Content development: what’s the point of a policy?

From big words to small talk

Rachel Kirkwood, Faculty Team Manager (Arts)John Rylands University Library

COSEELIS 2011

What’s in a name?

Collection Development Policy? Content Development & Management

Policy?

Collection Management Policy Content Development Policy

Big words

“This Content Development Policy sets out the Library’s current strategic thinking on the acquisition of materials and information content to support teaching, learning and research at The University of Manchester.It has been developed to respond both to the needs of the University and to changes in the environment in which we operate. The policy is, therefore, designed to be flexible and will be reviewed regularly to ensure its continuing relevance to our mission.”

At the end of the shelf

“Within the University, constraints including the need to control the size of the university estate mean the library is operating in a zero-growth environment. There is no realistic prospect of new library buildings ... The library is now effectively full.”

Main policy: sections

General principles Books Databases Exam papers Journals Manchester e-scholar Maps Newspapers Official publications Reading lists Special Collections Theses

Macro to micro

Set up another working group Do a couple of pilot projects Experiment with data gathering and

analysis (Talis ‘Decisions’ reports) Rip it up and start again

Micropolicy sections

Collection Areas Document Supply Service Teaching & Learning Digitization Manchester E-Scholar Stock Editing Donations Recommendations Contacts

Collection evaluation

1. Stock overview (by classmark/age)2. Book purchases in previous year3. Current journal subscriptions4. ‘Other’ subscriptions5. Relevant Special Collections

Readme.txtSubject: JRUL Content Development Policy for [name of School/Discipline area].

The Library Strategy, New Directions 2009-12, "represents a plan for action to position the JRUL, not only as a leading library of

the world, but most importantly, as a library fit to meet the changing needs of its customers by 2012.“The Library Strategy New Directions 2009-12 is available as a PD Fat http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/strategy/

As part of the Strategy, the Content Development Policy, which was formally approved in April 2010 "sets out the Library’s current strategic thinking on the acquisition of materials and information content to support teaching, learning and research at The University of Manchester.“

Over the past nine months Faculty Teams have been bringing together information about collections and considering policies at School and Discipline level. The Policy is publicly available at http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/policies/_files/fileuploadmax10mb,174346,en.pdf

I am pleased to attach [or provide link to] the draft discipline level Content Development Policy for [name of School/Discipline area]. The document covers

Existing Collections in [name of School/Discipline area].Bookfund Collection Areas Document Supply ServiceTeaching & Learning Digitization Manchester E-Scholar Stock Editing DonationsRecommendations Contacts.

Do you read me?

with appendices giving a discipline-centred overview of

Stock in the disciplineBook Purchases in the last financial yearCurrent Journal SubscriptionsDatabase and Other Subscriptions, andSpecial Collections

This micropolicy is intended as the first stage in an ongoing dialogue with the discipline, and will be reviewed regularly in consultation with academic colleagues.

I would appreciate your comments on this draft policy by the end of March, in advance of a more formal launch later in the year.

Please respond to[Name of Team contact][Contact details]

The Library would welcome opportunities to discuss policies at School and/or Faculty Committees.

Best regards,

Discord in the Middle East

“The CDP fails to reconcile the core issue of collection development, i.e. what to do about areas where we have superb collections such as Aramaic, Syriac, Assyriology etc … but where research interests in these subjects – as a result of staff retiring etc – may be declining. There was considerable disagreement on this point with diametrically opposed views.”

So what is the point?

Collection evaluation Greater knowledge of resources

(librarians & curators) Better exploitation of resources

(academics) Improved student satisfaction Enhanced research support Improved relationship between

librarians and academics