Page 37 - DLIS104_MANAGEMENT OF LIBRARIES AND INFORMATION CENTRES

Management of Libraries and Information Centres

Notes 5.2 Need and Purpose

A policy statement is a kind of framework and set of parameters within which staff and users
work. It serves many functions beyond being merely a tool for selection of materials. In addition
to describing current collections, it forces the staff involved to consider the aims and objectives of
the organization, both long and short term, and the priorities to be attached to different activities.
It assists with budgeting, serves as communication channel within a library and between the
library and outside constituents, supports cooperative collection development, prevents censorship,
and assists in overall collection management activities, including the handling of gifts, deselection
of materials and serial cancellations.
The main reasons for having a written collection development policy can be put under four broad
headings:
1. Selection: The primary function of a written collection development policy is to provide
guidance to staff when selecting and deselecting resources for the local collection. The docu-
ment serves as a guideline for each stage of materials handling. It might cover the selection,
acquisition, processing, housing, weeding, retention, preservation, relegation and discard of
all types of library material in the relevant subjects, with reference to specified levels of
collection depth and breadth. This reduces personal bias by setting individual selection
decisions in the context of the aims of collection building practice, and identifies gaps in
collection development responsibilities. It ensures continuity and consistency in selection
and revision. Moreover, it clarifies the purpose and scope of local collections, and allows
selection decisions to be evaluated by, for example, identifying what proportion of in-scope
published material has been acquired. Such a reference guide reduces the need of selectors to
raise recurrent questions, and assists in the training of new staff. It also provides useful
information to other library staff whose work is collection based.
2. Planning: A policy document provides a sound foundation for future planning, thereby
assisting in determining priorities, especially when financial resources are limited. This pro-
vides a basis for the fair allocation of resources, and helps to protect library funds by explaining
the rationale behind acquisitions bids. Having a formal publication to refer to ensures continu-
ity and avoids confusion. Compilation of a formal document is beneficial in itself, in that it
involves acquiring knowledge of existing collection strengths, and obliges staff to reflect on
the library’s goals. The stated aims help other collection-related activities such as catalogu-
ing, preservation and storage to form a coherent strategy, and support reader services, for
example by identifying areas that are ripe for deselection, or more suitable for inter-library
loan, document delivery or Internet access than for acquisition.
3. Public relations: Formal policy statements can be useful in making the case for the library
when dealing with both its users, administrators and funding bodies. They support the
stated objectives of the organization, demonstrating accountability and commitment to
agreed goals. Ideally, the compilation of the document requires the active participation of
both users and administrators, thereby improving communication between the library and
its clientele. The policy statement serves as a contract with the library’s users; it has the
function to demonstrate to individuals within an institution what they can expect of the
library both in form of collections and of services. It enables individual selection decisions to
be justified on a standardized basis. By referring to the official statement, library staff can
deflect criticism or censorship arising from special interest groups, and politely but firmly
refuse unwanted gifts, sectarian materials or potentially offensive items.
4. The wider context: As individual libraries are increasingly unable to provide all their services
by themselves, they are banding together into cooperatives, alliances and consortia. For
these ventures to work, there must be mutual knowledge and agreement on which library
is collecting what. A written collection development policy therefore often serves as a basis
for wider cooperation and resource sharing, whether in a locality, region, country, or even
internationally.
32 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY