Book selection : principles and practices, with a case study of John XXIII Memorial Library

Abstract

It is understood that the serious book selector must remember and practice a series of principles and procedures. An attempt to underline such principles and practices is the aim of this long essay. Obviously what is stated in this essay is not with biblical certainty but as a starting point for developing and helping one's own foundations for an effective book selection. Any book selector reading this essay would understand that book selection involves an intimate knowledge of a library's purpose, its collections and its user groups. These are the key factors in effective, responsible selection of library materials. In many ways book selection principles draw substantially on the ideas or five 'laws' of librarianship developed by S.R. Ranganathan: i.) books are for use; ii.) every reader his book; iii.) every book its reader; iv.) save the reader's time; and v.) a library is a growing organism. Any librarian or person involved in selection must have a strong commitment to these laws as they relate to selection. Besides discussing all the book selection practices and principles - including stock-revision and book-weeding - this essay also attempts to go beyond theory and presents an actual case-study of book selection in a local theological library: John XXIII Memorial library. Such a case-study will serve to have a first-hand knowledge of how an actual book selection process occurs. Hopefully, this essay is intended to aid librarians and book selectors, but also book-readers and any serious researcher.