Unlatching Knowledge: Preparing New Subject Librarians for Collection Development

Matt Torrence, James Cory Tucker

Research output: Contribution to conferencePresentation

Abstract

The transition from library graduate student to a professional academic library position is a challenging one, especially when facing the initial journey into collection development. Many librarians experience the stress of this move because in most instances recent graduates do not have the necessary skills, simply due to lack of applied experience and education. For many graduates, this lack of education is due to the fact that a majority of MLS programs offer few, if any, required collection development classes. These classes cannot possibly prepare the student for all of the tasks involved in collection development. There is not enough time to discuss all of the elements related to collection development activities in detail. Additionally, it is quite rare for graduate students to have garnered any practical collection development experience from working in a library.  This presentation will provide practical advice to new librarians based upon relevant experiences at the University of South Florida, Tampa (USF), and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Topics include acclimation to a new environment, collection development policies and procedures, liaison work and communication strategies, resource selection, and time management.
Original languageAmerican English
StatePublished - Nov 3 2021
EventCharleston Conference - Charleston, SC (hybrid virtrual)
Duration: Nov 3 2021 → …

Conference

ConferenceCharleston Conference
Period11/3/21 → …

Disciplines

  • Library and Information Science

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