- Email: [email protected]
Collection development education
Libraty Acqursrttons: Practrce & Theory, Vol. 17, pp. 333-344, 1993 Printed m the USA. All rights reserved.
03644408193 $6.00 + .OO Copyright 0 1993 Pergamon Press Ltd.
PAPERS FROM CHINA
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION An Australian Perspective G. E. GORMAN School Charles
of Information Sturt UniversityLocked
Wagga
Wagga
Studies Riverma
Bag 675
New South
Wales 2678
Australia
Abstract - This paper describes efforts by the library profession in Australia to improve the teaching of collection development, especially attempts to achieve greater articulation between professional practice and professional education at university level. It surveys a number of important seminars and workshops, reviews a set of educational guidelines, and offers as a case study the curricular response of a specific library school (School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University - Riverina) to professional concerns regarding collection development education.
INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to describe one country’s experience in curriculum development related to the aspect of professional practice generally known as collection development, which is defined as the process of planning, building, and maintaining a collection of information resources in an efficient and user-responsive fashion. Within this definition collection development encompasses the identification, selection, and procurement of materials; the allocation of financial resources among various subjects and formats; collection management, analysis, and evaluation; resource sharing programs; development and coordination of appropriate policies and procedures [l]. The description is limited to professional education as offered by university schools of library and information science as part of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree or diploma; accordingly, it does not investigate the potentially valuable areas of continuing professional education, in-service training, or professional body edu333
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cational activities. The paper reviews the recent history of discussion on the topic in Australia, presents a set of generally accepted guidelines on collection development education and describes the curriculum of one particular library school, Charles Sturt University- Riverina, which has international experience as a provider of undergraduate and postgraduate training for the information profession.
SEMINAR ON ACQUISITIONS
EDUCATION,
1984
The recent history of developments in collection development education began with a focus on just one aspect, acquisitions. In 1984 two groups within what was then the Library Association of Australia (LAA) hosted a “Seminar on the Place of Orders Work in the Curricula of Courses of Professional Librarians” [2]. The purpose of this seminar was twofold: (1) to hear the views of professional librarians on practical acquisitions work and the efficacy of their academic training in this regard, and general comments on the qualities and information required by effective acquisitions librarians; (2) to gain some understanding of what library schools offer in terms of acquisitions education and how such course work is organized. During the seminar there emerged a very clear distinction between practitioners and educators responsible for professional training. The former indicated quite clearly that acquisitions work is a major responsibility of librarians, not least because libraries together spend tens of millions of dollars on materials annually, a major investment in any language. Given this responsibility, the acquisitions librarian requires a range of carefully honed practical skills: he must have entrepreneurial ability, business acumen, budget management skills, accounting skills, ability to implement and manage orders systems, knowledge of dealers and negotiation skills, and understanding of the publishing market and how it operates. All of these skills practitioners see as revolving around three foci: what to buy, how to buy it efficiently, where to buy it. While the professional library school fraternity did not actually disagree with any of this, the general feeling was that acquisitions, because it lacks the theoretical underpinning of most areas of library science, really belongs primarily in programs for technicians or paraprofessionals. Since acquisitions is perceived as being largely a matter of hands-on activity rather than reflective engagement with principles, there is little for the professional schools to teach. Time and again educators at the seminar indicated that practitioners must realize that library schools distinguish between the “body of knowledge” appropriate to professional education on one hand and “how-to-do-it” skills appropriate to paraprofessional training on the other. Accordingly, it came as little surprise that no professional library school at the time offered a specific, discrete course in acquisitions; at best the schools squeezed acquisitions into a broader course on collection development or collection management. (The exception to this was, and still is, the training provided for technicians, which includes acquisitions subjects covering most or all of the practical components of acquisitions work.) Within the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA, as the former LAA became in 1989) the standards for course assessment and recognition tend to reinforce this dichotomy. Specifically, the course recognition criteria of the Board of Education emphasize principles rather than practice in professional courses. The criteria also pay at least lip service to analysis, evaluation, and synthesis with regard to library systems, operations, and procedures-yet few library schools actually do much in any of these areas in relation to acquisitions. At the same time the Board expects technician courses to concentrate on procedures, on practical skills in operating and supervising routines in acquisitions.
Collection Development Education in Australia
COLLECTION
DEVELOPMENT
335
COURSE GUIDELINES,
1985
As a direct result of the 1984 seminar two groups within the LAA cooperated in the preparation of a set of “Guidelines for Collection Development Courses in Australian Library Schools,” the purpose of which was to collect, summarize, and standardize the views on course content. In addition, it was hoped that the Board of Education and the library schools might use the “Guidelines” to enhance their criteria for assessing and revising collection development and acquisitions syllabi. Although the “Guidelines” have been published elsewhere, they are reproduced here as Appendix A [3]. As the “Guidelines” clearly indicate, acquisitions has been subsumed within the broader area of collection development, thereby moving the discussion substantially beyond the limited field investigated in the 1984 seminar. As noted in the definition above, this broader area consists of three elements: collection development (policies and procedures), selection, and acquisitions. Other areas in the overall library economy may impinge upon collection building and management, but they do not bear the same intimate relationship to the subject as these three interrelated topics. Within the “Guidelines” it is assumed that each area treats all forms of library materials, with each form receiving separate treatment as required. It is also assumed that each area applies to libraries of all types (academic, public, special, school) and that attention is given to user categories of all types. Ideally, one would like to report that all topics in the “Guidelines” are taught in every library school, but for several reasons this is not so. First, any course is severely constrained by time limits, and it is difficult to imagine anyone being able to compress all of the suggested topics in a unit on collection development. Second, some will disagree with assumptions about the legitimate content of such a course, although one must emphasize that every topic is considered important by practitioners. Third, for pedagogical reasons some library schools feel that collection development/acquisitions training should be spread across a range of discrete curricular units. Given these variables, the “Guidelines” do not categorically state which topics are essential and which are finishing touches in a well-rounded curriculum.
ACQUISITIONS
EDUCATION
WORKSHOP,
1989
Some four years after formulation of the “Guidelines” the same ALIA groups that had hosted the 1984 seminar agreed that it was time to reassess the issue of collection development education and to determine future directions in this field. As a result, a workshop entitled “Demands and Directions in Australian Acquisitions Education” was convened in July 1989 (an unfortunate title in view of the fact that it addressed the entire area of collection development rather than the more limited topic of acquisitions). In preparation for the workshop collection development and acquisitions course outlines were solicited from a number of Australian library schools. Having reviewed these, the present writer could only repeat the conclusion reached when drawing up the “Guidelines”: “Without exception . . . we believe that acquisitions training in all library schools leaves much to be desired and that far more consideration must be given to this aspect of professional education” [4]. This conclusion subsequently was confirmed by the workshop rapporteur, who stated that “little progress appears to have been made with the problem of improving the acquisitions component in undergraduate professional courses. This continues to be a cause for concern by practitioners” [5]. During the workshop efforts were made to clarify professional/paraprofessional roles and training needs in collection development and acquisitions, to prioritize topics to be addressed in training, to consider various modes of delivery as a way of extending time devoted to col-
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GORMAN
lection development and acquisitions training. Major attention, however, focused on continuing education in collection development and acquisitions, with a number of specific recommendations emerging in relation’to this issue. Perhaps not unexpectedly, representatives of some library schools took umbrage at the implication that their courses were not meeting genuine professional needs in collection development and acquisitions, and there was no genuine success in grasping the nettle of priority topics in library school courses. It was, however, most instructive to hear the more articulate practitioners confirm that their professional training had inadequately prepared them to work in collection development and acquisitions. COLLECTION
DEVELOPMENT
EDUCATION,
1991
These guidelines have been adopted by some library schools but not all by any means. In our own institution, the School of Information Studies at Charles Sturt University - Riverina, a serious effort has been made to implement aspects of the 1985 “Guidelines” and also to move beyond the “standing still” mentality that emerged during the 1989 workshop. Accordingly, over the past five years this school has revised existing collection development subjects and introduced additional coursework at research level. Collection development is now taught at three levels: Bachelor of Arts (Library and Information Science), Graduate Diploma of Arts (Library and Information Science), and Master of Applied Science (Information Studies). The Graduate Diploma, for those unfamiliar with British and Australian nomenclature, is equivalent to a North American Master of Library Science. The Graduate Diploma and Master of Applied Science (a research and coursework degree) are offered to students in Australia and, with suitable local enhancements, to students in Hong Kong and elsewhere. Most success to date has been achieved in Hong Kong, where both postgraduate courses are offered in association with the University of Hong Kong through its School of Professional and Continuing Education. The Master of Applied Science has also begun to attract students in Singapore, and there is some possibility that the postgraduate courses may become available to students in Malaysia and Indonesia, with appropriate local sponsorship. All collection development and acquisitions teaching in the first professional qualification courses (BA, GradDip) derives from a perception of the professional librarian as having a developmental focus in his work (as distinct from the operational focus of clerical and technical staff). That is, the professional develops competencies having to do with analysis, evaluation, and synthesis. Unfortunately, many professional courses in Australia do not seem particularly well attuned to their expected competencies - they rarely analyze, occasionally evaluate, and almost never synthesize when it comes to such specific activities as collection development procedures, selection criteria, acquisitions systems, etc. At Charles Sturt University, on the other hand, our collection development and acquisitions subjects seek to achieve these competencies by focusing on at least seven specific functions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
analyze community information needs; define nature and scope of collections; design and provide policies and services for collections and users; devise acquisitions systems; select appropriate materials; compile and monitor budgets; evaluate and modify systems and procedures.
In this regard our collection development and acquisitions teaching follows a very traditional pattern. However, our understanding of practical information work is that the dichotomy
Collection Development Education in Australia
337
between developmental and operational aspects is a false one in the real world. In many employment situations the professionally trained librarian, not a paraprofessional, performs the practical acquisitions functions and operates the acquisitions system from start to finish. Library schools may prefer to foster the perception of a librarian as designer and manager of systems, but in practice he is also often the operator as well. Therefore, we have sought to incorporate into our teaching the competencies of comprehension, application and communication that elsewhere are relegated to paraprofessional training [6]. In both the BA and GradDipArts collection development is studied in a one-semester, required subject entitled “Collection Development and Acquisitions.” This subject is based on the assumption that there are three types of resources upon which the library profession relies to achieve its goals: 1. a set of intellectual skills that enable the librarian to understand the environment in which the profession operates; 2. collections of graphic records, selected, organized and maintained in such a manner as to facilitate access to them; 3. a set of intellectual and professional skills that enables the librarian to select, organize and disseminate the information contained in those collections. It is the aim of this subject to concentrate on the development of each of these areas specifically as they relate to the processes of building and maintaining the collections of graphic records, and it is intended that students will complete the subject with an understanding of how and why collections of library resources should be built up and maintained in order to permit librarians to achieve the aims and objectives of their institutions and profession. To achieve this aim the subject sets five objectives to be achieved through seventeen topics in five modules (see Appendix B). Aspects of the field are also touched upon elsewhere, notably in an elective subject entitled “Library Automation and Computer Applications,” which includes treatment of such topics as electronic publishing, collection evaluation, and selection. The Master of Applied Science (Information Studies) involves advanced coursework and a substantial research thesis/dissertation of approximately 40,000 words. Among the advanced coursework subjects is one within the broad field of collection management that relates specifically to collection development; this is a full semester subject entitled “Collection Assessment and Evaluation.” It builds directly on the BA/Graduate Diploma subject, “Collection Development and Acquisitions,” and takes as its basic assumption that the evaluation of information services in Australia as becoming an increasingly significant component of professional practice. Accordingly, it focuses on one major component of such services, the collections. The subject document states that “collections must be evaluated in ways that are analytical and diagnostic, and the emphasis here is on the objective criteria and procedures needed to achieve this type of evaluation. Both the theoretical basis of collection evaluation and practical steps in assessment are considered, with attention to both library-oriented and useroriented studies.” In pursuit of these goals the subject sets six objectives to be achieved through eleven topics (see Appendix C).
THE NEXT STEP, 1992 AND BEYOND If one compares the topics treated in these collection development subjects with the lengthy list in the “Guidelines,” it will be apparent that several aspects in the latter are dealt with only briefly, or in fact not treated at all. There are several reasons for this, among them the peren-
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nial one of time constraints. To make best use of limited time, the subjects have sought to cover what we regard as major components of the field, leaving many aspects for later postqualification training. However, has Charles Sturt University-or any other university for that matter-chosen the major components wisely? Informal feedback from employers suggests that our graduates possess appropriate knowledge and skills in collection development and acquisitions, but there are no hard data to confirm this impressionistic assessment. This ad hoc, nonquantitative assessment is inadequate for long-term planning and substantive course revision. Accordingly, a series of needs-based studies of professional practice in collection development and allied areas is being conducted. The first study focused on serials, an aspect not treated specifically in the existing courses but highlighted as important in the “Guidelines.” Serials librarians working in a variety of settings were asked to assess their library school training in collection development and acquisitions activities related to serials, and also to indicate future training needs in these fields. The report has been published, and the recommendations, some of which relate to collection development, are reproduced here as Appendix D [7]. The next step will be studies of the training needs of acquisitions and collection development librarians, again covering both past training and future needs. In these investigations the “Guidelines,” the perceived needs of practitioners and the educational philosophy of library schools will be placed in creative tension as a means of providing increasingly relevant training for information professionals involved in collection development and acquisitions. NOTES 1. This definition is based on Bryant, Bonita (ed.), Gurde for Written Collectron Development Pohcy Statements. Collection Management and Development Guides, 3. Chicago, Ill.: American Library Association, 1989. 2. German, G.E. and Eichinski, G., “Seminar on the Place of Orders Work in the Curricula of Courses of Professional Librarians,” Library Acquisitions: Practice and Theory 8, 4 (1984), 293-298. 3. Gorman, G.E., “Guidelines for Collection Development Courses in Australian Library Schools,” Education for Librartanship: Australia 3, 1 (1986), 38-45; Gorman, G.E., “Standing Still or Moving Forward? Demands and Directions in Australian Acquisitions Education,* Lrbrary Acquisttions: Practice and Theory 14, 4 (1990), 389-399. 4. Gorman, “Guidelines,” op. cit., p. 40. 5. Kent, Philip G., “Demands and Directions in Australian Acqmsitions Education: Report of an Australian Workshop, July 1989,” Library Acquisittons: Practice and Theory 14, 4 (1990), 403. 6. For additional discussion of this and related matters see Cotsell, R.J.L., “Education for Acquisitions in Australian Library Schools,” Library Acqutsitions: Practice and Theory 9, 4 (1985), 342. 7. This survey was sponsored by the Australian Serials Special Interest Group of ALIA and the Centre for Information Studies at Charles Sturt University-Riverina. The report was published in 1992: G.E. Gorman and B.A. Cornish with the assistance of Heather M. Brown, ‘I Never Asked for This Job? A Study of Serials Ltbrarians and Serials Education m Austraha. CIS Research Reports, 1. Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, 1992.
APPENDIX A GUIDELINES FOR PROFESSIONAL COURSES IN COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT A. Collection development is the policy-making level consisting of: 1. philosophy of collection development a. purpose of collection development b. approaches to collection development c. methods of collection development (including building “from scratch”)
Collection Development Education in Australia
d.
339
collection development in various types of libraries (academic, special, school, public) e. collection building to collection weeding f. resource sharing and cooperative arrangements 2. collection development policy a. how to manage without one b. how to prepare one c. how to interpret one d. collection assessment: collection-centred evaluation techniques e. collection assessment: client-centred evaluation techniques f. standards for future growth g. changes in user populations, etc. 3. manigement of collection development a. staffing (professional and paraprofessional) b. budget planning and procedures c. budget monitoring B. Selection makes decisions on the basis of policies established at the collection development level and consists of: 1. purpose of material selection 2. how to devise and use selection policies 3. selection procedures in various types of libraries a. library relations with selectors/users where library is not sole selector (who is responsible?) b. professional and paraprofessional responsibilities C. see also C.2.h. 4. range of selection tools in various disciplines a. existing tools relevant to Australia b. how to evaluate selection tools c. how to use selection tools 5. special considerations a. relation of selection to other library procedures b. role of special formats (serials, media) c. selection of special formats (serials, media) d. financial considerations, including budget and price factors 6. deselection principles and practices a. principles of weeding b. practical approaches to weeding C. Acquisitions puts into practice decisions made at the selection level and includes: 1. acquisitions procedures in different types of libraries a. professional and paraprofessional responsibilities b. acquisitions/cataloguing/circulation interface C. manual systems d. automated systems and systems standards e. technological developments, present and future (including electroni‘c ordering) f. pre-order searching g. verification 2. book trade a. sources of information and their reliability b. publishers and other producers
340
G. E.
GORMAN
c. trends in publishing and book production d. organization of the Australian book trade e. suppliers (dealers, agents, bookshops) f. terms and conditions, how to interpret g. closed market, rights, etc. h. blanket orders and on approval plans, standing orders, “sight” buying i. problems in acquiring overseas materials j. second-hand and out-of-print materials k. nonbook materials 1. book trade for special types of materials (foreign language, etc.) m. book trade for special types of users (multicultural, disabled, etc.) 3. acquisitions management a. basic accounting principles b. monitoring supplier performance C. monitoring costs d. tenders and their management e. audit requirements f. gifts and exchange procedures g. desiderata lists 4. serials management a. method of supply b . subscription agencies C. cost changes, including currency exchange rates d. budget management for subscription maintenance e. financial records, budget monitoring 5. serials procedures a. serials records, claims, duplicates lists b . updating services c. government publications d. gratis publications e. newspapers f. standing orders, irregular series
Content of Paraprofessional Courses in Acquisitions A. Collection development This is considered to be predominantly a professional area, but paraprofessional students should be given an understanding of what collection development is about, why a policy is needed, and what role the paraprofessional could play. B. Selection This is considered to be predominantly a professional area, but paraprofessional students should be given an understanding of the necessity for selection and the ways in which it can be done. Many of the tools relevant to selection are used by paraprofessionals in Section C. C. Acquisitions As this area is basically the practical implementation of decisions made by professional librarians, it provides the bulk of the content in paraprofessional courses.
Collection Development Education in Australia
341
1. Acquisitions procedures in different types of libraries All of the points listed in the professional document should be included but not with equal emphasis. Stress should be placed on preorder searching and verification both in manual and automated systems, and emphasis should be given to “hands on” experience of all fdes and records. 2. Sources of supply (monographs, serials and nonbook) a. in-depth study of the Australian national and trade bibliographies and other sources of information (printed and otherwise) b. examination of information sources from other countries, especially U.K. and U.S.A. c. suppliers d. out-of-print sources e. closed market, rights, etc. 3. Routines and procedures a. types of orders and other records for all types of material (including claiming) b. maintenance of gift and exchange records and procedures c. receipt procedures d. statistics From “Guidelines for Collection Development Courses in Australian Library Schools,” Education for Librarianship: Australia 3, 1 (1986): 40-44.
COLLECTION
APPENDIX B DEVELOPMENT AND ACQUISITIONS: OBJECTIVES AND TOPICS
Student Objectives 1. understand and appreciate the need for collection development policies and statements, understand how they are formulated and be able to criticize existing statements and devise model statements 2. classify and evaluate currently available selection aids and tools, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the various kinds and suggest areas for possible improvement 3. understand the basis of the various selection methods and techniques, evaluate and analyze them and suggest areas for improvement 4. show awareness of the theories that underlie collection control and weeding, and evaluate current methods and practices 5. understand the various aspects of acquisition of materials, including organizational, financial and technological factors
Topics Covered Module 1 Collection Development Policies 1. importance of policy statements 2. contents of policy statements 3. process of formulating policy statements
G. E.
342
GORMAN
Module 2 Collection Evaluation 1. what collection evaluation is 2. how collections are evaluated 3. Australian Conspectus Module 3 Selection and Weeding of Resources 1. how selection is done 2. types of selection resources 3. review of specific selection resources 4. how collections are weeded Module 4 Acquisitions Organization, 1. organization of acquisitions 2. acquisitions budgeting 3. acquisitions automation
Budgeting and Automation
Module 5 Acquiring Library Materials 1. publishing, book trade and library supply 2. acquisitions procedures 3. suppliers of library materials 4. purchasing special types of materials
COLLECTION
ASSESSMENT
APPENDIX C AND EVALUATION:
OBJECTIVES
AND TOPICS
Student Objectives 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
understand the various contexts in which collections are evaluated know how to apply the results of collection evaluations more effectively be able to select appropriate theoretical models of collection evaluation be able to construct an appropriate collection assessment procedure be able to select and apply appropriate collection evaluation techniques be conversant with the current research literature in this field
Topics Covered 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
the contexts of collections theoretical models of collection development collection evaluation paradigms reasons for collection evaluation steps in collection evaluation methods of collection evaluation collection assessment manuals user-oriented measures a. document delivery tests b. shelf availability tests c. circulation studies d. in-house use studies e. non-quantifiable measures
Collection Development Education in Australia
343
9. collection-oriented measures a. verification studies b. citation analysis c. quantitative measures 10. Australian Conspectus 11. use of completed evaluations
APPENDIX D RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE RECENT SURVEY ON SERIALS LIBRARIANSHIP Recommendations Concerning Education for Serials Librarianship It is possible to make a number of recommendations concerning the functions, status, roles, employer perceptions, and education of serials librarians. However, in this set of recommendations emphasis is on the last of these- that is, educational matters. Recommendations on other aspects are left to those more directly involved in the day-to-day aspects of serials work. To begin with, the library schools, both universities and technical and further education (TAFE), should undertake a joint review of their serials teaching, building on the positive elements that have emerged in this survey and seeking to improve the level and quality of instruction in serials librarianship. This would mean placing serials work on the agenda for course revision, building on the obvious teamwork necessary in serials teaching, and paying particular attention to the gaps between actual and preferred time devoted to teaching in this area. While the schools can take pride in the fact that practitioners have indicated a positive correlation between what they have learned in library school and its adequacy and value, they must also look to matters of “excellence” and “significance” on which practitioners have been less than complimentary. It would be wasteful and counterproductive to suggest that all library schools offer specific subjects in serials librarianship, and in this regard there may already be too many discrete serials subjects at TAFE level. Rather it is important to seek some consistency across courses in terms of what is taught, at what level, and in how much detail (including assessment). Specifically, any library school that purports to teach serials librarianship should cover all aspects identified in this research and should do so in proportions that reflect practitioner priorities. It is equally important to set this teaching at an appropriate level and in appropriate subjects so that students have a better grasp of the significant aspects of serials work. Furthermore, teaching should include practical components to reinforce the theoretical components; this could be provided through visits to appropriate agencies, work experience, and placements. Particularly valuable would be dialogue between university and TAFE library schools to ensure that appropriate distinctions are maintained, if necessary, between professional and paraprofessional training. Are these distinctions maintained in practice and in terms of the actual serials work done by graduates of the two sectors? Here particular attention should be paid to perceptions by TAFE- and university-trained practitioners regarding adequacy and value of their training. Related to this may be a need for the two types of schools together to consider whether discrete courses in serials librarianship should be mounted at professional level as a complement to those already existing at TAFE level. Furthermore, it might be appropriate to consider the need for rationalization of the existing TAFE serials subjects. Are there perhaps too many such subjects currently on offer? Should there be an equal number of university-level serials subjects, or would the library schools plead pressure on existing curricula as a means of not introducing such subjects? Based
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G. E. GORMAN
on accurate knowledge of market demand, it is worth considering the viability of discrete serials subjects offered by library schools at both levels, with the possibility of such subjects occurring as electives at less than annual intervals, in different modes and at different levels. These suggestions are somewhat idealistic in view of the overall university library school view that serials librarianship does not warrant discrete treatment and that it is not on the agenda for course revision. Therefore, one must look to the extramural sector and to the demand for continuing education expressed by practitioners. Included in this must be recognition of the substantial TAFE experience in teaching serials librarianship as a discrete subject. One would begin with the clear statement of continuing education needs derived from this research, concentrating on those aspects ranked highest and developing a syllabus that reflects these priorities. This syllabus should be devised as a cooperative university-TAFE venture in order to cater to the needs of all practitioners and in recognition that provenance of training has little relevance in the workplace. Given the substantial effort involved in creating a continuing education syllabus in serials librarianship and the likelihood that interested practitioners will be spread across the country, the programme should not be tied to a specific location but should be offered ideally as a distance learning package that includes a substantial “handson” component provided by facilitators in various population centres. This would allow the programme to maximize market potential, thereby not only recovering costs but also servicing the greatest possible number of participants. Having considered the possibilities of this proposal, the present research team now intends to mount a cooperative continuing education programme in serials librarianship based specifically on perceived needs combined with the adequacies and values expressed by survey participants in order to ensure the most effective coverage of all identified aspects of serials librarianship. The programme will be developed as a series of modules, each covering a single aspect of the field, which together will form an extramural certificate in serials librarianship presented by one of the participating library schools. The modules will be developed over the next two years, with each offered as available and the entire programme mounted in full as a modular certificate course when all modules have been prepared. It is proposed that the programme be offered in the distance learning mode, using a combination of print materials, video/audio presentations, and computer-assisted instruction (CAI) where appropriate. In addition there could be opportunity for “hands-on” workshops at various venues during the programme. All teaching materials will be developed by a team of experienced university and TAFE teaching staff, with practitioners providing substantial input in most modules. It is proposed that a flexible, “open learning” approach be employed in contrast to the traditional “lock-step” distance education mode. A combination of selfassessment and tutor assessment will be offered, although those who undertake the course for noncertificate purposes may choose not to be assessed. It must be emphasized that this decision by the research team should not be seen as an attempt to preempt other developments but only as one way of meeting the continuing education needs of serials practitioners. We hope that other approaches will emerge alongside this one both within the library schools and in the wider profession. Indeed, a series of complementary developments in training for serials librarianship can only contribute to the efficiency and professional well-being of serials practitioners. From G.E. Gorman and B.A. Cornish with the assistance of Heather M. Brown, ‘I Never Asked for This Job’: A Study of Seriais Librarians and Serials Education in Australia. CIS Research Reports, 1. Wagga Wagga: Centre for Information Studies, 1992, pp. 51-53.
03644408193 $6.00 + .OO Copyright 0 1993 Pergamon Press Ltd.
PAPERS FROM CHINA
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION An Australian Perspective G. E. GORMAN School Charles
of Information Sturt UniversityLocked
Wagga
Wagga
Studies Riverma
Bag 675
New South
Wales 2678
Australia
Abstract - This paper describes efforts by the library profession in Australia to improve the teaching of collection development, especially attempts to achieve greater articulation between professional practice and professional education at university level. It surveys a number of important seminars and workshops, reviews a set of educational guidelines, and offers as a case study the curricular response of a specific library school (School of Information Studies, Charles Sturt University - Riverina) to professional concerns regarding collection development education.
INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to describe one country’s experience in curriculum development related to the aspect of professional practice generally known as collection development, which is defined as the process of planning, building, and maintaining a collection of information resources in an efficient and user-responsive fashion. Within this definition collection development encompasses the identification, selection, and procurement of materials; the allocation of financial resources among various subjects and formats; collection management, analysis, and evaluation; resource sharing programs; development and coordination of appropriate policies and procedures [l]. The description is limited to professional education as offered by university schools of library and information science as part of an undergraduate or postgraduate degree or diploma; accordingly, it does not investigate the potentially valuable areas of continuing professional education, in-service training, or professional body edu333
334
G. E. GORMAN
cational activities. The paper reviews the recent history of discussion on the topic in Australia, presents a set of generally accepted guidelines on collection development education and describes the curriculum of one particular library school, Charles Sturt University- Riverina, which has international experience as a provider of undergraduate and postgraduate training for the information profession.
SEMINAR ON ACQUISITIONS
EDUCATION,
1984
The recent history of developments in collection development education began with a focus on just one aspect, acquisitions. In 1984 two groups within what was then the Library Association of Australia (LAA) hosted a “Seminar on the Place of Orders Work in the Curricula of Courses of Professional Librarians” [2]. The purpose of this seminar was twofold: (1) to hear the views of professional librarians on practical acquisitions work and the efficacy of their academic training in this regard, and general comments on the qualities and information required by effective acquisitions librarians; (2) to gain some understanding of what library schools offer in terms of acquisitions education and how such course work is organized. During the seminar there emerged a very clear distinction between practitioners and educators responsible for professional training. The former indicated quite clearly that acquisitions work is a major responsibility of librarians, not least because libraries together spend tens of millions of dollars on materials annually, a major investment in any language. Given this responsibility, the acquisitions librarian requires a range of carefully honed practical skills: he must have entrepreneurial ability, business acumen, budget management skills, accounting skills, ability to implement and manage orders systems, knowledge of dealers and negotiation skills, and understanding of the publishing market and how it operates. All of these skills practitioners see as revolving around three foci: what to buy, how to buy it efficiently, where to buy it. While the professional library school fraternity did not actually disagree with any of this, the general feeling was that acquisitions, because it lacks the theoretical underpinning of most areas of library science, really belongs primarily in programs for technicians or paraprofessionals. Since acquisitions is perceived as being largely a matter of hands-on activity rather than reflective engagement with principles, there is little for the professional schools to teach. Time and again educators at the seminar indicated that practitioners must realize that library schools distinguish between the “body of knowledge” appropriate to professional education on one hand and “how-to-do-it” skills appropriate to paraprofessional training on the other. Accordingly, it came as little surprise that no professional library school at the time offered a specific, discrete course in acquisitions; at best the schools squeezed acquisitions into a broader course on collection development or collection management. (The exception to this was, and still is, the training provided for technicians, which includes acquisitions subjects covering most or all of the practical components of acquisitions work.) Within the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA, as the former LAA became in 1989) the standards for course assessment and recognition tend to reinforce this dichotomy. Specifically, the course recognition criteria of the Board of Education emphasize principles rather than practice in professional courses. The criteria also pay at least lip service to analysis, evaluation, and synthesis with regard to library systems, operations, and procedures-yet few library schools actually do much in any of these areas in relation to acquisitions. At the same time the Board expects technician courses to concentrate on procedures, on practical skills in operating and supervising routines in acquisitions.
Collection Development Education in Australia
COLLECTION
DEVELOPMENT
335
COURSE GUIDELINES,
1985
As a direct result of the 1984 seminar two groups within the LAA cooperated in the preparation of a set of “Guidelines for Collection Development Courses in Australian Library Schools,” the purpose of which was to collect, summarize, and standardize the views on course content. In addition, it was hoped that the Board of Education and the library schools might use the “Guidelines” to enhance their criteria for assessing and revising collection development and acquisitions syllabi. Although the “Guidelines” have been published elsewhere, they are reproduced here as Appendix A [3]. As the “Guidelines” clearly indicate, acquisitions has been subsumed within the broader area of collection development, thereby moving the discussion substantially beyond the limited field investigated in the 1984 seminar. As noted in the definition above, this broader area consists of three elements: collection development (policies and procedures), selection, and acquisitions. Other areas in the overall library economy may impinge upon collection building and management, but they do not bear the same intimate relationship to the subject as these three interrelated topics. Within the “Guidelines” it is assumed that each area treats all forms of library materials, with each form receiving separate treatment as required. It is also assumed that each area applies to libraries of all types (academic, public, special, school) and that attention is given to user categories of all types. Ideally, one would like to report that all topics in the “Guidelines” are taught in every library school, but for several reasons this is not so. First, any course is severely constrained by time limits, and it is difficult to imagine anyone being able to compress all of the suggested topics in a unit on collection development. Second, some will disagree with assumptions about the legitimate content of such a course, although one must emphasize that every topic is considered important by practitioners. Third, for pedagogical reasons some library schools feel that collection development/acquisitions training should be spread across a range of discrete curricular units. Given these variables, the “Guidelines” do not categorically state which topics are essential and which are finishing touches in a well-rounded curriculum.
ACQUISITIONS
EDUCATION
WORKSHOP,
1989
Some four years after formulation of the “Guidelines” the same ALIA groups that had hosted the 1984 seminar agreed that it was time to reassess the issue of collection development education and to determine future directions in this field. As a result, a workshop entitled “Demands and Directions in Australian Acquisitions Education” was convened in July 1989 (an unfortunate title in view of the fact that it addressed the entire area of collection development rather than the more limited topic of acquisitions). In preparation for the workshop collection development and acquisitions course outlines were solicited from a number of Australian library schools. Having reviewed these, the present writer could only repeat the conclusion reached when drawing up the “Guidelines”: “Without exception . . . we believe that acquisitions training in all library schools leaves much to be desired and that far more consideration must be given to this aspect of professional education” [4]. This conclusion subsequently was confirmed by the workshop rapporteur, who stated that “little progress appears to have been made with the problem of improving the acquisitions component in undergraduate professional courses. This continues to be a cause for concern by practitioners” [5]. During the workshop efforts were made to clarify professional/paraprofessional roles and training needs in collection development and acquisitions, to prioritize topics to be addressed in training, to consider various modes of delivery as a way of extending time devoted to col-
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lection development and acquisitions training. Major attention, however, focused on continuing education in collection development and acquisitions, with a number of specific recommendations emerging in relation’to this issue. Perhaps not unexpectedly, representatives of some library schools took umbrage at the implication that their courses were not meeting genuine professional needs in collection development and acquisitions, and there was no genuine success in grasping the nettle of priority topics in library school courses. It was, however, most instructive to hear the more articulate practitioners confirm that their professional training had inadequately prepared them to work in collection development and acquisitions. COLLECTION
DEVELOPMENT
EDUCATION,
1991
These guidelines have been adopted by some library schools but not all by any means. In our own institution, the School of Information Studies at Charles Sturt University - Riverina, a serious effort has been made to implement aspects of the 1985 “Guidelines” and also to move beyond the “standing still” mentality that emerged during the 1989 workshop. Accordingly, over the past five years this school has revised existing collection development subjects and introduced additional coursework at research level. Collection development is now taught at three levels: Bachelor of Arts (Library and Information Science), Graduate Diploma of Arts (Library and Information Science), and Master of Applied Science (Information Studies). The Graduate Diploma, for those unfamiliar with British and Australian nomenclature, is equivalent to a North American Master of Library Science. The Graduate Diploma and Master of Applied Science (a research and coursework degree) are offered to students in Australia and, with suitable local enhancements, to students in Hong Kong and elsewhere. Most success to date has been achieved in Hong Kong, where both postgraduate courses are offered in association with the University of Hong Kong through its School of Professional and Continuing Education. The Master of Applied Science has also begun to attract students in Singapore, and there is some possibility that the postgraduate courses may become available to students in Malaysia and Indonesia, with appropriate local sponsorship. All collection development and acquisitions teaching in the first professional qualification courses (BA, GradDip) derives from a perception of the professional librarian as having a developmental focus in his work (as distinct from the operational focus of clerical and technical staff). That is, the professional develops competencies having to do with analysis, evaluation, and synthesis. Unfortunately, many professional courses in Australia do not seem particularly well attuned to their expected competencies - they rarely analyze, occasionally evaluate, and almost never synthesize when it comes to such specific activities as collection development procedures, selection criteria, acquisitions systems, etc. At Charles Sturt University, on the other hand, our collection development and acquisitions subjects seek to achieve these competencies by focusing on at least seven specific functions: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
analyze community information needs; define nature and scope of collections; design and provide policies and services for collections and users; devise acquisitions systems; select appropriate materials; compile and monitor budgets; evaluate and modify systems and procedures.
In this regard our collection development and acquisitions teaching follows a very traditional pattern. However, our understanding of practical information work is that the dichotomy
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between developmental and operational aspects is a false one in the real world. In many employment situations the professionally trained librarian, not a paraprofessional, performs the practical acquisitions functions and operates the acquisitions system from start to finish. Library schools may prefer to foster the perception of a librarian as designer and manager of systems, but in practice he is also often the operator as well. Therefore, we have sought to incorporate into our teaching the competencies of comprehension, application and communication that elsewhere are relegated to paraprofessional training [6]. In both the BA and GradDipArts collection development is studied in a one-semester, required subject entitled “Collection Development and Acquisitions.” This subject is based on the assumption that there are three types of resources upon which the library profession relies to achieve its goals: 1. a set of intellectual skills that enable the librarian to understand the environment in which the profession operates; 2. collections of graphic records, selected, organized and maintained in such a manner as to facilitate access to them; 3. a set of intellectual and professional skills that enables the librarian to select, organize and disseminate the information contained in those collections. It is the aim of this subject to concentrate on the development of each of these areas specifically as they relate to the processes of building and maintaining the collections of graphic records, and it is intended that students will complete the subject with an understanding of how and why collections of library resources should be built up and maintained in order to permit librarians to achieve the aims and objectives of their institutions and profession. To achieve this aim the subject sets five objectives to be achieved through seventeen topics in five modules (see Appendix B). Aspects of the field are also touched upon elsewhere, notably in an elective subject entitled “Library Automation and Computer Applications,” which includes treatment of such topics as electronic publishing, collection evaluation, and selection. The Master of Applied Science (Information Studies) involves advanced coursework and a substantial research thesis/dissertation of approximately 40,000 words. Among the advanced coursework subjects is one within the broad field of collection management that relates specifically to collection development; this is a full semester subject entitled “Collection Assessment and Evaluation.” It builds directly on the BA/Graduate Diploma subject, “Collection Development and Acquisitions,” and takes as its basic assumption that the evaluation of information services in Australia as becoming an increasingly significant component of professional practice. Accordingly, it focuses on one major component of such services, the collections. The subject document states that “collections must be evaluated in ways that are analytical and diagnostic, and the emphasis here is on the objective criteria and procedures needed to achieve this type of evaluation. Both the theoretical basis of collection evaluation and practical steps in assessment are considered, with attention to both library-oriented and useroriented studies.” In pursuit of these goals the subject sets six objectives to be achieved through eleven topics (see Appendix C).
THE NEXT STEP, 1992 AND BEYOND If one compares the topics treated in these collection development subjects with the lengthy list in the “Guidelines,” it will be apparent that several aspects in the latter are dealt with only briefly, or in fact not treated at all. There are several reasons for this, among them the peren-
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nial one of time constraints. To make best use of limited time, the subjects have sought to cover what we regard as major components of the field, leaving many aspects for later postqualification training. However, has Charles Sturt University-or any other university for that matter-chosen the major components wisely? Informal feedback from employers suggests that our graduates possess appropriate knowledge and skills in collection development and acquisitions, but there are no hard data to confirm this impressionistic assessment. This ad hoc, nonquantitative assessment is inadequate for long-term planning and substantive course revision. Accordingly, a series of needs-based studies of professional practice in collection development and allied areas is being conducted. The first study focused on serials, an aspect not treated specifically in the existing courses but highlighted as important in the “Guidelines.” Serials librarians working in a variety of settings were asked to assess their library school training in collection development and acquisitions activities related to serials, and also to indicate future training needs in these fields. The report has been published, and the recommendations, some of which relate to collection development, are reproduced here as Appendix D [7]. The next step will be studies of the training needs of acquisitions and collection development librarians, again covering both past training and future needs. In these investigations the “Guidelines,” the perceived needs of practitioners and the educational philosophy of library schools will be placed in creative tension as a means of providing increasingly relevant training for information professionals involved in collection development and acquisitions. NOTES 1. This definition is based on Bryant, Bonita (ed.), Gurde for Written Collectron Development Pohcy Statements. Collection Management and Development Guides, 3. Chicago, Ill.: American Library Association, 1989. 2. German, G.E. and Eichinski, G., “Seminar on the Place of Orders Work in the Curricula of Courses of Professional Librarians,” Library Acquisitions: Practice and Theory 8, 4 (1984), 293-298. 3. Gorman, G.E., “Guidelines for Collection Development Courses in Australian Library Schools,” Education for Librartanship: Australia 3, 1 (1986), 38-45; Gorman, G.E., “Standing Still or Moving Forward? Demands and Directions in Australian Acquisitions Education,* Lrbrary Acquisttions: Practice and Theory 14, 4 (1990), 389-399. 4. Gorman, “Guidelines,” op. cit., p. 40. 5. Kent, Philip G., “Demands and Directions in Australian Acqmsitions Education: Report of an Australian Workshop, July 1989,” Library Acquisittons: Practice and Theory 14, 4 (1990), 403. 6. For additional discussion of this and related matters see Cotsell, R.J.L., “Education for Acquisitions in Australian Library Schools,” Library Acqutsitions: Practice and Theory 9, 4 (1985), 342. 7. This survey was sponsored by the Australian Serials Special Interest Group of ALIA and the Centre for Information Studies at Charles Sturt University-Riverina. The report was published in 1992: G.E. Gorman and B.A. Cornish with the assistance of Heather M. Brown, ‘I Never Asked for This Job? A Study of Serials Ltbrarians and Serials Education m Austraha. CIS Research Reports, 1. Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, 1992.
APPENDIX A GUIDELINES FOR PROFESSIONAL COURSES IN COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT A. Collection development is the policy-making level consisting of: 1. philosophy of collection development a. purpose of collection development b. approaches to collection development c. methods of collection development (including building “from scratch”)
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d.
339
collection development in various types of libraries (academic, special, school, public) e. collection building to collection weeding f. resource sharing and cooperative arrangements 2. collection development policy a. how to manage without one b. how to prepare one c. how to interpret one d. collection assessment: collection-centred evaluation techniques e. collection assessment: client-centred evaluation techniques f. standards for future growth g. changes in user populations, etc. 3. manigement of collection development a. staffing (professional and paraprofessional) b. budget planning and procedures c. budget monitoring B. Selection makes decisions on the basis of policies established at the collection development level and consists of: 1. purpose of material selection 2. how to devise and use selection policies 3. selection procedures in various types of libraries a. library relations with selectors/users where library is not sole selector (who is responsible?) b. professional and paraprofessional responsibilities C. see also C.2.h. 4. range of selection tools in various disciplines a. existing tools relevant to Australia b. how to evaluate selection tools c. how to use selection tools 5. special considerations a. relation of selection to other library procedures b. role of special formats (serials, media) c. selection of special formats (serials, media) d. financial considerations, including budget and price factors 6. deselection principles and practices a. principles of weeding b. practical approaches to weeding C. Acquisitions puts into practice decisions made at the selection level and includes: 1. acquisitions procedures in different types of libraries a. professional and paraprofessional responsibilities b. acquisitions/cataloguing/circulation interface C. manual systems d. automated systems and systems standards e. technological developments, present and future (including electroni‘c ordering) f. pre-order searching g. verification 2. book trade a. sources of information and their reliability b. publishers and other producers
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c. trends in publishing and book production d. organization of the Australian book trade e. suppliers (dealers, agents, bookshops) f. terms and conditions, how to interpret g. closed market, rights, etc. h. blanket orders and on approval plans, standing orders, “sight” buying i. problems in acquiring overseas materials j. second-hand and out-of-print materials k. nonbook materials 1. book trade for special types of materials (foreign language, etc.) m. book trade for special types of users (multicultural, disabled, etc.) 3. acquisitions management a. basic accounting principles b. monitoring supplier performance C. monitoring costs d. tenders and their management e. audit requirements f. gifts and exchange procedures g. desiderata lists 4. serials management a. method of supply b . subscription agencies C. cost changes, including currency exchange rates d. budget management for subscription maintenance e. financial records, budget monitoring 5. serials procedures a. serials records, claims, duplicates lists b . updating services c. government publications d. gratis publications e. newspapers f. standing orders, irregular series
Content of Paraprofessional Courses in Acquisitions A. Collection development This is considered to be predominantly a professional area, but paraprofessional students should be given an understanding of what collection development is about, why a policy is needed, and what role the paraprofessional could play. B. Selection This is considered to be predominantly a professional area, but paraprofessional students should be given an understanding of the necessity for selection and the ways in which it can be done. Many of the tools relevant to selection are used by paraprofessionals in Section C. C. Acquisitions As this area is basically the practical implementation of decisions made by professional librarians, it provides the bulk of the content in paraprofessional courses.
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1. Acquisitions procedures in different types of libraries All of the points listed in the professional document should be included but not with equal emphasis. Stress should be placed on preorder searching and verification both in manual and automated systems, and emphasis should be given to “hands on” experience of all fdes and records. 2. Sources of supply (monographs, serials and nonbook) a. in-depth study of the Australian national and trade bibliographies and other sources of information (printed and otherwise) b. examination of information sources from other countries, especially U.K. and U.S.A. c. suppliers d. out-of-print sources e. closed market, rights, etc. 3. Routines and procedures a. types of orders and other records for all types of material (including claiming) b. maintenance of gift and exchange records and procedures c. receipt procedures d. statistics From “Guidelines for Collection Development Courses in Australian Library Schools,” Education for Librarianship: Australia 3, 1 (1986): 40-44.
COLLECTION
APPENDIX B DEVELOPMENT AND ACQUISITIONS: OBJECTIVES AND TOPICS
Student Objectives 1. understand and appreciate the need for collection development policies and statements, understand how they are formulated and be able to criticize existing statements and devise model statements 2. classify and evaluate currently available selection aids and tools, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the various kinds and suggest areas for possible improvement 3. understand the basis of the various selection methods and techniques, evaluate and analyze them and suggest areas for improvement 4. show awareness of the theories that underlie collection control and weeding, and evaluate current methods and practices 5. understand the various aspects of acquisition of materials, including organizational, financial and technological factors
Topics Covered Module 1 Collection Development Policies 1. importance of policy statements 2. contents of policy statements 3. process of formulating policy statements
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Module 2 Collection Evaluation 1. what collection evaluation is 2. how collections are evaluated 3. Australian Conspectus Module 3 Selection and Weeding of Resources 1. how selection is done 2. types of selection resources 3. review of specific selection resources 4. how collections are weeded Module 4 Acquisitions Organization, 1. organization of acquisitions 2. acquisitions budgeting 3. acquisitions automation
Budgeting and Automation
Module 5 Acquiring Library Materials 1. publishing, book trade and library supply 2. acquisitions procedures 3. suppliers of library materials 4. purchasing special types of materials
COLLECTION
ASSESSMENT
APPENDIX C AND EVALUATION:
OBJECTIVES
AND TOPICS
Student Objectives 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
understand the various contexts in which collections are evaluated know how to apply the results of collection evaluations more effectively be able to select appropriate theoretical models of collection evaluation be able to construct an appropriate collection assessment procedure be able to select and apply appropriate collection evaluation techniques be conversant with the current research literature in this field
Topics Covered 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
the contexts of collections theoretical models of collection development collection evaluation paradigms reasons for collection evaluation steps in collection evaluation methods of collection evaluation collection assessment manuals user-oriented measures a. document delivery tests b. shelf availability tests c. circulation studies d. in-house use studies e. non-quantifiable measures
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9. collection-oriented measures a. verification studies b. citation analysis c. quantitative measures 10. Australian Conspectus 11. use of completed evaluations
APPENDIX D RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE RECENT SURVEY ON SERIALS LIBRARIANSHIP Recommendations Concerning Education for Serials Librarianship It is possible to make a number of recommendations concerning the functions, status, roles, employer perceptions, and education of serials librarians. However, in this set of recommendations emphasis is on the last of these- that is, educational matters. Recommendations on other aspects are left to those more directly involved in the day-to-day aspects of serials work. To begin with, the library schools, both universities and technical and further education (TAFE), should undertake a joint review of their serials teaching, building on the positive elements that have emerged in this survey and seeking to improve the level and quality of instruction in serials librarianship. This would mean placing serials work on the agenda for course revision, building on the obvious teamwork necessary in serials teaching, and paying particular attention to the gaps between actual and preferred time devoted to teaching in this area. While the schools can take pride in the fact that practitioners have indicated a positive correlation between what they have learned in library school and its adequacy and value, they must also look to matters of “excellence” and “significance” on which practitioners have been less than complimentary. It would be wasteful and counterproductive to suggest that all library schools offer specific subjects in serials librarianship, and in this regard there may already be too many discrete serials subjects at TAFE level. Rather it is important to seek some consistency across courses in terms of what is taught, at what level, and in how much detail (including assessment). Specifically, any library school that purports to teach serials librarianship should cover all aspects identified in this research and should do so in proportions that reflect practitioner priorities. It is equally important to set this teaching at an appropriate level and in appropriate subjects so that students have a better grasp of the significant aspects of serials work. Furthermore, teaching should include practical components to reinforce the theoretical components; this could be provided through visits to appropriate agencies, work experience, and placements. Particularly valuable would be dialogue between university and TAFE library schools to ensure that appropriate distinctions are maintained, if necessary, between professional and paraprofessional training. Are these distinctions maintained in practice and in terms of the actual serials work done by graduates of the two sectors? Here particular attention should be paid to perceptions by TAFE- and university-trained practitioners regarding adequacy and value of their training. Related to this may be a need for the two types of schools together to consider whether discrete courses in serials librarianship should be mounted at professional level as a complement to those already existing at TAFE level. Furthermore, it might be appropriate to consider the need for rationalization of the existing TAFE serials subjects. Are there perhaps too many such subjects currently on offer? Should there be an equal number of university-level serials subjects, or would the library schools plead pressure on existing curricula as a means of not introducing such subjects? Based
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on accurate knowledge of market demand, it is worth considering the viability of discrete serials subjects offered by library schools at both levels, with the possibility of such subjects occurring as electives at less than annual intervals, in different modes and at different levels. These suggestions are somewhat idealistic in view of the overall university library school view that serials librarianship does not warrant discrete treatment and that it is not on the agenda for course revision. Therefore, one must look to the extramural sector and to the demand for continuing education expressed by practitioners. Included in this must be recognition of the substantial TAFE experience in teaching serials librarianship as a discrete subject. One would begin with the clear statement of continuing education needs derived from this research, concentrating on those aspects ranked highest and developing a syllabus that reflects these priorities. This syllabus should be devised as a cooperative university-TAFE venture in order to cater to the needs of all practitioners and in recognition that provenance of training has little relevance in the workplace. Given the substantial effort involved in creating a continuing education syllabus in serials librarianship and the likelihood that interested practitioners will be spread across the country, the programme should not be tied to a specific location but should be offered ideally as a distance learning package that includes a substantial “handson” component provided by facilitators in various population centres. This would allow the programme to maximize market potential, thereby not only recovering costs but also servicing the greatest possible number of participants. Having considered the possibilities of this proposal, the present research team now intends to mount a cooperative continuing education programme in serials librarianship based specifically on perceived needs combined with the adequacies and values expressed by survey participants in order to ensure the most effective coverage of all identified aspects of serials librarianship. The programme will be developed as a series of modules, each covering a single aspect of the field, which together will form an extramural certificate in serials librarianship presented by one of the participating library schools. The modules will be developed over the next two years, with each offered as available and the entire programme mounted in full as a modular certificate course when all modules have been prepared. It is proposed that the programme be offered in the distance learning mode, using a combination of print materials, video/audio presentations, and computer-assisted instruction (CAI) where appropriate. In addition there could be opportunity for “hands-on” workshops at various venues during the programme. All teaching materials will be developed by a team of experienced university and TAFE teaching staff, with practitioners providing substantial input in most modules. It is proposed that a flexible, “open learning” approach be employed in contrast to the traditional “lock-step” distance education mode. A combination of selfassessment and tutor assessment will be offered, although those who undertake the course for noncertificate purposes may choose not to be assessed. It must be emphasized that this decision by the research team should not be seen as an attempt to preempt other developments but only as one way of meeting the continuing education needs of serials practitioners. We hope that other approaches will emerge alongside this one both within the library schools and in the wider profession. Indeed, a series of complementary developments in training for serials librarianship can only contribute to the efficiency and professional well-being of serials practitioners. From G.E. Gorman and B.A. Cornish with the assistance of Heather M. Brown, ‘I Never Asked for This Job’: A Study of Seriais Librarians and Serials Education in Australia. CIS Research Reports, 1. Wagga Wagga: Centre for Information Studies, 1992, pp. 51-53.