BOOK SELECTION TOOLS

TONY VIMAL

S2 , MLISC

Roll No :06

University of kerala

LIS 524 :

LIBRARY AND INFORMATION

CENTRE MANAGEMENT

DEFINITION OF

BOOK SELECTION

ODLIS defines selection as

"the process of deciding which materials should be added

to a library collection. Selection decisions are usually

made on the basis of reviews and standard collection

development tools by librarians designated as selectors in

specific subject areas, based on their interests and fields of

specialization. In academic libraries,

CONTD…

selection may also be done by members of the teaching

faculty in their disciplines. Very large academic and public

libraries may use an approval plan or blanket order plan to

assist selectors. Library patrons also recommend titles for

purchase, especially in libraries that provide a suggestion

box."

SELECTION AIDS

Selection aids or tools provide necessary information about

books, their contents, bibliographic characteristics, physical

formats, possible uses and where they can be obtained.

There is no single selection tool capable of providing all the

information needed by the librarian in purchasing books and

other materials for the library. By referring 2or3 or more tools

for the same purpose may provide sufficient information for

the purchase of documents .

REVIEW SOURCES

Tools for review include sources that provide

background information, varying points of view,

critiques, and suggestions for use.

There are two types of review sources. One type

provides information about materials prior to their

publication. Some of these sources include

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Booklist, Choice Reviews Online, Library Journal,

and School Library Journal.

Other sources provide reviews concurrently with or after

publication. These include newspapers, popular

magazines, professional publications, media, and scholarly

journals.

TYPES OF BOOK SELECTION

TOOLS

According to Ajit Kumar Chakrabarti(1983)

there are three types of book selection tools or

aids, namely:

Per-publication Review Media

Post- publication Review Media

Review of learned periodicals and Specialised Journals

PRE-PUBLICATION REVIEW MEDIA

Pre-publication review means review of the galley book

(advance reader copy of the book) by certain

agency/organizations and publishing the review report

through print media. Such reviews will help the librarian

in selecting books for the library.The traditional reviewers

for pre –publication review of books are listed below:

PRE-PUBLICATION REVIEWERS LIST

Publishers Weekly

Book List

Library Journal

Kirkus

New York Times

LA Times

Chicago Tribune

Midwest Book Review

Wall Street Journal

USA Book News

Foreword Magazine

School Library Journal

ALA Booklist

Quality Books Inc

Bloomsbury

Heartland Review

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Barnes&Noble

Booksamillion

Amazon

Good Reads

PUBLISHERS WEEKLYNEW YORK, R.R. BOWKER CO. 1872

This weekly is standard American book trade journal. It is

a valuable professional aid for selecting books in different

types of libraries specially where there is urgency of

purchasing popular books.

It is an essential reading material for the librarians to get

information about new books.

Publisher’s weekly reviewed a large number of adult

books and juvenile works . Its circulation has crossed

over 32,000

BOOK LISTSNEW YORK,AIA,1905

Booklist is a journal listing recent books with brief notes

designed to assist the librarians in selection.

A booklist contains only the list of recommended and best

books for purchase.

Reviews in almost all the cases pinpoint the weakness of a

particular title, even though it is in the recommended list.

School librarians find the listing more valuable and

helpful.

LIBRARY JOURNAL (SEMI-MONTHLY, SEP-

JUNE: MONTHLY, JULY-AUGUST).

NEW YORK , R.R.BOWKER CO. 1876

Library journal is primarily devoted to books and provides

varying attention to other media also. Nearly 500 book

reviews appear in a year. Reviews generally appear one or

two months after the books are published. Reviews are

arranged by broad subject headings. The arrangement is

alphabetical by subject.

Public libraries and academic libraries prefer this journal

for selection of books. Professional libraries and teachers

in library science write the reviews.

KIRKUS REVIEW(SEMI-MONTHLY)

NEW YORK , KIRKUS SERVICE, INC, 1933

Kirkus publishes reviews two or three months before

their release. It reviews juvenile and adult books. It is

strong in the review of fictions and reviews are longer.

It serves as a valuable aid to the librarians of public

libraries.

It is referred by libraries when there is an urgency of

purchasing popular books before its publication

THE NEW YORK TIME BOOK

REVIEW WEEKLYNew York, the New York Times Co. 1896

The New York Time weekly is the most popular and oldest

reviewing periodical in the USA. Review of books for

children and young adults regularly appear in each issue.

Each issue lists best selling paperbacks. Fiction reviews

are exhaustive and complete-reviews are written by

experts. It reviewed a large number of books. Its

circulation is wide and huge.

POST-PUBLICATION

REVIEW MEDIA

Post-publication review media refers to reviews written

after the publication of the book and appearing in print

media.

Other sources provide reviews concurrently with or after

publication. These include newspapers, popular

magazines, professional publications, media, and scholarly

journals.

PERIODICALS AND NEWS PAPERS

Reviews appearing in general and specialized periodicals and

weekly editions of Newspapers and reviews appearing in

Book reviewing periodicals etc serve as book selection

tools/aids.

Scientific and Technical periodicals with rich book reviews

and Newspapers having book review coloumns are important

sources/tools/aids for Book selection.

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Book reviews are published under several headings such

as ‘Book Reviews’, ‘New Thought’, ‘New Publication’,

‘See Your Books’,

‘Current Books’, ‘Review updates’ etc.

TRADE JOURNALS

Trade journals like Kirkus, Books to come, publishers

weekly, Bookseller etc. are very effective aids/tools in Book

selection.

Trade Journals brings out information regarding new books.

Reviews of latest and forthcoming books of general interest.

Book trades and Book exhibitions also prove opportunity to

see, go through and evaluate the new books with a view to

select books for library.

PUBLISHERS CATALOGUE

Publishers catalogues are one of the ways that publishing houses

advertise their publications. These may help in collection

development.

Publishers catalogues can be used with caution, keeping in mind they

are simply alerting tools and can provide no legitimate evaluative

information. Overall, publishers catalogues should be used to find out

about new titles, and for details needed by librarians.

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Leading publishers regularly publishes catalogue. The

catalogue of well reputed publishers will publish their

catalogue with Cover design, Images, title, Author details

and a brief outline of the content of the book. This will

help the librarians in evaluating and selecting the bookfor

library

REFERENCES

Collection Development and Management.http://eduscapes.com/collection/4.htm

Chakrabarti, Ajit Kumar(1983). A treatise on Book Selection.D.K.Publications, Delhi.

Mason Moya K. Publishers Catalogues and Collection Developmenhttp ://www.moyak.com/papers/collection-development-publishers.html

THANK YOU