Collection Reflection

Hey Collection Reflectors! It's our birthday today.  One year ago, the first post went up and things have really taken off from there.  We've talked about a host of different topics from the start of the library materials cycle (or where we find stuff to buy) to the end. (how we decide what to weed)  We've talked about donations , statistics , mistakes (my personal favorite), and  audiobooks.   We've had guests posts , things that seemed like good ideas at the time , and  author interviews about the intersection of books and libraries on specific topics. And, of course, you've Clicked My Link at least a dozen times. If I have one thing I would like to see more of in Year 2, it would be more author interviews. Who doesn't like talking to (and reading about) authors and books? What kinds of things do YOU want to see from Collection Reflection going forward? We want to hear what you think about: the blog, collection development, authors, libraries, ...

Patron: "Do you have any GED books?" Librarian: "Uh, mayyyyybe, let me check. Sorry, not right now. Can I put one on hold for you?" Replace "GED" with books on witchcraft or sex; titles by Stephen King or Sister Souljah's  The Coldest Winter   Ever ; memoirs like A Child Called "It " ; almost any popular DVD you can name, especially horror films; rock and rap CDs . . . this interaction plays itself out with depressing regularity. A quick check of the catalog shows that my library (just this building, not any of the branches or the extensive network we belong to) has purchased 26 copies of The Coldest Winter Ever , all but three of which have disappeared from the collection. They've been stolen, lost, or taken home and never returned. Each time we purchase one of these items new (in paperback) and process it for circulation to the public, the cost is around $8.00, meaning that we've spent over $200 just to keep one book on the shelf...

Don't lose an author's manuscript. Jose Saramago novel published after 59 years. Ann Patchett's Bel Canto to be an Opera An interview with SF/F author Patrick Rothfuss A little Reader's Advisory: If you like.....a very specific kind of urban fantasy Get your rare book on: ABE lists the top sellers (price) in Feb 2012. Star Wars Yoga. (oh, click it. you know you wanna.) Happy Monday.