Section 1
Use the basic concepts and principles related to the selection, evaluation, organization, and preservation of physical and digital information items.

Section 1A: Competency Description and Scope
Collection management is the art of selecting, evaluating, organizing, and preserving physical and digital items. All libraries must practice some form of collection management in order to meet the needs of patrons while staying within budgetary and spatial constraints.

Selection
A fundamental task in collection management is selecting materials for the library. In larger libraries, selection is usually highly specialized, the domain of acquisitions librarians who specialize in particular genres or materials (Wong, 2018, pp. 139-140). In smaller libraries, an acquisitions librarian may be responsible for multiple genres and materials. 

When selecting items, librarians must consider the relevance, popularity, and suitability of materials as well as their current collections and library budgets (Gregory, 2019, p. 54). Although it may be tempting to buy a large number of expensive art folios, for example, librarians must ask themselves if the books fill a gap in the collection, fit the needs of their community, and fits into the library's budget. To determine their users' needs, librarians will need to study the demographics of their community and focus on developing areas in the collection that cater to the local population (Saponaro & Evans, 2019,  p. 94). If there are a large number of families, for example, it makes sense to create a robust children's collection. Librarians should also consider which languages their communities speak and seek out material in languages other than English if appropriate.

To select items for a collection, librarians are faced with the daunting task of sorting through tens of thousands of books and other items (if not more!) without having the time to engage in a meaningful way with even a small fraction of them. Fortunately, librarians can make some headway by consulting reviews, trade publications, bibliographies, best seller lists, and the internet in order to find materials that are popular, culturally relevant, and reputable (Saponaro & Evans, 2019,  p. 96-97). Reviews are an excellent way to get a feel for the quality, relevance, and popularity of a book, but many publications have reduced the number of books they review or even stopped reviewing books altogether (Gregory, 2011, pp. 54-56). In the past, some libraries had policies to only collect books that had been reviewed, but this becomes an increasingly misguided policy as the number of professional reviews dwindle (Gregory, 2011, p. 55). Alternative sources for reviews include social media such as TikTok, company websites with user reviews such as amazon.com, and online review sides such as Goodreads (Saponaro & Evans, 2019, p. 97; Holmes, 2022). Librarians must be selective when using such informal sources, but they can be helpful in finding and choosing materials for public libraries.

The twenty-first century librarian must also consider digital and born-digital items. Born-digital items are "items created and managed in digital form," a group that includes digital photos, harvested web content, electronic records, and digital art (Erway, 2010, p. 1). When seeking to add digital and born-digital items to a collection, librarians may have to traverse new terrain and find new resources to guide the selection process. Additional considerations of digital resources include the licensing of the item (which can be quite expensive) and the possible duplication of existing library material (Gregory, 2019, pp. 56-57). It is easy to acquire duplicate electronic copies of items when using different vendors who sell materials in bundles (Gregory, 2019, p. 56). Some libraries may wish to use electronic resources to fill holes in their physical collection, but others may wish to provide both electronic and physical copies of items, especially popular ones.

Evaluation
The evaluation of a library's collection aids in selecting new materials and in deselection. Deselecting, also known as weeding, is the process of culling library materials in order to keep the collection manageable and make room for new items (Gregory, 2019, p. 105). When evaluating a collection, it is important to keep in mind criteria such as content, authority, cost, and format. Authority indicates the reputation of the creator(s) of an item. For a book, this may mean the publishing company, editor, and/or author of a title (Wong, 2018, p. 140). When evaluating content, librarians should keep in mind "the community's needs and interests as well as the library's goals" (Wong, 2018, p. 140). This dictum applies to the other considerations as well. When evaluating cost, for example, a high cost might be justified if the item(s) meet a significant need within the community.

Their are several methods of evaluation which may be used together or separately. One is the "checklist method," which involves comparing your collection (or a part of your collection) against a professional checklist or bibliography (Gregory, 2019, pp. 108-109). This is especially helpful in determining if your library is missing any texts or materials deemed essential by experts. Another method that relies on the expertise of others is to hire an expert to scan your shelves and provide feedback on your materials (Gregory, 2019, p. 109). Yet another method is to check circulation and loan statistics. Seeing data about how many times a book has been checked out or how many people are on the waiting list for a book can give information about its popularity within a community.

Digital items do not need to be weeded (or deaccessioned) due to lack of shelf space. Nevertheless, librarians should evaluate and deselect digital items in order to improve the user experience and usability of the resource. Having too many digital resources can overwhelm users, especially if links are broken or the materials are outdated or inaccurate (Livanos-Propst, 2019). Evaluating digital collections for their currency and continued usability is as important as evaluating physical collections.

Organization
Libraries must organize their collections so that patrons can find, access, and use the resources that are available. Perec (1973) observes that books may be arranged "alphabetically, by continent or country, by color, by date of acquisition, by date of publication, by format, by genre, by major periods of literary history, by language, by priority for future reading, by binding, [or] by series" (p. 152). Many libraries engage in multiple of these techniques at once: for example, the San Francisco Public Library (where I work) separates international languages from books written in or translated to English, and it also separates certain fiction genres from others (e.g., mystery titles are shelved together).

Most libraries in the US use either the Dewey Decimal System (DDS) or Library of Congress Classification (LCC) (Taylor & Joudrey, 2018, p. 164). Regardless of the system used, the classification systems both rely on accurate cataloging. I describe cataloging in depth in the Competency G, but suffice it to say that cataloging uses standardized systems to describe resources using metadata (Taylor & Joudrey, 2018, p. 160). Each record should contain at least one access point (e.g., a title) that can point users toward an item within the library.

Organizing digital items relies on many of the same principles as organizing physical items. However, in many cases, libraries contract with entire platforms or databases rather than purchasing and owning individual items. In these cases, it is wise to consider the platform's usability and long term viability. Wong (2018) notes that a "user interface should be intuitive to patrons and should include search features that enhance access to the information contained in the database" (p. 141). Librarians may not have control over the organization of certain databases or platforms, but they can strive to only form partnerships with companies that meet library standards of organization.

Preservation
Preservation, sometimes thought of as the purview of museums and archives, is also an important part of collection management within a public library. Skinner (2018) writes that preservation designates the steps taken to ensure the long-term accessibility and usability of content, including (but not restricted to) activities that prevent content from deteriorating" (p. 157). In other words, preservation focuses on extending the longevity of objects while giving users access to them, and it includes conservation efforts, which focus more specifically on the prevention of damage and restoration if damage does occur.

Increasingly, preservation is moving toward digitization. Twentieth century preservation efforts included the use of microfilm to preserve materials that were printed on highly acidic paper, such as newspapers (Skinner, 2018, p. 159). If the original newspapers deteriorated, preservation efforts allowed these newspapers to still be accessed by using microfilm. Now, in the twenty-first century, preservation efforts often include digitization for the same reason.

However, digitization is not a preservation panacea, and librarians should proceed with some caution. Although it may seem as though digital items will live forever, they are in fact notoriously short-lived, as technologies evolve, companies shut down, links are not updated, or website domains are not renewed (Chen, 2001). This begets the question of responsibility for libraries; librarians must decide to what extent their library will be responsible for digital material in the future. If a technology becomes obsolete, or a company goes under, will the library itself take on support for the item? These types of questions must be considered by librarians when they engage in preservation activities.

Section 1B: Importance to the Profession
Collection management requires tremendous effort and work. It is important to public libraries because it is a direct expression of the values and ethics set forth by the American Library Association. The first three articles of the Library Bill of Rights are particularly relevant. The first article states that "[m]aterials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation" (ALA, 2019). The second and third articles state that librarians should not only not engage in the censorship or removal of materials, but they should actively challenge such behavior (ALA, 2019). Taken together, these three articles form an excellent foundation for all public library collections, which should represent diverse and uncensored viewpoints as much as possible. These guiding principles indicate that librarians should not use their personal preferences to create a collection, and that library collections should be diverse in their selection. The theories of collection management delineated above show how to do that. The ALA's Bill of Rights indicates why.

Additionally, libraries are currently dealing with incredible change as the world becomes increasingly digitized and online. Collection management principles can help librarians and information professionals adjust to these technological changes. Although the formats may change, the goals of usability, access, and diversity remain the same. By relying on and adapting collection management techniques to new formats, libraries can build digital collections that rival (or, perhaps, in some cases surpass) their physical collections.

Section 2
Here I will provide three evidentiary items for Competency F.

Section 2A: Preparation
I have been preparing for this competency for the past three years both at work and in school. At school, the courses that taught me the most about collection development were INFO 248: Introduction to Cataloging with Professor Shahrzad Khosrowpour and INFO 256: Introduction to Archives with Professor David D. Lorenzo. In the former, I learned about descriptive cataloging and the fundamentals of creating MARC records, fundamental building blocks in the organization of information. In the latter class, INFO 256, I learned how to create a finding aid and how to assess archival records for acquisition.

Nonacademic activities have also informed my understanding of collection management practices. I have worked as a bookseller in San Francisco for the past three years. One of my tasks in the shop is to assist in the ordering of books as well as returning overstock. Managing inventory in this manner has helped me understand the principles of selection and evaluation. I also am currently completing an internship with the San Francisco History Center, in which I have processed and created finding aids for two collections. This experience has taught me firsthand about organization and preservation.

Section 2B: Evidence

Evidentiary Object 1: Work Experience at Browser Books

My work experience as a bookseller has been invaluable in helping me understand the dynamics of selecting, evaluating, and deselecting materials. In my role at the bookshop, I select, order, and weed books to return to publishers. I have demonstrated a strong understanding of the criteria for selecting books for the store. I base my decisions on sales data, reviews, word-of-mouth, knowledge of customer demographics, and a dedication to placing diverse and quality titles on our shelves. My sales record in the poetry section in particular demonstrates my competency at selecting material, as I have more than doubled the quantity of books that we sold before I took over ordering for this section.

My work as a bookseller has also given me excellent evaluation and deselection skills. Every three months, I run reports to show me what has not sold. These reports are helpful, but the reason that I feel I am excellent at my evaluation is that the reports are not the only data that I take into consideration. Other factors in my decision include recent prizes, upcoming releases, potential "read-alikes" to other popular authors, historic ties to the shop or city of San Francisco, diversity of our shelves, and more. My ability to keep the shelves refreshed—spacious, yet well-stocked—has been noted by both customers and my manager.

Evidentiary Object 2: Hinsdale Finding Aid

For this assignment, I was asked to create a finding aid for a collection of historic documents and photographs related to the Hinsdale Family. My finding aid includes a title page, metadata (such as provenance, size, and copyright information), a timeline I constructed by examining the documents and through external research, a biographical history constructed via the same means, and series that I created to organize the collection.

This assignment demonstrates my competence at collection development, and especially at information organization. For the finding aid, I created four series and additional subseries to create organization within the collection. This aids in access to information and increases usability for researchers, two of the key purposes of information organization. The metadata that I created for this finding aid also demonstrates my competency at information organization. All information organization systems rely on metadata, such as titles, creators, and dates, to organize and classify information, and to provide users with access points to information. The competency at metadata creation that I demonstrate in this example is transferable to any information system in which I need to use or create metadata.

Evidentiary Object 3: Appraisal Assignment

For this assignment, I evaluated a collection of born-digital documents related to the Ladies' Relief Society, a philanthropic group based in Oakland that dates to the mid-nineteenth century. Using an evaluation matrix, I assessed the collection for possible inclusion in the Bancroft Library archives. If accessioned by the Bancroft, these born-digital records would be preserved for future researchers.

This assignment shows my competency at preservation. An evaluation matrix such as this one is an excellent tool in deciding what should be preserved as well as how urgent it is to preserve an item. One of the fundamental tenets of preservation is that not all items can or should be preserved. In both public libraries and archives, there is a premium on space. In this exercise, I analyzed such criteria as the preservation cost of keeping these records and their potential future research value. This shows my understanding of the factors in making a decision about what to preserve and what not to preserve.

Section 3: Conclusion
Going forward, I know that I will use the experience I gained in school and at work in my future career. Whether I work in an archive or public library, I will be able to use my ability to create, evaluate, and organize collections to make the more diverse and accessible to their users. The skills that I have gained in preservation will also guide me in knowing when and how to apply preservation principles. Many of the texts that I have cited here will be useful to me, especially the book Collection Development and Management for 21st century Library Collections: An Introduction (Gregory, 2019). I also will continue to use reviews, social media, and other internet resources to help me stay abreast of popular materials.

 
ReferencesAmerican Library Association (2019). Library bill of rights. https://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill/

Chen, S.-S. (2001). The paradox of digital preservation. Computer, 34(3), 24-28. DOI: 10.1109/2.910890

Crane, D. (2021). Are we reaching the end of library DVD collections? Public Libraries Online. https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2021/06/are-we-reaching-the-end-of-library-dvd-collections/

Erway, R. (2010, November). Defining "born digital." OCLC. https://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/activities/hiddencollections/borndigital.pdf

Gregory, V. L. (2019). Collection development and management for 21st century library collections: An introduction (2nd ed.). American Library Association.

Holmes, S. (2022, June 28). TikTok and libraries: A powerful partnership…was a powerful presentation! ALSC Blog. https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2022/06/tiktok-and-libraries-a-powerful-partnership-was-a-powerful-presentation/

Livanos-Propst, A. (2019, February 14). Developing weeding protocols for born digital collections. Code4Lib, 43. https://journal.code4lib.org/articles/14162

Perec, G. (1973). Brief notes on the art and manner of arranging one's books. In Species of Spaces and Other Pieces (pp. 148-155). Penguin.

Saponaro, M. Z., & Evans, G. E. (2019). Collection management basics (7th ed.). Libraries Unlimited.

Skinner, K. Analog and digital curation and preservation. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (2nd ed., pp. 156–169). Rowman & Littlefield.

Taylor, A. G., & Joudrey, D. N. Organization and representation of information. In K. Haycock, & M.-J. Romaniuk (Eds.), The portable MLIS: Insights from the experts (2nd ed., pp. 153-170). Libraries Unlimited.

Wong, M. A. (2018). Developing and managing library collections. In K. Haycock, & M.-J. Romaniuk (Eds.), The portable MLIS: Insights from the experts (2nd ed., pp. 137-151). Libraries Unlimited.