Collection Management
Collection Management
Collection Management is a subcategory of library science which deals with the management of books and other resources that can be found in a library.
Applications
Collection Evaluation
Collection evaluation is the process in which librarians review all books and resources that are currently owned by a particular library, taking into consideration things like the physical condition of the books, the timeliness of their contents, and the demand among the library’s users for them. Based on their findings, librarians will then decide whether new materials should be acquired or if currently owned materials should be transferred, removed, or preserved.
Collection Acquisition
In collection acquisition, librarians decide how to fund the planned acquisition of library materials. This may be done by utilizing the current library budget, using library grants, accepting private book donations, or participating in exchange programs with other libraries.
Aside from the source of funds, the method in which the acquisition will be made might be also discussed such as through a one-time purchase or shipments sent in batches over a certain period of time.
Collection Maintenance
Collection maintenance deals with deciding how to take care of a library’s existing collection. This may include how to protect the books (from dust, moisture, fire hazards, and other elements), how to store future acquisitions (repurposing existing facilities or initiating building renovations if necessary), and what additional facilities or equipment are needed for resources that require special care (such as microfilms, CDs, DVDs, and electronic files).
Notable Organizations
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the national library of the United States and is currently the biggest library in the world, both in terms of physical size and the size of its collection of books and other educational resources — featuring 838 miles of shelving which houses 162 million items in total.
Among its extensive collection are “38 million books and other print materials, 3.6 million recordings, 14 million photographs, 5.5 million maps, 7.1 million pieces of sheet music, and 70 million manuscripts.”
British Library
The British Library, the national library of the United Kingdom, is the second largest library in the world.
According to its official website, its 625 km of shelves boast a collection of “over 150 million items in most known languages” with “3 million new items added every year.”
Included in its most prized possessions are the Diamond Sutra (the world’s earliest dated printed book), the Magna Carta, the Lindisfarne Gospels, and Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook.
World Digital Library
The World Digital Library is a project by the United States Library of Congress in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) and libraries, archives, museums, educational institutions, and international organizations from all over the world.
Its massive digital collection include digitized copies of books, journals, manuscripts, maps, photographs, newspaper prints, video clips, and sound recordings from as back as the 12th century to more recent times.
Resources for Further Reading
