---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 21:18:30 -0400
From: David Goodman <dgoodman@PHOENIX.PRINCETON.EDU>
Subject: Re: Who has the final say? (Liu Liu)

My general feeling is that faculty determine the library collection by
what the work on and what they have their students work on. Our job is
then to see what they and their students need for their work and to get
it. You'll notice I said "need" not "think they need". We are in a much
better position to determine actual need and actual use than they are.
If you consult faculty, you will get the views of those who speak out,
which does not necessarily correspond to those who use the library.
You will discover there are some faculty who will always say "get it; keep
it" and some who will always say "not really neeeded." You could get the
answer you want by picking who you ask; of course, in practice neither
response can be trusted.

In practical terms, to implement this you need to do a number of long-term
actions. The first is to get the confidence of the faculty. This can only
be gotten by learning what they are doing, talking to them, listening to
them, learning to understand them, asking
intelligent questions, and getting them all their special requests.
Don't try to start this by sending e-mails; you do this by talking in
person. It will take years. That was presumably your predecessor's
approach--they trusted her decisions because they knew she would take care
of their interests.

The second is to measure the actual use. Do the older periodicals get
used? Can you prove it? Can you explain to the faculty how you've
determined it?

The third is to learn the alternate ways of providing material, be
prepared to use them, and demonstrate that they work. If your college can
and does provide next day delivery of article the faculty needs (hint: try
using CISTI), and do it without charge to them, you will find it much less
expensive than providing a comprehensive journal backfile. After all,
anything in the world might show up in a reference. And you should be
prepared to provide it, but not necessarily from your own collection.

I'm aware I'm talking from a somewhat different situation. But no
library--not mine--not LC--can maintain all material that might possibly
be needed. I've worked in 4-year college libraries and know plenty of
people in 2-yr colleges. The principles are the same.

 David Goodman, Princeton University
Biology Library                          dgoodman@princeton.edu
609-258-3235

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 18:44:04 -0400
> From: Liu Liu <liuliu@USA.COM>
> Subject: Who has the final say?
>
> Hi,
>
> My college is a smaller 2-year community college.  I have started managing
> periodicals for about a year.  Weeding the periodicals, my predesscessor
> made all the decisions as to which periodicals to weed and she did not
> consult/inform the faculty...pretty much a closed door operation. She did
> not have any trouble.
>
> Recently, I started the weeding project.  My criteria are if the
> periodicals are old, not indexed in our indexes and have low usage, I
> would weed them.  I want to involve the faculty.  After all, library
> exists to support teaching. So I sent out a email to inform them.
>
> The result is: a couple of faculty reacted very strongly against the
> weeding.  They want us to keep the periodicals in their subject areas
> forever in the library.  Some argue that current information based on old
> information, and they rely on the library to keep the old periodicals in
> case people need to do research. Periodicals, though not indexed in our
> indexes, may appear in the references of some articles, etc.
>
> I feel like I have asked for trouble.  They have their reasons, the
> library has our considerations too.  Who has the final say?  What are the
> guidelines when it comes to weeding periodicals?  Any books on this
> subject?
>
> Thanks.
>
> LiuLiu