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| How We Build Our Library Collection... |
| The process begins when a request to purchase an item is submitted to the
Technical Services office. Parkland librarians make many of the selections for new
materials based upon the Library's Collection Development Policy. We also encourage all
faculty, staff, and students to submit requests for materials to be considered for
addition to the collection. The next step is to place the order to the appropriate vendor
which varies according to the nature of the material. When the item is received it must be checked for quality, and we make sure the correct item has been received. Our financial records are updated, and the invoice is sent to the College Business Office for payment. Most Library materials are cataloged using a worldwide shared database of over 40 million items. The catalogers use established cataloging rules and guidelines that help to standardize access points so that users throughout the |
world can rely on finding what they are looking
for through the many online and electronic means that are now available. The catalogers
identify and establish the correct form of names for authors, establish access points for
titles and other possible titles a user might use, assign a Library of Congress call
number that places the book into the Library’s collection according to its subject
matter, and assign subject headings so that the item can be readily retrieved when the
user is searching for a particular topic. Following cataloging, the items are processed — barcodes used in checking out are placed on the items, author-title labels and call number labels are applied to the piece, and the item is property stamped. At this point the item is available for checking out. The whole process — from placing the order, to receiving the item, to cataloging and processing — can take as short as a few days to as long as a few months. In general, most material is available in a very timely fashion. |
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