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Course image Librarianship: Developing Successful Genealogy Collections
Basic Librarianship Courses
Course Summary:

Optional Print Course Material: Librarianship: Developing Successful Genealogy Collections

*Course material will only be sent to students who are registered in the course.

Genealogy collections are at the heart of library service to genealogist. This course assists genealogy librarians with the exciting and challenging task of selecting materials from a wide array of publishers and formats. It covers strategies for establishing beginning collections, expanding or taking collections to the next level, and maintaining leading collections. 

Course Length: 10 weeks

Contact Hours: 27
Grading Scale: 50% Tests/50% Assignments
Course Length: 10 weeks
Course Content

MODULE 1
CREATING A COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY-PART I
The Overview and Parameters
Advantages
Elements of Collection Development Policies
Bounds or Parameters of the Collection

MODULE 2
CREATING A COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY-PART II
Describing and Evaluating the Collection
Collection Description
Evaluation
Analyzing existing collection strength and collection goals

MODULE 3
THE SELECTION PROCESS
Budget
Collection Profiles
Standards in the Field
Unnecessary Duplication of Information

MODULE 4
THE CORE COLLECTION-PART I
Standard Sources
Instructional Materials
Family Histories
Biographical Materials
Reference Guides
Encyclopedic Works
Historical, genealogical & foreign language dictionaries
Chronologies and General Histories
Geographic Dictionaries and Atlases
Guides to Other Repositories
Indexes
Bibliographies

MODULE 5
THE CORE COLLECTION-PART II
Local Collections
Local Records
Local Publications
Maps
Unique and Rare Materials

MODULE 6
BOOK SELECTION-PART I
Issues and Techniques for Collection Building
Classic Methods for Identifying Books & Publishers
New Ways to Locate and Acquire Books
Tracking Books in a Series
The Books Still Here

MODULE 7
BOOK SELECTION-PART II
Representative Titles
Abstracted Records
Ancestral Chart
Bibliographies
Directories
Encyclopedic Works
Family Histories
General Instructional Materials
Geographic Dictionaries and Atlases
Heraldry
Historical, Genealogical and Surname Dictionaries
Histories
Indexes
Libraries and Research Collections
Specialized Instructional Books and Reference Guides
Transcribed Records

MODULE 8
PERIODICALS
Genealogical periodicals fall into the following major categories
Librarians face a number of decisions and issues when selecting genealogical periodicals

MODULE 9
MICROFILM AND ELECTRONIC RECORDS
Electronic Records
CD-ROMs
Limitations of Subscription Databases
Electronic Evaluation