Sorry, No Luddites Here

Collection Management Gets Down, Gets Wiki

I would like to dispel an unfortunate rumor that this library’s Collection Management Department houses any individuals with Luddite tendencies. We are actually all computer literate (we have to be for our jobs), and many of us blog, have RSS feeds and del.icio.us accounts, and use (and love) LibraryThing. That is in addition to the computer and Web-intensive work we do every day.

Our department is in the process of putting together ideas and material for a Collection Management Wiki, which we will begin posting next week. (Sorry it can be no sooner, but we also have lives outside the library.) The focus of our department’s Wiki will be Reader’s Advisory. We are all readers, and, as you know, many in our department are Librarians and selectors, while others have advanced degrees in literature. However, educational level and titles aside, as our Library Training Day speaker reminded us, ANYONE in the library can do Reader’s Advisory, and all of us are ready and eager to share. Here are a few of the features we hope to include on our Wiki:

• Featured reviews
• Links to book-related blogs (internal and external)
• Book group information
• Publishers Weekly 5 star reviews and other industry review information
• Genre lists and reviews
• DVD and other media lists and review information
  

Please note that, while the comments of this blog reflect only the opinions and tone of the blogger, we are all excited about this. As one of our team put it, “This is what libraries should do. It's a great service to patrons and it markets our collection. In short, it adds value.”

Those contributing content and discussion on the CM Wiki include, in egalitarian alphabetical order: Martha Bayley, Kelli Becker, John Fossett, Gail Goodrick, Tish Hodge, Michelle Mason, Constance O’Shea, Lisa Schureman, Lisa Tyler, and Lael Voeller.