Collection Development of books?

I am new here, first post. I am curious about whether book buyers use a method for selecting print nonfiction books, by subject, or no method, subjectively. By method, you would purchase books according to need and covering the subject, so that a balanced collection is achieved. My experience is that librarians choose from reviews, whatever they like or think will go out. I have done it both ways. The tendency is to get what looks appealing and ignore subjects that are unappealing.

When a librarian wants to make a defensible purchase decision, they will add reviews to their own judgment and any written acquisition policy. In the field of children's books, this means consulting review publications like School Library Journal and Kirkus. Books that are not reviewed in either of these may have a hard time getting into some libraries, regardless the quality of binding or merits of the content.

There are some established publishers who have long catered to the library market, often ignoring the trade market other than special orders (these are greatly enhanced thanks to online retailers like Amazon, BN, etc.). The review sources and the professionally trained librarians tend to buy from some publishers and not from others. This is not universal but it can't be ignored either.

Obviously this means that micro publishers and print-on-demand imprints have the steepest hill to climb. There are reputation issues since so many books issued from these sources do not have sufficient editing, design, and binding quality.

When trying to serve patrons, a buyer should pay attention to what seems to be of interest and what has been requested by them. Do libraries have forms to submit an ISBN of a work they would like the library to acquire? If a certain number of unique requests for the same came in, that might be a reason to get an item. Shelf space and funds are limited so there's always a balancing game. The book that is of interest for a moment may be ignored months or a year later. What kind of books are "evergreen" or momentary fads?

James

I know this. Smaller public libraries have no acquisitions policy or it is very broad, vague. Human nature shows that librarians buy books in topics, authors they like and avoid topics they dont like.

How many libraries methodically purchase books for specific subjects, based on need, not patrons. For example, Revolutionary War period, World War I, or botany, or South America, foir examples.

>3 Merlla: I'm not a librarian, but I have been approached by one to suggest book lists on two topics of assumed local or current interest (one was local history for a railway town), because they knew I was a subject expert. I think they approached three of us, for different subjects.

>3 Merlla: In a public library non-fiction books don't generally get picked based on subjects only (without reviews, or thinking about if they'll ever be taken out at all) because they need to be taken out. If a public library book doesn't get taken out even once, then, a) shouldn't have bought it b) it's gone/weeded/bye bye baby.

An example. Should we buy a variety of poetry books. Of course. Do we? Not generally, because on the whole unless it's Frost, Whitman, Dickinson, etc. they just don't go out. Ever. So, buying the newest and hottest thing by the hottest poet of the moment, well, maybe it gets taken out 3 times... all in the first month, and then nothing else for 5 years. Or, a true crime book could be bought and put on the shelf space, and go out 25 times over 5 years. Like it or not, public library serve the public. The former example doesn't serve the public, it serves librarians who want to look smart, the latter does serve the public, but, gets looked down upon because it's not high falutin', instead it's what people actually --want-- to read instead of what over educated librarians think that people --should-- be reading.

(Same thing happens with buying "Literature" vs. buying genre fiction of all sorts).

Most places that I've worked tend to go through Book List, Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal, and from those lists of well reviewed non-fiction, decide what to buy. Also, every couple of years they go through the stacks and replace things like prose medical books, technology books, etc. that are out of date as well.

Do you have a point? From your posts, I definitely do feel like you have a point, but, I could be wrong so I won't put it out there... to each their own.

>2 Keeline: Some of the little publishers have been helped just a teeny tiny bit by Libby and Hoopla. It's not perfect, but, definitely the midlist publishers can more easily be seen by librarians, and some of the indies or very small publishers can get their books seen too on those platforms.

> I was a librarian for over ten years, buying nf and fiction for a public library. So I diligently used book reviews and was a reviewer myself for Library Journal and Choice. I also bought many books without reviews just because the library needed them, and I still recommend it. Some were losers and some good additions. But this is also true of books with nice reviews. I believe strongly in a balanced collection, even if the book does not circulate much. I give the book and the public the benefit of my doubt. Some people are smarter, more educated than librarians know . They often overestimate the interests and reading level of YAs.
Human nature suggests----and I have personally observed--
1. All librarians tend to select books with self-interest in mind, even not aware of it, or not admit it. Including me.
2. Librarians do not buy books in areas they dislike, usually. Same with DVDS, records, etc. They will never admit this and are not aware of it.
3. Most patrons and librarians are women, and so collections reflect that. Its just a fact. male interests are not as common---martial arts, military history, autos, etc.

>6 Merlla: I'm not sure why you would ask a question and then when you get answers simply... respond how you are responding. That we're wrong? It sounds like you already have your answer, so, I'm not sure why you started the conversation? You are more than entitled to your opinion on how badly we librarians are doing choosing books.

As to your 1, 2, 3...

1. If you're aware if it, you can either bring in others to help, or... well, you're aware of it, so now you can select books outside your interests. i.e. I'd never touch a Keto diet with a fifty foot pole. So. But, it was a thing. So, we get some reviews, find a couple of the best cookbooks out there on Keto recipes. Buy them. No Self-Interest at all right there. (And, they went out too... :| Ah well, all things come in cycles.) Same with Bill O'Reilly. Or the 400 million pro and con the previous administration books there were in, what, 2017-2020? Ugh, but, they were bought, they went out. No self-interest there either.
2. See #1 (also, I assume you mean albums. I will say that we haven't bought an actual LP in... forever, and, even the CD buying is going down by a lot because they just don't exist as much, so much is streaming only. DVDs though, we're still getting all the good stuff, and the bad stuff, and the middling stuff. If it's popular, it's on the shelf, doesn't matter if the buyer 'likes it' or not.
3. You're not wrong about the most librarians being women. I disagree that most patrons are though. I see maybe a 55/45 split for women/men where I work. And, you're being sorta heteronormative with male/female interests I have to say. Know a bunch of women who are and love martial arts, know a couple of military women who have either been in or read about it. Know a few who love, love, love cars. Personally, I love true crime and... really gory forensic mysteries. Is that too male? Can't stand the 740s at all, am sorta either way on the 635s (the more 'female' interests I presume?) Where do business books go, or Shakespeare, or history in general? I mean, our 940s, our 900s in general are generally bursting at the seams. That would all be male preferred history right (a lot of it battles of the world wars, as well as ancient history)

Look, I'm not having a go at you. But, I do think that while maybe once upon a time there were a lot of libraries where collection development was exactly what you're describing, nowadays maybe there are a few, but... even in the public libraries there are courses, webinars, there are groups that meet every quarter to talk about collection development. Get better at it, get everyone's points of view. Even there that has changed. A whole lot of libraries actually have Collection development committees, not just one person doing the choosing. And, of course, the patrons are almost always able to chime in with things that they want.

Oh, and, since we're throwing out how long we've been librarians for whatever reason. I've worked in a library for 24 years. Worked as either a para or professional librarian for 22 years. Had a masters degree for 14 years. (Aside: Holy crap I've been doing this too long...... no wonder I'm tired :D)

I certainly did not intend to judge or criticize anyone, far from it. Just feedback and thank you for it. I hope others join. Things have changed. My generalizations are very broad and based mainly on local knowledge. I tend to notice all sorts of bias wherever I look. I won't mention political correctness.
I borrow my books and DVDs through ILL so I can't complain about that.