticism, Something About the Author, Twentieth Century Literary Criticism, Children's Literature Review) and a few business publications (Job Bank series and VGM Career series). Librarians examine the standing order list for cancellations/additions each year. This list will continue to be monitored and modified during the next fiscal year.
 
More than fifty titles are directly acquired from vendors like Thomson/West Publishing, Dun and Bradstreet, Standard and Poor's, CQ Researcher, Bureau of National Affairs and Standard Rate and Data Service. The Reference Department is considering substituting e-books with print copies whenever possible.
 
Maintenance of the reference stacks and collection continues to be a top priority for the department. Reference librarians continue to weed the collection in anticipation of the move to the library addition.  Many older and superseded titles have been weeded and replaced with newer editions whenever possible and necessary. This included 35 updated editions of the well-respected Nutshell Series, published by Thomson-West. This readable series deals with such legal matters as the Uniform Commercial Code, Immigration Law, Government Contracts, the Death Penalty, and Juvenile Justice, to name only a few. In addition, the Rittenhouse Core Collection Review Project resulted in the acquisition of a number of new titles for the Reference Collection in the medical and allied health disciplines, as well as the discarding of numerous older and outdated editions. Indexes and Abstracts that are duplicated in electronic form or those that are no longer relevant are also periodically removed from the collection. Approximately 800 items were discarded this year and a dozen books were moved to the circulating collection.

C. MEDIA COLLECTION

(Written by Hing Wu) - During FY'06, the media collection has grown at a steady pace. A total of 550 items, including DVD's, videocassettes, CD-ROM's, audio CD's, kits and educational games, were ordered. Requests for media acquisitions came mainly from the History, Foreign Languages, Psychology, Education, Counseling and School Psychology, Music, Philosophy, English, Media Studies, Management and Urban Studies Departments.

Working collaboratively with Professor Troy Rondinone, of the History Department, we were able to add 38 titles on labor history to the Media Collection. These acquisitions covered a wide array of topics, such as the coal mining industry in North America , union activities, women in the labor force, immigrant workers, and the history of labor disputes. The Music collection was reinforced by the addition of more than 20 titles on jazz music, with special emphasis on the great saxophonist, Lester Young. Due to the popularity of the DVD Buena Vista Social Club that features modern Cuban jazz and popular music and musicians, the Media Librarian took the initiative to select and acquire the best musical CD's from the renowned artists Omara Portuondo, Ibrahim Ferrer, Ruben Gonzalez and other musicians of the Club. There were already multiple requests for these items prior to being cataloged.

The World Films collection continues to generate great enthusiasm from the Southern community. The Reference Librarian from the New Haven Free Public Library suggested that we could share the titles of our collection with them after browsing the shelves of the world films section at the Learning Resource Center . He noted that our collection was truly remarkable in its scope and depth of topics, cultures and artistic merits. The goal of this collection is to make the viewing and appreciation of world films a cultural and educational enrichment experience that fosters a better understanding of the world we live in. Due to the limited distribution of many of the world films, only 37 titles were acquired in 2006, in spite of the fact that many more were selected and ordered.

Furthermore, to support one of the cornerstones in higher education designated at the University Forum XXXVI, i.e., integrating international and intercultural experience into student interests and community needs, Hing Wu has significantly expanded our collection of documentary films that reflect the diversity and pressing issues of our society.

Great efforts were made to update our existing collection as well. With the help of Professor Mike Shea, of the English Department, many worn out copies of Shakespearean plays on videocassettes were replaced by new editions on DVD's.

In summary, the entire $40,000 budget allocation for FY'06 was spent and as a result, the media collection continued to serve the education and learning needs of the university community in multiple capacities.

D. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

(written by Dr. Paul Holmer) - The Special Collections are developed through acquisitions made by Dr. Paul Holmer, Special Collections Librarian, as well as by the acceptance of gift collections of varying size, scope and value. In total, 503 titles were processed for the special collections during FY'06, of which 124 titles represented actual purchased items.

This year we continued building our collection of exemplars supporting the book history collection. For the earliest periods we acquired a replica of the Rosetta stone in manageable size as well as examples of papyrus and even an Egyptian writing set. Less ancient, but still from a remote era, we added several pages from medieval Latin (1375 German Breviary) and Arabic (16 th century Koran) manuscripts. In our binding series the best item was an 1823 edition of Victorinus Bythner's Psalms done in diced Russian ( Davidis Regis Lyra Prophetica. .[Glasgow] )

For our textbook collection we were able to obtain a copy of the Deseret Primer with the unique alphabet developed by Brigham Young. The Connecticut Collection also received attention. Here we added a number of early prints and depictions of Westville and West River , areas now a part of the campus, as well as a previously unknown1906 photograph of the New Haven Normal School . Finally, we made a number of acquisitions in the area of women's health for upcoming display that we will mount to support a conference on that topic this October.

E. ASSESSMENT EFFORTS

1.  Evaluation of Collection Assessment Products - the Buley Library's Collection Development Committee continued its review of commercial products that are designed for the external collection assessment process, inviting those vendors who currently offer these products to make on-site presentations. In addition, the Collection Development Librarian attended several informational meetings relating to best practices in collection analysis, where presentations were made on the use of various collection assessment products for actual collection analysis. The Committee has recommended purchase of the OCLC Worldcat Collection Analysis Service early in FY'07, which will allow us to analyze our collection, and the degree of overlap and uniqueness among peer libraries, in a cost-effective manner. We are currently awaiting management's approval to proceed with this purchase, which will be followed by training sessions and the development of reports containing data that will be incorporated into future collection development decisions.

2. Core Collection Review Program for the Medical/Allied Health Sciences

  During the 2005 academic year, the Buley Library collection in Subclass R, Medicine (General), was compared to the Rittenhouse Core Collection list to identify new titles for acquisition, as well as new editions of titles already in the collection. This is an example of the Checklist Assessment Method, which is both streamlined and effective. In addition to being a leading publisher of medical and allied health information, Rittenhouse also distributes the publications of more than 300 leading medical publishers, associations and academies in these disciplines. As a result of this Core Collection Review process, Tim Klassen, Librarian-selector for the Nursing and Public Health disciplines, expended a total of $6,286.43 during FY'06 to purchase 131 new titles and updated editions of key works in the medical and allied health disciplines. These titles address subjects of instruction and research interest to those in our Nursing, Public Health, Communication Disorders and Psychology programs. Topics covered, among others, include epidemiology, women's health, medical assessment, gerontology, substance abuse issues, medical techniques and patient care, nutrition and diet therapy, community health nursing, and selected aspects of childhood speech, language and listening problems.

3. CHOICE List of Outstanding Books for Academic Libraries

CHOICE Reviews are published each month by the Association of College & Research Libraries Division of the American Library Association, and are both descriptive and evaluative in nature. Librarian-selectors for the Buley Library have relied on CHOICE reviews for many years to assist them in the identification of appropriate titles for acquisition. In addition, CHOICE publishes its selection of "Outstanding Books for Academic Libraries," by subject discipline, early in the Spring of each year. A comparison to this year's CHOICE listing showed that the Buley Library had acquired 370 of the 597 titles on the list, or approximately 62%. The remaining titles will be acquired by the individual selectors, or the Collection Development Librarian, during the next buying cycle.

F. GRADUATE PROGRAM REVIEWS

During the past year, the Buley Library has continued to participate very effectively in the Graduate Program Review process, providing various levels of support to the reviews for Foreign Languages/Bi-Lingual Education, Public Health, History, Library & Information Science and the School Library Media Specialist program. These reviews reflect the substantial contributions made by the librarian-selectors for these disciplines, in terms of coordinating the book and media selection process in support of the academic programs offered at Southern. Selectors whose departments were on the Graduate Program Review calendar for AY'05-06 included Susan Miller, Librarian-Selector for the Foreign Languages Department, Tim Klassen, Librarian-Selector for the Public Health discipline, Alba Reynaga, Librarian-Selector for History, and Shirley Cavanagh, Librarian-Selector for the Library & Information Science Program.

In addition to communicating information regarding the library's budgeted five-year llocation for the discipline, and number of items selected, reviews for the Foreign Languages/Bilingual Education program and the Library & Information Science programs included a Library of Congress-based collection profile for these disciplines, created by the Collection Development Librarian. This collection profile was accompanied by a narrative discussion of the types of resources that can be found within each major Library of Congress class profiled for the specific discipline. Not only do these collection profiles highlight key areas of strength in the discipline, but they may also serve to identify areas requiring a more intensive focus in future buying cycles.
 

G. LIBRARY LIAISON FALL MEETING

The Library Liaison Fall Luncheon Meeting, which was held on October 31, 2005 afforded members of the Library Faculty an opportunity to share information concerning new resources and services with the Departmental Library Liaisons, representing the various academic disciplines. Ed Harris, acting as the Interim Library Director, opened the meeting with some brief introductory comments. This was followed by an Annual Review of Collection Development Activities for FY'05, which featured a series of brief presentations by Nancy Bobrek, Collection Development Librarian, Winnie Shyam, Coordinator of Reference Services, Hing Wu, Media/Technical Services Librarian and Dr. Paul Holmer, Special Collections Librarian. This review was followed by Rebecca Hedreen's presentation, entitled "Linking to Library Resources: Using Library Resources in Online Course Materials." Rebecca serves in the capacity of Distance Education Librarian for the Buley Library. The program concluded with an entertaining photographic overview of the progress to date on the new Buley Library addition, provided by Cindy Schofield-Bodt, Technical Services Division Head.

H. SPECIAL PROJECTS INITIATIVES

1. Artists' Book Collection (written by Tina Re) - Artists' Books can take many different formats--from the traditional codex, scroll books, concertina or tunnel books, to uniquely engineered structures or combinations. Book artists now incorporate all forms of the book into unique works of book art, combining and juxtaposing conservation bindings with conceptual art and other forms. The artist acts as book designer, author, illustrator, papermaker, typographer, photographer, printer, illustrator, calligrapher, and bookbinder. As technology advances, all methods of printing (from letterpress to digital) are being integrated, and new structures continue to be invented. Institutional collecting and interest in contemporary artist books has grown steadily since the 1980's. Numerous university libraries, museum libraries, and book arts institutions now have established collections, and continue to increase their holdings.

The Artists' Books collection at Buley Library will be a teaching collection of unique and edition books, representing a range of modern and contemporary artists' books, fine press books, and book works. The collection will be used by students and faculty for teaching, study, research, and exhibitions, and will support study and teaching across many disciplines, including: Graphic and Fine Arts, Art History, Art Education, Literature, History, Poetry and Creative Writing, Women Studies, Library Science, and other areas. Selection criteria is based upon: 1.Artistic merit and content of the work, 2. Structure and technique, 3. Price, 4. Contributions of the artist to the field, 5. Reputation of the press or publisher, 6. Include local and regional artists of merit

During FY'06, a select number of titles have been purchased with the $2,000 allocation, which includes books of various shapes and sizes, of various formats, binding structures, and printing methods. Highlights of the current acquisitions include: Connecticut artist Jim Lee's fine press book, Place of the Long River: A Connecticut River Anthology, Vision Shifts, by paper engineering expert Carol Barton, and WorldWise , an innovative compound structure revealing proverbs from around the world.

Cataloging and processing procedures for these books are currently under discussion, as are systematic planning activities for the future of this collection and related library and campus wide activities. The Buley Library anticipates continued funding for this unique and important project.

2.  Faculty Authors Collection - During FY'06, a total of 32 titles was added to the
Faculty Author's Collection, with concentration placed on acquiring titles published since 2000. The Faculty Author's Collection, which now numbers some 735 titles, is housed as a discrete collection in the Connecticut Room, on the second floor of Buley Library.

Books acquired by faculty members teaching in the School of Arts and Sciences were represented in this year's acquisitions as follows: Biology Department (4) English Department (5) Foreign Languages (2) History (4) Mathematics (3), Philosophy (4), Political Science (2), Sociology (1). Representation from the remaining schools was as follows: School of Communication , Information and Library Science (1), School of Education (1), School of Health and Human Services (1), Library Faculty (1), and Administration (3). The Buley Library was particularly pleased to acquire Lisa Bier's new book, entitled American Indian and African American People, Communities, and Interactions: an Annotated Bibliography . Lisa, a member of the Library Faculty, is currently the Librarian-Liaison to the Anthropology, Political Science, Sociology, Social Work, and Marriage and Family Therapy Departments. The Buley Library is extremely committed to the continued development of the Faculty Author's Collection, and will continue to focus attention on the expansion of this important collection in future buying cycles.

Submitted by Nancy Bobrek,
Collection Development Librarian, 7/06

APPENDIX A: Librarian-Selectors By Department, FY'05-06