LTA Collection Management and Acquisitions 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of an 'ISBN' in the acquisitions process?
- To assign a call number for shelving
- To uniquely identify a specific edition of a book for ordering (Correct answer)
- To track circulation of an item after purchase
- To determine the price of an item from a vendor
Correct answer: To uniquely identify a specific edition of a book for ordering
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) uniquely identifies a specific edition and format of a book, ensuring the correct item is ordered from a vendor.
Question 2: A library wants to evaluate whether its science collection meets community needs. Which approach is MOST direct?
- Count the total number of science books on the shelf
- Survey science faculty and patrons about their information needs and satisfaction (Correct answer)
- Compare the collection's age to national averages
- Review the library's annual budget for science materials
Correct answer: Survey science faculty and patrons about their information needs and satisfaction
Directly surveying the users of a subject collection provides firsthand data about whether their needs are being met, making it the most targeted needs assessment method.
Question 3: What does 'perpetual access' mean in an e-resource license?
- The library can access the resource 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- The library retains permanent access to content from subscription years, even after canceling (Correct answer)
- The license never expires and renews automatically each year
- All library patrons have unlimited simultaneous access
Correct answer: The library retains permanent access to content from subscription years, even after canceling
Perpetual access rights mean the library permanently retains access to content published during the subscription period, even if the subscription is later canceled.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes a 'consortium purchase' of library materials?
- A single library buying in bulk to receive a volume discount
- Multiple libraries combining purchasing power to negotiate better pricing (Correct answer)
- A publisher offering a discounted package to academic libraries only
- A government agency purchasing materials on behalf of public libraries
Correct answer: Multiple libraries combining purchasing power to negotiate better pricing
A consortium purchase occurs when a group of libraries pools their negotiating power to obtain better pricing or licensing terms than any single library could achieve alone.
Question 5: A claim is filed in serials management when:
- A patron damages a periodical issue
- An expected issue of a journal is not received by the library (Correct answer)
- A subscription renewal is overdue for payment
- A journal changes its title or ISSN
Correct answer: An expected issue of a journal is not received by the library
A claim is a notification sent to a vendor or publisher when a library does not receive an expected serial issue, requesting that the missing issue be sent.
Question 6: What is the role of an 'ISSN' in serials management?
- To identify individual articles within a journal
- To uniquely identify a serial publication such as a journal or magazine (Correct answer)
- To track the physical location of a serial on the shelf
- To encode pricing information for subscription renewal
Correct answer: To uniquely identify a serial publication such as a journal or magazine
The International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit code that uniquely identifies a serial publication, analogous to what an ISBN does for books.
Question 7: An embargo on a journal database means the library cannot access:
- Issues older than ten years
- The most recent issues for a defined period such as six to twelve months (Correct answer)
- Any issue unless also subscribed to in print
- Issues from publishers outside the United States
Correct answer: The most recent issues for a defined period such as six to twelve months
Publishers impose embargoes to protect current subscription revenue by delaying online database access to the most recent issues.
LTA Collection Management and Acquisitions 5
What is the primary purpose of an 'ISBN' in the acquisitions process?