Customer-Based Collection Development: An Overview

摘要

Karl Bridges's helpful overview describes customer-based collection development from the perspective of selectors, technical services, archives, early adopters and late-to-the-gamers, single libraries and consortia, large budgets and small, and one reasoned skeptic. In the first chapter, Caminita introduces the concepts and terminology of customer-based collection development (aka patron- or demand-driven acquisition), providing a succinct description of the issues libraries currently face and past practices that brought us to this junction. She reminds us that we sought user input on purchases long before the e-book appeared, responding to faculty requests, soliciting purchase suggestions, and mining interlibrary loan data for evidence of gaps in the collection. Hartman-Caverly et al., of the Tri-College Library consortium, discuss the management of a shared approval plan, concluding that "managing separate print and e-book workflows is not optimal." Nixon et al. examine selectors' perceptions of patron-driven e-book acquisitions, profiling attitudes by discipline, longevity in the profession, and personal reading preferences. Case studies focus on budgeting, selection criteria, and decision-making aspects of the process. Harrell et al. include a list of questions to use when reviewing vendors' presentations. Hodges gives insight into the rhetoric between those who would prefer to rely on selectors to build collections versus patron-driven acquisition. She views the practice in transition and credits patron-driven collection development as a method more likely to fill in the gaps in interdisciplinary collection building. In the debate between purchasing "just in time" access or collecting for the ages; Howland et al. note that"… the 100% usage of the e-book PDA model [provides] a strong case for change." Valentino outlines patron-driven digital collection development of archival photographs in a model that capitalized on the interest of an outside stakeholder. Buschman summarizes several issues regarding patron-driven acquisition (PDA), unpacks the research, and exposes assumptions; studies indicate that users do not necessarily prefer e-books, and evidence shows that e-books are not very cost effective. He urges us to doubt usage claims, cautions us to question the motivation of publishers and vendors who view PDA as a marketing tool, and highlights the loss of discovery through serendipity due to the difficulty of browsing a digital collection. He views PDA as one among several trends employed by libraries responding to new demands on space, taking advantage of e-distribution to alleviate the tension. He advises us to take seriously the evidence, to move forward with our eyes open. Each chapter of this acronym-infused publication includes a bibliography in which most citations are no more than 5 years old, illustrating the relevancy of the research. Compiled, they make a reasonably short reading list. Rich informatics take the form of tables, charts, and graphs depicting cost comparisons, rates of acquisition, and system specifications, to mention a few. Customer-Based Collection Development is a helpful synopsis if trying to stay abreast of fast-paced change and a "must read" before launching a customer-based project of one's own.