On December 17, 2012, Jodee Kuden, Head of Collection Development at the Consortium Library, talked with Deb the Librarian about the cost of books and journal subscriptions, and the process for prioritizing and selecting items for the collection.
The Consortium Library’s faculty librarians are liaisons to the different colleges and departments at the University of Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Pacific University. In this role, the librarians not only teach students about conducting Library research for classes in their subject areas, but also order books and journals for the Library’s collection. This activity in the Library world is called Collection Development. As the Head of Collection Development, Jodee has been successful in successfully negotiating and obtaining useful academic electronic book and journal packages for UAA and APU students to access on- and off-campus.
The most recent subscription purchased is Congressional Publications. This amazing historical resource includes House and Senate Hearings and Congressional Committee Reports as far back as 1789, and numerous other Congressional documents back into the 1800s. If you are doing historical research relevant to decisions made by the United States government (for example, Alaska statehood), this is the source for you!
When deciding what sources to purchase, it is essential to know what the strategic priorities are for degrees offered at UAA and APU. Also, in order to build a useful collection, each subject librarian must also know what courses the colleges and departments in their subject areas are offering, so they can predict the research resource needs of their students and faculty.