Selection Tools By Dr.

Grace Kamau

TOPIC 4 - SELECTION TOOLS (AIDS)

If no selection aids existed the size of library staff would have to be increased dramatically. The aids
provide, to some degree an overview of the output of publishers and media producers.

Without the bibliographies or review sources, each publisher and media producer would flood the library
with catalogues and announcements of products and the filing and retrieval system for the material would
add significantly to the library’s workload.

Therefore selection aids are time-saving tools essential to the efficient function of the library.

There are six categories of selection aids. The first step is to read the introductory material that the
publisher or producer provides.

1. Current sources for in-print books.

2. Catalogs, flyers and announcements.

3. Current reviews

4. Bibliographic databases

5. Best books, recommended lists, and core collections.

6. Subject bibliographies

1. Current Sources for In-print books

National in-print lists – These are key tools in selection because they identify new materials as
they become available. New books (those required during the year they are published) represent
the majority of the materials acquired by most libraries. Every country in the world with any
significant amount of publishing has a publication that attempts to list that nation’s books in print.

Most listings of in-print books provide information about the author, title, Publisher, place of
publication, date of publication and price.

In addition, length, special features, series information, ISBN & cataloguing information
including subject headings. Cataloguing information can be helpful because too often, the title of
a book does not provide enough information to allow anyone to make an informed judgement
about its content.

Also, a book’s in-print status says something about its reputation and popularity.

In-print lists are issued weekly and are cumulated into monthly publications e.g. the American
Book Publishing (Bowker).

Although such aids can be of some value in planning purchases of new books, they have two
limitations:

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 Announced books do not always appear on schedule

 A few announced titles never appear.

While printed weekly lists facilitate only an author search, (and make subject searches time-
consuming), publishers’ websites can facilitate faster, more up-to-date searches.

Examples

Books in Print (Bowker) (American)

British Books in Print (available online) @ Booksinprint.com

Also the In-print lists issued by publishers may not be completely up-to-date. Big publishers tend to
send in the information since they are aware that libraries use the In-print tools. It is therefore wise to
contact the publisher to enquire about a missing item.

2. Catalogs, Flyers and Announcements

- From publishers. Some publishers use direct marketing via e-mail.

- Generally such announcements contain more information about a book and its authors than the
national in-print resources.

- Presents the item in its most favourable form. If in doubt, ask for an “Examination copy”.

Flyers from unknown publishers offering large discounts for prepaid orders, deserve a second, third
and fourth look before committing funds.

- Should have an efficient storage and retrieval system for the announcements, flyers and catalogs.

3. Current Review Sources

Book reviews can be divided into 3 types:

i. Reviews for persons making their living buying books (trade and professional booksellers
and librarians).

ii. Reviews for subject specialists.

iii. Reviews for the general public.

Book selectors use all three types but those of greatest utility are the trade & professional
reviews. The first two are used mostly by special libraries (academic libraries & school libraries).
Public libraries frequently consult mass-market review sources along with the other types.

Trade & professional reviews are of two types:

i. those designed to promote, and

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Selection Tools By Dr. Grace Kamau

ii. those designed to evaluate.

Although the primary market of such trade journals as Publishers Weekly and Bookseller is
booksellers, librarians can, and do make effective use of their reviews. The reviews alert
booksellers to new titles that will receive heavy promotion. Publishers have a reasonably good
grasp of which titles will sell well and which ones will not. Because of this, not all titles are
promoted in the same manner or with equal funding. This is called differential marketing.

Evaluative reviews prepared by librarians or by specialists for librarians are also extremely
important in selection, especially in public and school libraries. One will find these reviews in
almost all library publications e.g. Library Journal, Library and Information Update. A variety of
online resources for book reviews exist e.g. Acqweb’s Directory of Book Reviews on the Web,
BookPage and H-Net Reviews.

Limitations of Current Reviews

i. Lack of comprehensive coverage.

ii. The speed with which they appear. Most trade reviews appear on or before the
publication date whereas most professional (library) reviews appear several months after
publication.

iii. Caution on reviews in online bookstore websites e.g. Amazon.com – as any reader may
be a “reviewer”.

iv. Popular press reviews – Popular press reviewers are friends of the authors whose work
they are reviewing, hence objectivity is compromised.

v. As a whole, book reviews are not very critical.

4. Bibliographic Databases

 Best for verification work.

 Can be downloaded to the library’s acquisition system, thus eliminating the need to key
in entries. Record can be used as the catalog record.

 Useful in selection – possible to determine which library has the item.

 Useful for collection evaluation.

5. Best Books, Recommended Lists and Core Collections

 To be used with caution.

 Though chosen by a group of informed observers, they may or may not indicate which
are the best books for the customers you serve or want to serve.

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Selection Tools By Dr. Grace Kamau

 Despite these disadvantages, core lists are useful to consult at times and can provide a
benchmark for beginning a collection, evaluating an existing collection or maintaining a
collection with current material.

6. Subject Bibliographies

Limitations - same as lists of best or recommended items: currency and selectivity.

It is advisable to do one’s own checking before using a bibliography as a selection aid.

Table 1: Selection Aids

Type of Characteristics Advantages Disadvantages Example

Selection Aid
Current sources Contain citation Identify new Usually provide American
for in-print information materials as they only for author Book
books become available; searches; Publishing
particularly useful subject searches Record
in large libraries are time- (ABPR) Books
attempting to consuming; in Print
achieve broad may not contain
coverage review/content
information
Catalogs, flyers Marketing material May contain more Brief ALA Editions
and designed and information than information; for ALA
announcements distributed by in-print lists advertising publications
publishers copy tends to
present the item
in its most
favourable light
Current review Designed to promote Save staff time in “Differential Library
sources or evaluate works. locating/reviewing marketing” may Journal(LJ)
Three types of newly published affect Choice
reviews: works promotion of Booklist
i. Reviews for titles; only a New York
persons small Times Sunday
making their percentage of Book Review
living total book Amazon.Com
buying output
books reviewed; delay
ii. Reviews for in review’s
subject appearance in
specialists. print; reviewer
iii. Reviews for competence
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the general varies; reviews

public. tend not to be
critical in
nature.
Bibliographic Cooperative and
Access to millions Not all OCLC
Databases individual library
of records countries well RLIN
catalogs; serve as worldwide; usually represented in
partial replacementdo not need online systems
for national
separate access to
bibliographies national
bibliography;
useful for
verification work;
information can be
downloaded and
serve as
bibliographic
record in online
catalog
Recommended, Lists of items Useful when used Impractical to Public
best, and core recommended for carefully strive to collectLibrary
collection lists purchase every item Catalog
listed; list J. Gillespie,
becomes dated Best Books
immediately for
upon Children:Pre-
publication school
Through Age
Six, 7th ed.
(Westport,
CT: Bowker-
Greenwood,
2002)
Subject Listings prepared by Can exist for Currency and J.H.
bibliographies subject experts and virtually any selectivity Sweetland,
including critical subject issues exist Fundamental
evaluation Reference
Sources, 3rd
ed. (Chicago:
ALA, 2001)

Source: Evans, G.E. & Saporano, M.Z. (2005) Developing library and information centre collections. 5 th
ed. Westport, Libraries Unlimited.

Selection Tools