Post on 01-Jul-2015
Balancing
the
Spectrum
of the
Collection
LIB 610 Collection Management
Summer 2010
Abstract2
Newtonian physics
Newton first used the word spectrum
(Latin for "appearance" or
"apparition") in print in 1671 in
describing his experiments in optics.
Newton observed that when a narrow
beam of sunlight strikes the face of a
glass prism at an angle, some is
reflected and some of the beam passes
into and through the glass, emerging as
different colored bands. – Visible spectrum From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
3
Spectrum requires a prism
Estonian composer Arvo Pärt:
– I could compare my music to
white light which contains all
colours. Only a prism can divide
the colours and make them
appear; this prism could be the
spirit of the listener.
• about his music: Alina
4
Prism as a filter
Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin:
– The biographer finds that the past is
not simply the past, but a prism
through which the subject filters his
own changing self-image. • Goodwin, Doris Kearns (1979).
„„Angles of Vision‟‟, in:
Mark Pachter (Ed.), Telling Lives: the
biographer’s art. Washington, DC: New Republic
Books. Cited in Debate and Reflection: How to
Write Journalism History
5
The goal of collection building?
Amanda Credaro:
“. . . the ultimate goal of
collection development
must be to create a
„balanced‟ collection . . .”• The Use of Reviewing Journals in School
Libraries
balanced
6
What do you mean, balanced?
Credaro:
“. . . there is disagreement as to
what actually constitutes a
„balanced‟ collection.” • equal numbers of print and non-print
resources?
• materials that present the arguments for
both sides on controversial issues?
• a combination of both “demand” items
and quality resources?
How can we tell?How do we know when we have “a
well-balanced collection that meets the
needs of our users”?
“To evaluate the results of any
particular intervention, we need to
be able to clearly identify and
define the desired state.”
• T. Scott Plutchak, “The art and science of
making choices,”
Journal of the Medical Library Association
2003 January; 91(1): 1–3.
Define your desired state!
What is your library‟s
mission?
Where, then, will be your
point of balance?
A prism to view the full balanced spectrum
Personal
10
Real
Invented
SMiley face
Two Continuums
Real Invented
Personal Smiley
Face
Put „em together!
P
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s
o
n
a
l
SM
i
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e
y
Real
Invented
Application to Collections???
. . . and Dragons????
Top Left Sector of Matrix14
Up close and personal—and real! Real
P
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s
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n
a
l
Folklore: Folklore is the body of
expressive culture, including
tales, music, dance, legends, oral
history, proverbs, jokes, popular
beliefs, customs, material culture, and so
forth, common to a particular
population, comprising the traditions
(including oral traditions) of that
culture, subculture, or group. (Wikipedia)
Invented
Dragons in folklore15
St. George and the Dragon /
Egorii / Iurii / Georgii
– Region: North Africa
– Time Period: 3rd and 4th
Century AD
– References in Literature:
The Faerie Queen by
Edmund Spenser
– Sources: Everyone – He‟s
very popular
Dragons in Folklore16
– The oriental dragon is very different in appearance
to the Occidental dragon. The tales differ just as
much. In China the dragon is a creature to be
worshipped and respected. Although they can still be
fierce, they are mainly called to for help in times of
need, by the people of China. The Japanese dragons
are very different in personality, sharing traits with
the western dragons. However they are still known to
be both benevolent on occasion and certainly
respected by the Japanese people.
Dragons in Native American Folklore
17
– The Seven Headed Dragon – Ojibwa
– Sacred Medicine Water – Caddo
– The Chenoo, or the, story of a cannibal with an icy
heart -- A Passamaquoddy and
Micmac Legend
– Search the First People website for
other examples!
Bottom Left Sector of Matrix18
Invented, but Personal Real
P
e
r
s
o
n
a
l Invented
Quality literature, sometimes
adaptations, or else original
writing, with universal appeal and
meaning for everyman and
everywoman
An invented dragon who is
very personal (if not exactly loveable!)
19
Smaug
– Smaug the Golden was a
powerful, though greedy,
reddish-gold dragon of
Middle-earth, considered the mightiest Dragon of his
time. He is the most prominent antagonist in The
Hobbit. In the book, he lives in the Lonely Mountain,
to the east of the Mirkwood Forest.
•
A good invented dragon20
My Father’s Dragon
– A Newbery Honor–winning title
and a favorite among children, My
Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles
Gannett, is a humorous adventure
story about a clever and
resourceful boy named Elmer
Elevator, who runs away to Wild
Island to rescue a baby dragon.
• My Father‟s Dragon
Real Smileys!
Top Right of the Matrix21
Real
Recognizable
stories, but unoriginal
and shallow
Dragon stories that are real smileys?22
In this first of the Dragon
Slayers‟ Academy series, Wiglaf,
the put-upon sensitive son in a
family of louts, heads off to school
along with his faithful pet pig,
Daisy. . . . This lightweight,
amusing adventure rattles right
along, without pretensions and
with, given the series title, a
resolution that cleverly avoids
violence--Wiglaf slays the dragon
with bad jokes. An entertaining
confection. (b&w illustrations, not
seen) (Fiction. 7-10)
• Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates
Review cited by Amazon
Invented smileys [perhaps contrived?]
Bottom Right of the Matrix23
Invented
Generic, unoriginal, im
personal, shallow
An invented “smiley” dragon?24
What about the Dazzling Dragon?
– When Princess Daisy hears that a real dragon is being brought
into the Princess Academy, she is terrified. What will her
friends think of her being such a scaredy cat? But later
Princess Daisy has a chance to show how
brave she really is...
• Blurb from The Tiara Club website
Evaluation instrument
– Part of inventory or selection/acquisition
• Create a scattergram
How to use this PRISM?25
P
e
r
s
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Real
Invented
Especially controversial ones!
Balancing issues26
P
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COUNTERISSUE
ISSUE
27
Creationism
Evolution
P
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Print vs. online
P
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Print Sources
Online Sources
http://www.hp-lexicon.org/http://www.mugglenet.com
http://www.jkrowling.com/
The
original
novels
Important Native American Resource
29
OyateOyate is a Native organization working to
see that our lives and histories are
portrayed honestly, and so that all people
will know our stories belong to us. For
Indian children, it is as important as it has
ever been for them to know who they are
and what they come from. For all
children, it is time to know and
acknowledge the truths of history. Only
then will they come to have the
understanding and respect for each other
that now, more than ever, will be necessary
for life to continue.
Oyate: About Us
A Blog to be aware of 31