What’s Your Library’s Policy on Self Published Titles?
I just threw a question out to Twitter, but now I am really curious and want to know:
What is your library’s policy about self published titles? Do you have one?
Please take a few moments and answer these questions in the comments:
1) What type of library do you work at?
2) Does your collection development policy address the growing self published title market? How?
3) Does you library accept donations of self published titles? Why or why not? Are there any parameters for this?
4) What do you feel is the overall view in the library world about self published titles?
5) What are the issues – outside of the perception of quality – that your library would face in acquiring and cataloging self published titles in your collection?
And finally, do you feel that libraries will have to address self published titles differently in the future?
Filed under: Collection Development, Libraries, Self Published
About Karen Jensen, MLS
Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).
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Missy @geceosan 51s
@TLT16 if we don't add to collection, put in our Friends booksale
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Missy Missy @geceosan 1m
@TLT16 tl;dr version, we don't buy them unless they're reviewed. if they want 2 donate, we'll take & consider, but under no obligation 2 add
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Missy Missy @geceosan 2m
@TLT16 my library does: http://www.cumberland.lib.nc.us/ccplicinfo/pdf/LibraryPolicies/Section%201%20-%20Collection%20Development%20Policy.pdf …
Kristen Northrup @kdnorthrup 5m
@TLT16 We buy them if they're local (state) authors, regardless of reviews. Otherwise they have to fit regular guidelines. #selfpub
Ruth @ruthbrarian 10m
@TLT16 @LizB Last place I worked did. Rule was absolute no unless local author. Then maybe. #selfpub
Vicki L. Weavil @VickiLWeavil 18m
@TLT16 @rachelpud @LeighAnnKopans We DO have a collection development policy, but it doesn't include specific language about self-pub books
Molly Wetta @molly_wetta
@TLT16 generally no unless local author/interest, but evolving. We are going to circulate e-readers where patrons choose the books.
1)Public; 2)No; 3)We accept self-published items from local authors only (unless it is a specialty item like a craft instruction book, genealogy, etc.); 4)I have found most self-published books to be awful; 5)There could be an enormous amount of things … 6)Yes, I think it will have to be addressed at some point. There should be a consensus in the profession
2) Does your collection development policy address the growing self published title market? How?
3) Does you library accept donations of self published titles? Why or why not? Are there any parameters for this?
4) What do you feel is the overall view in the library world about self published titles?
5) What are the issues – outside of the perception of quality – that your library would face in acquiring and cataloging self published titles in your collection?
And finally, do you feel that libraries will have to address self published titles differently in the future?
1) Public
2) Not yet
3) Yes, same conditions as any donations–we decide whether to add to collection, put in used book sale or discard
4) Problematic because of lack of authoritative reviews–no way to weed gems from coal except by reading and don't have that much time
5) See answer to 4, plus problems involved in creating quality catalog records
I think reviewing sources will need to do something, then libraries will have to start looking at different sources, like reputable blogs, etc.
1) What type of library do you work at?
6-12 public school
2) Does your collection development policy address the growing self published title market? How?
Not yet.
3) Does you library accept donations of self published titles? Why or why not? Are there any parameters for this?
Yes, but no parameters are set. I accept the donations but it doesn't mean they ultimately end up in the collection.
4) What do you feel is the overall view in the library world about self published titles?
I've done research on this and found exactly 3 academic articles on the subject of libraries and self-publishing.
5) What are the issues – outside of the perception of quality – that your library would face in acquiring and cataloging self published titles in your collection?
Some are gems I bet, but without having read them myself, I'd have no idea which ones are. Acquiring is tough if they are not in Titlewave, my jobber. And cataloging is tough if there is no record in Destiny already. Our district does not permit original cataloging.
And finally, do you feel that libraries will have to address self published titles differently in the future?
Absolutely. I read an article about this too in some academic journal but don't know which one at the moment. But yes, self-publishing is the future. No doubt. But if our book jobbers are not keeping up, it's hard to acquire these titles. There needs to be a company out there staffed by librarians that read these books and write reviews of them and then sells a subscription to their reviews so we can all know what we are buying. There's Indiebound, but they don't review everything.
What is your library's policy about self published titles? Do you have one?
We do not order them and do not add donated items to our collection.
Please take a few moments and answer these questions in the comments:
1) What type of library do you work at?
Public library Young Adult’s
2) Does your collection development policy address the growing self published title market? How?
It doesn’t address this specifically
3) Does you library accept donations of self published titles? Why or why not? Are there any parameters for this? Would not necessarily be added as stated by others, would have to fit our needs. The only donations I have seen have been very religious tract like and I can’t justify that. Also, some kid keeps making requests for every single self published title a friend is doing, again questionable.
4) What do you feel is the overall view in the library world about self published titles?
I think we are reluctant because they have not generally been critically reviewed. Some people are trying to do this. Some known authors are trying self publishing. I think we need to be conservatively more liberal.
5) What are the issues – outside of the perception of quality – that your library would face in acquiring and cataloging self published titles in your collection?
They are nonreturnable if they turn out not to be what we expected. They are expensive to acquire unless donated. Possibly lacking existing cataloging/tagging?
And finally, do you feel that libraries will have to address self published titles differently in the future?
Yep!
1) single branch Public Library
2) Not technically. Mainly, I just decide whether or not to purchase the item.
3) We occasionally accept self published donations, if they relate to some of our special collections, like Nebraska History.
4) I feel like the view libarians have about self published works is like the one we used to have about Wikipedia: Trash that is not to be trusted, used, or even dignified with acknowledgement.
5) The only issue I've come across thus far is having to original catalog many of the self published works we've added to the collection. Much of my job is copy cataloging, so taking the time to create a unique record on OCLC is time consuming and usually pretty haphazard.
I think once libraries get a better handle on having their own means of circulating e-books without the need of a vendor, then we can go about adding the digital versions of these books to the collection without having to take up time and shelf space.