M3L1: Organisation of Library Material: Concept, Need, and Purpose

NIOS 12th Senior Secondary Library and Information Science (339) Module 3 Organisation of Information Sources Lesson 1 Chapter 9

library material (organisation of library material: concept, need, and purpose)

(organisation of library material: concept, need, and purpose)

• library materials → records of human knowledge for easy handling, storage, use, and preserving

• information (info) in documents (docs) represents thought content and knowledge

• available in print and non print forms 

• categories of reading material must be known to develop the library collection

  • types, forms, uses, and characteristics of the reading material should also be known

print material (organisation of library material: concept, need, and purpose)

(organisation of library material: concept, need, and purpose)

• historically, libraries have used printed materials for their collections

• printed materials come in various forms, including 

  • books 

  • periodicals 

  • newspapers 

  • reference books

  • dissertations and theses

  • standards

  • patents 

  • maps 

  • reports

books (print material)

(print material)

•  a written or printed literary work that published 

  • has an independent physical existence - pages are fastened together on one side and encased between protective covers

• sometimes called monographs in certain libraries 

• major portion of library’s collection 

• can have info to support education courses, info on business, foreign languages, history, literature (lit), etc 

• generally deals with one specific subject with continuous thought content 

• usually have a protective cover 

• reasonably inexpensive and easy to store, transport, and find info

oxford dictionary definition of book (print material)

(print material)

• a written or printed work consisting or pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in covers 

periodicals (print material)

(print material)

• publication with distinctive title that is put out at stated regular intervals without a foreseeable end 

• contains articles, editorials, features, columns, stories, etc by several contributors 

• most important aspect is that the latest or most current info on the subject is provided 

• displayed prominently in the library to the readers and replaced by latest issues

UNESCO definition of periodical (print material)

(print material)

• a publication that constitutes one issue in a continuous series under the same title, published at regular or irregular intervals, over an indefinite period, individual issues in the series being numbered consecutively or each issue being dated

newspapers (print material)

(print material)

• scheduled publication containing news on current events, informative articles, diverse features, editorials, ads, etc 

• usually printed on inexpensive, low-grade papers called newsprint 

• issued periodically, usually daily or weekly, with most recent news

• great way to keep oneself well informed on current events 

• play vital role in shaping public opinion 

• can contained local, state, national, and even international news

• have editorials, opinion columns, featured articles, entertainment items, etc 

• articles are often supported with illustrations, photographs, charts, etc 

• lots of newspapers have glossy and coloured supplements to attract readers

non print material (organisation of library material: concept, need, and purpose)

(organisation of library material: concept, need, and purpose)

• any material in any form other than print material 

• rapidly becoming more common and important info sources in modern libraries 

• main difference between print and non print materials is that non print needs a machine to convey info to user 

• available in two categories - audiovisual materials and electronic materials

audio-visual materials (non-print material)

(non-print material)

• generic term to describe info content in storage and transmission media formats that use images and sounds rather than or in addition to text 

• also called instructional media materials and are educational aids 

• work mostly through the senses, particularly hearing and seeing, including 

  • audio cassettes

  • video tapes

  • motion picture films 

  • slides 

  • microforms 

  • CD-ROMs 

  • DVDs

  • photographs (photos)

• libraries that have these materials also have the equipment needed to use them, such as motion-picture projectors, television sets, record and tape players, overhead projectors

electronic materials / resources (non-print material)

(non-print material)

• computers and related electronic resources are vital in modern libraries 

• e-resource → any library material that is made available electronically 

  • include documents in e-format that can be accessed locally or on the internet 

• reference books are also available online 

• e-resources include e-journals, e-databases, e-magazines, e-images, e-audio, e-newsletters, e-conference proceedings, digital library projects, electronic exhibitions, etc 

• generally free of cost and available on the internet, some can be commercial and have prices

other material (organisation of library material: concept, need, and purpose)

(organisation of library material: concept, need, and purpose)

• other types of library materials, including, standards, patents, pamphlets, reports, dissertations / theses, maps, charts, etc 

• usually collected by libraries of scientific and technological organisations 

• dissertations and theses are usually collected by university libraries

need to organise library material (organisation of library material: concept, need, and purpose)

(organisation of library material: concept, need, and purpose)

• having materials isn’t enough, they need to be well organised for users to easily access them 

• need for organising library material is to

  • maximise search capabilities for users

  • display available resources 

  • minimise physical, intellectual, and time barriers

• organising should make info easier to find info for staff and users

purpose of organising library material (organisation of library material: concept, need, and purpose)

(organisation of library material: concept, need, and purpose)

• important to organise library materials for easier locating - saving users’ time 

• accessing subject materials of certain disciplines becomes easy and the place looks neat 

• purpose of organising library material is to 

  • ensure location of library material

  • facilitate easy accessibility of the material 

  • enhance effective utilisation of the material 

  • attract users to the library

steps in organising the library material (organisation of library material: concept, need, and purpose)

(organisation of library material: concept, need, and purpose)

• main goal of every library to share info with users 

• how we organise materials isn’t as important as the end result 

• organising is only successful if it makes it easier for staff and users to find desired info when they want it 

• steps of organising library materials are acquisition, collection development, and technical processing of library material

• beyond these steps, library materials have to be maintained to stay effective and relevant using various maintenance procedures

aquisition (steps in organising the library material)

(steps in organising the library material)

• need to identify collection requirements of library 

• based on type of library and community of users

collection development (steps in organising the library material)

(steps in organising the library material)

• need to start acquiring the materials that have been identified as needed 

• librarians need to known the best ways to acquire the needed items 

• the steps involved are 

  • select materials based on availability of funds 

  • place orders for purchase

  • acquire the material 

  • maintain records of newly acquired material

technical processing of library material (steps in organising the library material)

(steps in organising the library material)

• libraries usually have open access system and use the following steps to organise materials

  • process new material

    • classification of materials

    • cataloguing of materials

  • physical processing 

    • stamping

    • pasting

    • labelling 

  • display the resources 

  • storing and shelving

maintenance procedures (steps in organising the library material)

(steps in organising the library material)

• care of library resources 

• shelf maintenance 

• maintaining records of collection development and use 

• identifying the lost and damaged materials 

• housekeeping activities for the collection