Crash Course in Collection Development, 2nd Edition

by Wayne Disher

This professional volume covers all aspects of collection development and management in the public library, from gathering statistics to design a collection that meets community needs, to selecting materials, managing vendor relations, understanding the publishing industry, and handling complaints. Author Wayne Disher provides public librarians—especially those without the benefit of academic training—access to the tools to make them successful, and their collections beneficial to the public they serve. The second edition features two new chapters on digital curation and cooperative collection development. Additional updates include helpful information on infographics, more budgeting formulas, and a section on core collections, as well as content covering eBooks, electronic storage, and digital rights management. Chapters discuss subjects such as marketing the collection to patrons, book repair, and handling censorship issues when collections are challenged.

Genres: Textbooks, Nonfiction, Library Science, School

158 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2007

Reviews

[Stephanie Ou · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reason why I picked up this book was because it was the required textbook for my graduate course called Collection Management. I found this textbook to be fascinating, course 101 is on how to manage a collection’s database
A run-down on what the textbook is about? It’s basically about the way that the collection developer selects the books, DVDs, and other kinds of media for the library, essentially creating the books that are available for the library patrons
It’s perfect for those who are just starting to understand what collection management is

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty helpful for a basic idea of reference services

[Evelyn (S'more Books Please) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clearly written and useful information.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good intro to collection management.

[Molli927 · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a class

[Laura]

Required reading for school

[Heather Bolwar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, I will admit up front that the author was my professor for Collection Development. I will now admit that I read every word of this excellent book and will take all of it into consideration in my future library career. Disher's writing style is fresh and for the real folks of the trenches of the library world. I'm still new in my library science program, but I'm already sick of the uppity texts written by library science gurus who probably haven't come out of their lofty upper offices since Reagan was President. To be honest, I stopped reading the Evans text (also required for my class) and stuck with Disher's text probably about four weeks into the term. Disher "spoke" to me more than the stuffy guy did. If your course calls for this book, read this one for sure!

[Readersaurus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disher's cheerful and clear writing style makes this an easy read. The book is very basic; he assumes no prior knowledge. Disher provides good suggestions for ways that librarians can get to know their communities, both statistically and anecdotally. He also gives lists of useful on-line and print selection resources. On pages 129 - 134 her offers a concise overview of key considerations when weeding each of the 10 Dewey categories which is very handy.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very helpful basic introduction to collection development written in clear and concise language without going overboard on details. It would definitely be a useful work to the small or rural librarian, but could also be useful as a refresher course for anyone working within a library setting. I found the section on mapping and analyzing the collection to be especially helpful.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly readable which made every reading assignment better.