GLC Collection Development and Management 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best describes an 'evidence-based acquisition' model for e-books?
- Purchasing e-books recommended by faculty without trial access
- Providing discovery access and then purchasing titles with demonstrated usage (Correct answer)
- Selecting e-books based solely on publisher reputation
- Acquiring e-books that match print holdings one-for-one
Correct answer: Providing discovery access and then purchasing titles with demonstrated usage
Evidence-based acquisition gives patrons access to a broad pool of titles and purchases those that evidence shows are actually used.
Question 2: A librarian is comparing 'perpetual access' versus 'subscription' licensing for electronic resources. The key advantage of perpetual access is:
- Lower annual cost than subscription models
- Retention of access to licensed content if the subscription ends (Correct answer)
- Unlimited simultaneous user access
- Automatic content updates from the publisher
Correct answer: Retention of access to licensed content if the subscription ends
Perpetual access licenses allow the library to retain access to content for the years it was licensed, even after canceling the subscription.
Question 3: Which standard bibliographic tool is most commonly used by academic librarians to verify and select scholarly monographs?
- Ulrichsweb
- CHOICE Reviews (Correct answer)
- Books in Print
- WorldCat
Correct answer: CHOICE Reviews
CHOICE Reviews (published by ACRL) provides expert evaluations of academic books intended for undergraduate library collections.
Question 4: A library's materials budget is cut by 20%. The collection development librarian should FIRST:
- Cancel all standing orders immediately
- Review expenditures and prioritize based on usage data and community need (Correct answer)
- Freeze all purchasing until the next fiscal year
- Shift all remaining funds to electronic resources only
Correct answer: Review expenditures and prioritize based on usage data and community need
Budget reductions require a data-informed prioritization of spending, not blanket cancellations or freezes.
Question 5: The practice of 'floating collections' in a public library system is best described as:
- Rotating special collections between branches on a schedule
- Allowing returned items to remain at the branch where they are returned (Correct answer)
- Purchasing duplicate copies for high-demand titles across all branches
- Moving reference materials to circulating status
Correct answer: Allowing returned items to remain at the branch where they are returned
Floating collections allow materials to stay at the branch where they are returned rather than being routed back to their owning location.
Question 6: Under Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act, the 'fair use' doctrine allows libraries to:
- Reproduce entire works without restriction for educational purposes
- Use portions of copyrighted works without permission in certain limited contexts (Correct answer)
- Share all digital content freely across library networks
- Permanently archive any commercially published work
Correct answer: Use portions of copyrighted works without permission in certain limited contexts
Fair use permits limited use of copyrighted material without permission, assessed through a four-factor balancing test.
Question 7: A librarian reviews a subject area and finds that 70% of the collection has not circulated in five years. The MOST appropriate conclusion is that:
- Patrons are using the materials in-house only and circulation data is irrelevant
- The subject area may be a strong candidate for significant weeding (Correct answer)
- The collection is so comprehensive that all patron needs are already met
- Low circulation indicates the materials are too scholarly for the community
Correct answer: The subject area may be a strong candidate for significant weeding
Very low circulation in a subject area over multiple years is a strong indicator that the collection may need weeding and reconsidering.
GLC Collection Development and Management 4
Which of the following best describes an 'evidence-based acquisition' model for e-books?