Course Materials: Course Guide 2: Collection Management

This week's assigned readings focus on the management of collections. Read the following:

(1) Management: Overview, (2) Management: Audio and Video Collection Development, (3) Management: Collection Development: Special Considerations for Audio and Video Collections, (4) Management: Collection Development: Elements of a Collection Development Policy, (5) Management: Collection Development: Links to Collection Development and Selection Policies, (6) Management: Collection Development: Audio and Video Selection, (7) Management: Collection Development: Selection Criteria, (8) Management: Collection Development: Selection Tools: Print and Online Directories and Guide, (9) Management: Collection Development: Selection Tools: Print and Online Reviews, and (10) Management: Collection Development: Audio and Video Lists and Award Winners.

Sprout # 7: Collection Development (Points Possible: 2 for posting, 1 for reply)
[Complete one of the following options and post your discussion and reply at Oncourse]

7.1: Collection Policies
Identify a collection development policy to use for this activity. It may be a document you obtain and review from a local source such as your school or public library. Or, you may use a policy that you identify online. Visit the Links to Collection Development and Selection Policies for ideas. Consider the issues discussed on the Collection Development: Special Considerations for Audio and Video Collections page. Compare the policy to the list of elements discussed on the Elements of a Collection Development Policy page.

What should be added or revised on their document? Does the policy do an adequate job addressing emerging technology such as audio and video? Why or why not? What changes would you recommend.

7.2: Reviews and Guides - Complete BOTH of these activities:
Go to the Collection Development: Selection Tools: Print and Online Directories and Guide page at Multimedia Seeds. Select a resource.
Summarize the resource and discuss its strengths and weaknesses.

Also visit the Collection Development: Selection Tools: Print and Online Reviews page at Multimedia Seeds. Select a resource.
Also summarize this resource and discuss its strengths and weaknesses.

7.3: Previews and Reviews - Complete BOTH of these activities:
Read an audio or video review at School Library Journal (Access requires login) or other sources. What are the characteristics of a really good music, CD, or DVD review? What about educational features for children? What’s the difference between educational, instructional, entertainment programming?
Locate a good example of an audio or video review. What makes it so good? Cite the review article or other source.

Some websites such as Discovery Channel Store (Click on an item, look for 'Play Video Clip') provide educational video preview. PBS Video provides on-demand streaming of some of their programs. Watch Know provides free online educational videos (Some are at YouTube, all are free and can be previewed). You can also explore many of the feature film movie preview sites. Try some previews.
Discuss the pros and cons of using previews in selection.

7.4: Video Reviews & Awards - Complete BOTH of these activities:
Go to the Collection Development: Audio and Video Lists and Award Winners page at Multimedia Seeds. Select an award. Summarize the criteria for the award, provide an example, and discuss how this information might be useful to a librarian.

Also explore video reviews at Videotape/DVD Collections at Multimedia Seeds. Select a resource. Summarize the resource and discuss its strengths and weaknesses.

7.5: Users as Reviewers
Websites and blogs are increasingly asking users to become reviewers. For instance, IMDb (Internet Movie Database) provides a place for users to rate movies and provide comments. Do some exploring.
Share the web addresses of four blogs, wikis, or other websites that contain reviews. Are these reviews useful to librarians? Why or why not? Cite specific examples from these resources to illustrate your perspective.

This week's readings give attention to a number of issues related to managing a collection of audio and video materials. The assigned readings begin at:

(1) Management: Issues in Audio and Video Collection Development and continue to (2) Management: Issues: Censorship, Challenges, and Reconsideration, (3) Management: Issues: Rating Systems, Labels, and Permission Slips, (4) Management: Issues: Copyright and Licensing Issues, and (5) Management: Issues: Video Permission Form.

Sprout # 8: Issues (Points Possible: 2 for posting, 1 for reply)
[Complete one of the following options and post your discussion and reply at Oncourse]

8.1: Freedom to View - (Complete both parts) Read the Freedom to View Statement of the American Library Association. Also read ALA's Access for Children and Young Adults to Nonprint Materials. Read the off-site article, Guidelines for Dealing with Censorship of Nonprint and Multimedia Materials (2004) from the NCTE Standing Committee Against Censorship. Read the off-site article The Censorship Connection by Nancy McCracken (The ALAN Review, 20(2), Winter 1994).
Do you agree with the Freedom to View statement? Do you think that censorship of nonprint materials through silent exclusion is a concern? Why or why not?

"Family-Edited" programs were a recent censorship and copyright issue. Companies were creating edited versions of feature films for rental or sale. Many directors and producers were upset that the profanity, violence, and sex in their films were being cut to create "G" rated versions. In July 2006 a Denver judge ruled that the practice of renting and selling 'sanitized' versions would stop . A few companies have tried to continue providing related capabilities (See Family Edited Movies). For a short while, one business had customers send in their original DVD, then they made a professionally edited 'archival backup' of the same DVD and sent them both back to you). ClearPlay (Markets a DVD Player that can play regular DVD movies and filters out the profanity, violence and nudity).Explore the site: Edited Movies, DVDs, & Films for a comprehensive overview of the issues involved.
Are any of these a copyright issue, censorship issue, or both? Where do you stand?

8.2: - Who Decides and How Decisions are Made - (Complete both parts) Explore the Culture Shock: The TV Series and Beyond website from PBS. Choose and explore an area of interest. Then, read the section Who Decides? How and Why? from PBS’s Culture Shock series.
Summarize the resource and discuss its strengths and weaknesses.

Explore the Copyright and Licensing Issues page at Multimedia Seeds. This page poses many interesting questions. At the bottom of the page, you'll find both questions and answers. Choose one issue to discuss. Create a realistic scenario with a problem to solve related to copyright or licensing issues. Provide what you think is a realistic answer to the problem.

8.3: - Reconsideration Policies and Viewing Forms - (Complete both parts) Read the Intellectual Freedom Manual from the American Library Association. Also go to the Censorship, Challenges, and Reconsideration page at Multimedia Seeds. Scroll down and explore the examples of challenged materials policies and forms. Pick one to evaluate.
Does it do a good job of addressing issues that would be important if audio or video materials were challenged? What additions and changes would you recommend?

Go to the bottom of the Rating Systems, Labels, and Permission Slips page at Multimedia Seeds. Some schools and libraries have policies related to video viewing.
Review a viewing permission slip. Share your opinions and recommendations.

8.4: - Ratings - (Complete both parts) Go to the Rating Systems, Labels, and Permission Slips page at Multimedia Seeds. Libraries procedures vary for circulating audio and video materials. While some use the rating systems developed by movie theatres, others provide no restrictions for any age. Read the Final Report: Case #2099: San Joaquin County Library System (Oct. 1999).
Do you agree or disagree with the findings? Why or why not?

Go to the bottom of the Video Game Technology: The Big Picture page at Multimedia Seeds. Review the ratings information.
Discuss the role of video game ratings in the selection and circulation of video games in the public library.

This week's readings give attention to a number of issues related to managing a collection of audio and video materials. The assigned readings begin at:

(1) Management: Media Center Management and Promotion, (2) Management: Acquiring, Cataloging, and Processing Materials, (3) Management: Vendors, Distributors, and Suppliers, (4) Management: Housing and Circulating Materials, (5) Management: Preserving, Maintaining, and Weeding Materials, (6) Management: Promoting Materials, and (7) Management: Collection Evaluation.


Sprout # 9: Management (Points Possible: 2 for posting, 1 for reply)
[Complete one of the following options and post your discussion and reply at Oncourse]

9.1: Procedures - (Complete both parts) Go to the Acquiring, Cataloging & Processing Materials page at Multimedia Seeds. Compare the procedures for print and nonprint materials. Discuss differences in the procedures.

Also visit the Vendors, Distributors, and Suppliers page at Multimedia Seeds. Compare two of the services available from two different vendors as they relate to the purchase of audio or video materials.

9.2: Maintaining an Audio and Video Collection - Go to the Housing and Circulating Materials page at Multimedia Seeds. Explore information about the storage of materials. Also visit the Preserving, Maintaining, and Weeding Materials page at Multimedia Seeds. Explore information about preserving, maintaining, and weeding the collection.

Visit a library and examine their audio and video collection. How is it housed? How do they handle circulation and security? Examine their audio and video procedures and policies. How do they handle weeding, maintaining, and preserving the collection. Share your experiences and include your insights.

9.3: Data Gathering - (Complete two of the three following tasks) Collection mapping (Multimedia Seeds) is a method of collection evaluation that many school library media specialists use to explore the strengths and weaknesses of their collection. Discuss how you might adapt this technology for a special collection such as audiobooks, music CDs, or video weblinks. Provide some specific examples of what might be found as strengths or weaknesses.

Circulation statistics (Multimedia Seeds) can play an important in role in center and collection evaluation. Discuss a way that you think circulation statistics could be used to revise collection development or management practices for audio and video. How would you put this idea to practical use? Provide an example.

Patron surveys (Multimedia Seeds) often focus on general topics making it difficult to apply the results to specific collection needs. Identify a problem(s) you see in the online surveys provided or others you've seen. Discuss a strategy you think might work to collect patron data. Explain how this would be useful in making decisions about your audio and/or video collection.

Ready to move on to Course Guide 3: Collection Production?