Publisher's Synopsis
Take a deep dive into the various approaches to and uses for collection assessment, including examples from many libraries and a discussion of tools to aid in assessments.
Collection Assessment Principles and Practices provides a detailed look at collection assessment principles, tools, and practices in libraries, gathering in one volume information that is either lightly touched upon in other books or spread out across articles and conference presentations. It will be helpful to any librarian interested in understanding how library collections are being used-from library managers who need to maximize the effectiveness of limited budgets, to collection development and management librarians, to librarians faced with weeding or offsite selection projects, and finally to liaison librarians who want insight into how their users engage with their collections.
This comprehensive work gives readers a complete view of collection assessment, from theory to best practices for identifying and implementing the most appropriate approach. It includes practical introductions to tools used by librarians in collection assessment, and individual case studies detailing real-life assessment projects and outcomes.
- In-depth presentation of methods of collection assessment
- Analysis of advantages and disadvantages to each method
- Discussion of best practices for choosing and implementing multiple methods
- Overview of tools librarians can use for collection assessment, allowing users with varying resources to get started
- A selection of case studies of assessment projects in different libraries, along with lessons learned
