Conspectus and Collection Evaluation (.pdf)
The research paper I wrote in Collection Development and Management (LI855) allowed me to research a collection evaluation tool and compare it to others used in libraries. This class examined the principles and theories of collection management, especially the contextual factors contributing to this complex process, including ethical, political, and cultural considerations.
Developed in 1980, Conspectus was suitable for a collaborative, consortium environment, and promised a standard terminology for qualitative analysis of a collection, creating a synopsis of strengths and weaknesses. It used a numeric measure of assessment with a series of worksheets based on Library of Congress subject divisions. "Conspectors" explored and evaluated their collections, and sought to determine duplications of effort within consortiums. The immediate complaint about the system was its time-consuming process. It soon became apparent as well that librarians often had trouble being objective about their collections. The "standard terminology" was subject to interpretation, and collaborations often suffered from competitiveness.
I analyzed positive and negative articles about Conspectus, and compared it to other methods of collection assessment. This allowed me to learn about collection management tools and theories, including the need for collection assessment, outreach, and collaboration.