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Dissertation Information for Robbie B. Bingham

NAME:
- Robbie B. Bingham

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science

SCHOOL:
- Rutgers University (USA) (1979)

ADVISORS:
- Ralph Blasingame

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Ernest Deprospo
- Thomas H. Mott Jr.
- Prem Nath Bhalla

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT IN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES: AN INVESTIGATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CATEGORIES OF SELECTORS AND USAGE OF SELECTED ITEMS

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to investigate the most prevalent systems of book selection how books should be selected and acquired relative to the order of adequacy and usefulness by circulation totals and by category of selector in university libraries. The rationale for the study was to identify those categories of selectors who have the greatest knowledge of user/needs, as indicated by the maximum use of selected items, and to allow them to develop future useful collections. Use patters are significant for decision o select or not select and item, for future collection development policies, and for appropriately allocating funds to subject disciplines on the basis of a coordinated program of research and library planning.


One extensive empirical study in the literature of the statistical analysis of book use relative to selection agents as the Evans’ study. The present study replicated and expanded the Evans’ study, under other circumstances, in four university libraries to test for consistencies or contradictions in his findings that a relationship exists between categories of selectors and the use of selected items. It further investigated the multiple use of selection items by single and combinations of categories of selectors in the Social Sciences, Science and Humanities within the same time constraints as the Evans’ study.


The procedures employed to investigate the hypotheses proposed in this study included random samples of titles acquired by each method of selection to determine their use and multiple use during the stipulated period of time. The results were tabulated into circulated and non-circulated categories and the chi-square test (X2) statistic was used first; to test the expanded hypothesis to determine if differences existed in the use of books selected by categories of book selectors; and second, to test the expanded subhypotheses to determine if differences existed in the multiple use of books selected by categories of book selectors.


The following is the order of directions predicted:


H1: Books selected by faculty as book selectors are used or circulated more frequently than books selected by librarians as book selectors.


H2: Books selected either by faculty or librarians as book selectors are used or circulated more frequently than books selected by jobbers as book selectors.


H3: Books selected by various combinations of categories of selectors are used or circulated more frequently than books selected by a single category of selectors.


The findings of the study demonstrated that: first, a relationship does exist between a category of book selector and the use of the selected item; second that the observed frequency of circulation of a selected item differed significantly from the expected frequency of all three hypotheses with minor variations; and third, that the book selectors whose knowledge of users’ needs was the greatest was more successful in selecting books which circulated one time and were most frequently circulated the greatest number of times during the specified time period.


The order of direction relative to which category of selector was most effective as book selectors in selecting useful titles indicated that H1 and H2 were accepted when analyses were made across disciplines the social sciences and sciences, but not in humanities. The expanded subhypothesis H3 was generally not supported in this study. Further research is needed to determine whether combinations of categories of selectors are truly operational modes of book selection or conceptualizations.


A recapitulation of expenditures for materials and brief descriptions of each university library studied, and how these collections evolved provided a background in which the book selector’s role takes place.



MPACT Scores for Robbie B. Bingham

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-01-31 06:09:24

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