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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to show how quality information materials are maintained in Kenyan museum libraries by examining collection development policy, skills and processes used by librarians in acquisition. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 137 respondents, which included 130 registered library users and seven members of staff, completed the questionnaires. This included the principal librarian, for whom an interview schedule was used to collect the required data. A pilot study to ensure data validity and reliability was carried out at the Kenya Medical Research Institute Library. Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyze the research data. Findings: The findings, which were presented both textually and graphically, show that the National Museum of Kenya library lacks a collection development policy to guide the acquisition process, as well as a diverse set of information resources that are both comprehensive and current to meet the current user information needs. Furthermore, the key impediment to the acquisition of information materials was revealed to be financial constraints, and there was a positive effort to involve library users in the acquisition process. Research limitations/implications: The study focus on library users and library staff at the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) library in Nairobi, it may not be, therefore, representative of the acquisition processes at all Kenyan museum libraries. Although NMK has other branches across the country, they were not included in this study. Practical implications: This paper purposes to provide the Kenyan museum library with important information about maintaining quality information materials from the perspectives of librarians and library users. Despite efforts to improve information materials, the management faces financial challenges. Social implications: The study unveils underlying picture in selection and acquisition practices which will inform on meeting library users information needs. Originality/value: The paper is of value as a case study of Kenya Museums Library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Proposes encouraging librarians to be more informed about the value of collection evaluations. Design/methodology/approach - Three examples of collection evaluation methods (user-centered evaluation, physical assessment and specific subject support) are explored. Findings - Many strategies are available for evaluating collections, regardless of the kind of library or size of the collection. Evaluation allows librarians a more thorough knowledge of what already exists, what may be needed, and whether collection development goals are being achieved. Practical implications - Methods of meaningful collection evaluation are shared so that librarians may create an evaluation that will provide useful information to them in their library setting. Implications for successful future collection management, financial resource management and effective format selection are discussed. Originality/value - Discussion that includes the "assessment of specific subject support" and "assessing and building specific subject collections" encourages librarians to recognize their major and minor collections, creatively assess those collection areas, and involve techniques or individuals who might guide them to specific subject materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This study aims to analyze the resources used in the citations of 156 postgraduate dissertations submitted to the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) through the Acharya & BM Reddy College of Pharmacy (ABMRCP), and prepares the core journal list according to the Bradford’s law of scattering. For any research and academic institutional libraries, books and journals are considered as key resources. As the resources are more and diverse, collection building is a tough task for librarians. Citation analysis is one of the best methods to list the most used resources by the users. The paper highlights the extent use of in-house resources and open access journals in the citations. Design/methodology/approach – Citations of PG dissertations during 2010-2013 (four years) were compiled, the data about the resources cited in each were taken and the list of resources used in PG dissertations was prepared. The list of core journals obtained by citation analysis was matched with the list of online journals provided by Health Science Library & Information Network (HELINET) of RGUHS as well as print list of journals subscribed by ABMRCP Library, and evaluated the print and online consortia journals used by ABMRCP community. The list of core journals’ ranking in the SCImago Journal & Country Rank (SJR) list-pharmaceutical sciences was identified to know the impact of the journals. Findings – The study gives the list of different information resources cited in the pharmacy dissertations. The core list obtained by applying the Bradford’s law of scattering in this study has 19 journals pertaining to pharmacy. After matching the core list with the Keogh’s list, it is found that 31 journals can be considered very useful in the field of pharmacy. Twelve journals listed in the core list have different positions in the SJR ranking 2013. The results indicate that open-access journals with online journals subscribed through HELINET and print holdings have been cited more in the PG dissertations. Originality/value – The topic of journal use in this case may be of greatest interest to those who purchase journals in the sciences and, very specifically, the pharmaceutical sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss the development of a core set of information resources management (IRM) competencies and to detail a plan for their acquisition by IRM librarians of a large academic university library. Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines the work of librarians who manage information resources at the University of Arizona Libraries to inform the development of a set of core competencies. The planned implementation and assessment of a series of training sessions for developing these competencies is also discussed, as is the role of individual librarians who have been assigned specific tasks related to broader issues not easily addressed by a training session. Finally, a prioritized list of mastery-level competencies for future development is defined. Findings – By defining in detail the information resource-related tasks for which IRM members are responsible, the authors were able to develop a plan for training modules that are designed to ensure core competencies for all team members. Originality/value – This paper is a detailed plan for developing competencies needed to manage information resources at an academic library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Discusses the development of local history collections within libraries in Sierra Leone. Design/methodology/approach – The article is a reflective viewpoint. Findings – That there is a growing interest in local history collections in libraries in Sierra Leone, and that more formal structures should be put in place to safeguard these materials for the future. Practical implications – Proposes some ways forward for ensuring the long term viability of local collections in Sierra Leone. Originality/value – The article is the first on the topic of local history collections in Sierra Leone's libraries, and should be of interest to librarians around the world who have an interest in local history librarianship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategic business partnerships inform business faculty-librarian (BFL) collaboration. This paper seeks to address how the motivations for business partnerships and faculty-librarian collaborations are similar. A conceptual model suggests that the depth of the BFL relationship significantly enhances electronic collection development outcomes. Literature concerning strategic business alliances, faculty-librarian collaborations, and collection development was examined to determine whether principles that ate applied to strategic business alliances can also be applied to BFL collaborations. A case-in-point is included for illustration. Specific principles of strategic business partnerships can be applied to BFL collaborations aimed at improving electronic collection development. In addition, driving forces such as assessment, communication, and technology influence the nature of alliances across the business and academic arenas. The findings are significant because they demonstrate how BFL collaborations can be made more effective through the application of business principles. BFL collaborations can positively influence electronic collection development in a variety of ways. The paper offers a new and unique conceptual model that improves understanding of the nature and depth of BFL collaborations in the context of electronic collection development. This paper will be of interest to business faculty in particular and faculty in general, and librarians working in diverse library settings, especially librarians aligned with management and business departments. Librarians in management positions will likely find this information useful as a means to increase faculty-librarian collaboration across all disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selection is the heart of good library collection building. This article reviews a variety of print and online sources of materials in an attempt to acquaint librarians with new selection tools. Traditional print sources, such as publisher's catalogues and monthly magazines, are discussed as part of the larger attempt to locate both core and specialized materials. Private and association online sites are reviewed. In addition, three sites for literature that are freely available in digital format are reviewed for their content. While these sources represent only a sampling from the plethora of those available, the scope of these reviewed sources may encourage new ways of thinking about locating relevant materials efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]