Page 112 - DLIS007_LIBRARY AUTOMATION

Unit 6: Library Automation in Acquisition

and Tools which will help in selection and verification. Specification of a Selection Process Notes
(involving decisions on who selects; procedures for judging intrinsic value of information
in sources and procedures for judging demand and user appropriateness).
Acquisition/Procurement: Procedures for procurement of necessary information sources.
In cases where no outright procurement is planned or possible procedures for access to
sources.

Example: Getting on loan, photocopying pertinent sections, getting permission to use
them in another information centre/system, etc., have to be set.

Accessioning: Specification of procedures for taking all the books and documents acquired
to be added to the stock of the library which involves the assignment of a serial number
called Accession Number and, if applicable, a Donation Number. Every item and its
bibliographic details thus, entered in the Accession Register.
Thus, these three successive stages of operations – selection; procurement and accessioning –
correspond to the three sections of the Acquisition Department.
The collection of a library can contain various types of documents. Some libraries may have a
special preference for specific types of documents. However, in most libraries books form the
major part of the collection. It is, therefore, usual to refer to the activities in AD as book selection,
book ordering and book accessioning respectively.

Notes It may be noted that acquisition of all types of documents comes within the scope
of AD.

However, there is one exception. Acquiring current issues of periodicals and newspapers is not
done by AD. Instead it is done by the Periodicals Department. AD has to deal with periodicals
and newspapers only when they are received as bound volumes. AD has a very crucial place in
the overall organisation of a library. Its importance lies in the fact that collection is the basic
factor in the usefulness of a library and that collection development is primarily the task of this
department. AD, therefore, must organise tile resources made available to it (men, materials
and money) in such a way as to facilitate the building lip of the collection in the most efficient
and economical way. The fulfilment of this task involves all the basic elements and sound
principles of scientific management.

Task State the six factors that govern the acquisition for documents in a library.

Self Assessment

Fill in the blanks:

4. …………………… roles will change to include more policy, preservation, evaluation, and
process assignments.
5. The collection of a library can contain various types of …………………….

6. …………………… has to deal with periodicals and newspapers only when they are received
as bound volumes.

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