Sunday, June 17, 2012

The Everett Herald Explains Materials Selection @ Local Libraries


How your libraries pick their books. (Everett Herald, 6/17/2012)

Excerpt:   Sno-Isle Libraries and the Everett Public Library [links are to collection development/management policies] share and gain information about publishing trends and managing their collections at meetings held throughout the year with each other and librarians who manage collections in other counties. They also find out about new materials from book vendors and library literature and journals such as School Library Journal and book review journals, including Publisher's Weekly, Dagg said. 

"In addition, some publishers send us lists of what's coming out through email, and book distributors send lists of all the new books," she said. 

Local libraries buy the new materials using money in their annual materials budgets. Sno-Isle Libraries, with branches in 21 cities throughout Snohomish County, has a materials budget this year of $4.8 million. Everett Public Library has two locations and their 2012 budget is $670,150. 

Both libraries make decisions on whether to buy materials using a set of selection criteria. This criteria, outlined by Sno-Isle Libraries in its Collection Development Policy, includes support for the library's mission and roles; accuracy and timeliness of material; and expressed and perceived interest or demand for the material based on requests or other data, among other benchmarks.


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