Collection Assessment
Introduction
For this course's final project, I undertook a small collection development effort at my directed fieldwork host site, Seward Park Campus Library (SPCL). Located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the SPCL services its titular campus containing five high schools, including the New Design High School, the Essex Street Academy, and the High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies. In recognition of Pride Month in June, the head librarian suggested that I focus this project on the library's collection of titles addressing LGBTQ+ issues and narratives. Due to time constraints, the scope was narrowed to the non-fiction titles categorized under Dewey Decimal 306.76 (Culture and institutions -- Sexual relations -- Sexual orientation, transgenderism, intersexuality). Relevant adjacent titles were also put within scope of the project, such as a title under 306.84 (Culture and institutions -- Marriage and family -- Types of marriage and relationships) pertaining to same-sex marriage. The stated end goal of this endeavor was to assess the collection for timeliness and relevance, as well as intersection with other marginalized identities, before weeding outdated books and preparing purchase recommendations to both replace weeded materials and expand the collection's scope.
Strategy
This project was divided into three segments, roughly aligned with the three days I was scheduled at the library. First, all relevant books were identified and those currently in the library were pulled for consideration. Second, each book was assessed using the methodology detailed below for retention or deselection. Third, purchase recommendations were prepared to refresh the collection, again using the following methodology. The identification of materials was relatively straightforward; books currently shelved under 306.74 were pulled for assessment, compared against a Follett Destiny-generated report to ensure that all titles under 306.74 were accounted for prior to proceeding.
The main criterion for removal of materials was point VI.B. of the NYCDOE Collection Development Guidelines: "out-of-date or no longer useful materials are withdrawn from the collection". Many of the materials were 10+ years old, which in a field as quickly evolving as LGBTQ+ rights and studies means that significant changes in the political landscape and broader societal context are unaddressed in these titles. Per the NYCDOE "LibGuides", titles in the 300 section of the Dewey Decimal System should be discarded or refreshed after 5-10 years from the copyright date. I also considered the popular #OwnVoices rallying cry of "nothing about us without us" - in this context taken to mean that LGBTQ+ authors and creators will be given authoritative precedence over cisgender, heterosexual creators. However, this was not utilized as a deciding factor as there are many valuable contributions to the field of queer studies by heterosexual authors, especially in the realms of sociological and anthropological history. Secondary criteria also included circulation rates and in-library use, although the latter was derived through anecdotal evidence rather than formally tracked statistics.
When selecting materials for purchase recommendation, a few evaluation tools were utilized. First, certain titles had clear supersedents (e.g. the "Opposing Viewpoints" entry Same-Sex Marriage was replaced by the more recent LGBTQ+ Rights), and others were part of larger collections which were not currently held by the library (e.g. the "Quick & Easy Guide" series, spanning topics from consent to pronoun usage to asexuality). Second, book lists created by bookstores, publishing houses, and other libraries were perused to find relevant titles. Titles identified for potential inclusion then underwent a meta-analysis of available reviews, both from large bodies such as Kirkus and the New York Times as well as community-driven resources such as Goodreads.
Materials Created
The resultant spreadsheet from this project can be found at the following link: Assignment 4: Purchase Recommendations. Each sheet, from left to right, corresponds with the stages listed above. The list on sheet 1, entitled "Collection", was derived from a Follett Destiny report on titles within the 306.74 - 306.84 DDC range, with non-gay marriage materials in the early 306.8's removed. As is visible on sheet 2, entitled "Weeding Recs", the vast majority of justifications for weeding were time-based, having passed the 5-10 year refreshment period recommended by the NYCDOE LibGuide. Other weeded titles were removed at the behest of the head librarian, who requested that low-circulation materials be limited to two copies. The prevalence of multiple copies of the same, low-circulation title was attributed by the librarian to the multi-school nature of the campus; copies tended to be purchased such that there was one per school, regardless of student demand. Titles which saw circulation were given selective exemption from this two-copy limit - all four copies of the Trans Teen Survival Guide by Owl Fisher, although the similarly-circulating "LGBTQ: The Survival Guide" was limited to two copies due to out-of-date terminology and language used in older editions. Finally, the third sheet, entitled "Purchase Recs", is a summary of the 17 titles recommended for purchase.
Reflection and Summary
As my previous collection development and management efforts have primarily targeted graphic novel and comic collections, it was really enlightening to work with a non-fiction collection. Only four titles therein saw circulation over the past year: Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin, Gay America by the Associated Press, LGBTQ: The Survival Guide by Kelly Huegel, and Trans Teen Survival Guide by Owl Fisher. It was not especially surprising that the bulk of the nonfiction section saw little outside circulation, as most YA patrons in my experience gravitate towards fiction and graphic novels, usually only touching the non-fiction for poetry or class research. It was interesting to see the clear connecting thread among these four titles - a seeking of potentially reflective experiences, and then guidance on how to navigate the young LGBTQ+ experience. I've spent quite a bit of personal time thinking about what role non-fiction can play in students' reading lives, and identifying this almost "self-help" avenue is really definitely going to inform my development efforts down the line.
I'd also like to note the not insignificant question of in-library use and stolen materials. Per the head librarian, the collection frequently had to replace Juno Dawson's "This Book is Gay" due to theft, and many titles related to LGBTQ+ lives and issues have been found in the reading areas of the library without being checked out. These statistics have not been tracked in a readily reportable way, which I've seen in my work with public libraries as well, especially with children and YA audiences. Most often a book left out or on a cart will be immediately reshelved without any logging of its in-library use. Tracking this type of usage is critical in accurately gauging the needs of the patronage, especially when dealing with topics carrying heavy social stigma such as LGBTQ+ identity and mental health.
Conclusion
In retrospect, I would have liked to more formally log the resources I was using to identify purchase recommendations, both as potential assistance in addressing challenges as well as to compile a list of resources for future projects. Likewise, I would have liked to have the opportunity to engage with the student body as to what titles they, self-reportedly, would like to have in the collection. This was made impractical largely due to my limited schedule at the SPCL (five hours a day, once weekly). I greatly enjoy getting to build rapport and trusting relationships with students, which can provide valuable patron opinions to the (de)selection process. In future efforts, such relationships and testimonials will doubtless inform my development processes. On the whole, however, this project has provided invaluable real-world experience in collection development which I will carry forward in all my efforts to follow.