GLC Collection Development and Management 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is the PRIMARY reason libraries establish a written collection development policy?
- To satisfy accreditation requirements only
- To provide a consistent framework for selection decisions and respond to challenges (Correct answer)
- To document the library's annual purchasing history
- To restrict librarians from making individual selection decisions
Correct answer: To provide a consistent framework for selection decisions and respond to challenges
A collection development policy provides a consistent, defensible framework for selection and helps librarians respond to complaints or challenges.
Question 2: In a public library, which community analysis data would be MOST useful when developing a collection plan?
- The number of library branches in neighboring counties
- Local demographic data including age, language, education, and occupation (Correct answer)
- National bestseller lists for the current year
- The collection size of peer libraries in other states
Correct answer: Local demographic data including age, language, education, and occupation
Local demographic data directly reveals who the library serves and what types of materials will meet their needs.
Question 3: When a patron challenges a library item, the collection development policy protects the library BEST by:
- Guaranteeing that challenged items are always retained
- Providing documented selection criteria that justify the item's inclusion (Correct answer)
- Requiring immediate removal pending review
- Delegating all challenge decisions to the library board
Correct answer: Providing documented selection criteria that justify the item's inclusion
Documented selection criteria in the policy demonstrate that items were chosen through a professional, principled process.
Question 4: Which of the following is an example of a 'consortial licensing' benefit for electronic resources?
- A single library negotiating lower prices by buying in bulk
- Multiple libraries pooling purchasing power to obtain lower per-library costs (Correct answer)
- A vendor providing free trials to any library that requests them
- A publisher donating electronic access to nonprofit institutions
Correct answer: Multiple libraries pooling purchasing power to obtain lower per-library costs
Consortial licensing leverages the collective buying power of multiple libraries to negotiate lower prices than individual institutions could achieve.
Question 5: A collection development librarian uses 'citation analysis' to inform purchasing decisions. This technique involves:
- Counting how often library staff cite policy documents in reports
- Examining which journals or books are cited in scholarly works to identify high-value titles (Correct answer)
- Tracking citation errors in catalog records
- Reviewing patron comments cited in satisfaction surveys
Correct answer: Examining which journals or books are cited in scholarly works to identify high-value titles
Citation analysis examines reference lists in scholarly publications to identify which sources are most frequently used and thus most valuable to collect.
Question 6: A library is considering dropping a print journal in favor of online-only access. Which factor is MOST important to evaluate?
- Whether the print journal has a colorful cover design
- Whether the online version provides equivalent or better access and archival rights (Correct answer)
- Whether the print journal was published before 1990
- Whether other local libraries subscribe to the print version
Correct answer: Whether the online version provides equivalent or better access and archival rights
Transitioning to online access requires ensuring equivalent content access and verifying long-term archival rights are secured.
Question 7: The 'last copy' consideration in weeding refers to the practice of:
- Keeping the newest copy and discarding older editions
- Checking whether an item is the only surviving copy before discarding it (Correct answer)
- Retaining one copy of every title no matter how low its circulation
- Donating the last copy of a title to another library automatically
Correct answer: Checking whether an item is the only surviving copy before discarding it
Before discarding an item, librarians should verify whether it is the last known copy in the region or consortium to avoid permanent loss of a unique resource.
GLC Collection Development and Management 5
Which of the following is the PRIMARY reason libraries establish a written collection development policy?