Making Room for Ludlum: Popular Fiction Collections in Academic Libraries

1
Making Room for Ludlum Popular Fiction
Collections in Academic Libraries

• Vivian Lewis
• Associate University Librarian (Organizational
  Analysis,
• Planning and Accountability), McMaster University
  Library
• Wade Wyckoff
• Collection Services Librarian, McMaster
  University Library

2
Our game plan

• Definitions, theory and objectives
• Creating the collection
• The sample
• The study
• The results
• Next steps
• Questions, comments

3
Defining Popular Fiction

• Works intended for a popular audience
• Objective entertainment, relaxation
• Focus on characterization, plot development,
  narrative style
• Include genre works (mysteries, romance,
  westerns, sci fi). Often described as
  formulaic or patterned.
• Our focus text, monographs

4
Looking back Guilty Sins

• Often acquired for curricular support. Rarely
  for pleasure.
• Popular fiction is trivial, not mission-critical.
  Reading for pleasure is secondary to information
  seeking
• Cant justify the expense!
• Too much trouble Transitory, paperbacks, dont
  know the tools

5
New Theory

• Growing body of literature suggests that popular
  fiction is a powerful tool for personal growth
  and lifelong learning.
• Academic libraries have a key role to play in
  encouraging the love of reading at a critical
  point in undergraduate students reading lives.

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The Importance of Popular Fiction

• Popular fiction may entertain and amuse, excite
  the imagination, reduce mental and physical
  stress, give a sense of order or control,
  validate ideas or emotions, or meet social needs
  of belonging or understanding.
• Connie Van Fleet, Popular Fiction Collections
  in Academic and Public Libraries, The
  Acquisitions
• Librarian, 2003.

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Importance

• Books help me clarify my feelings, change my way
  of thinking about things, help me think through
  problems in my own life, help me make a decision,
  and give me the strength and courage to make some
  major changes in my own lifeThey put me in touch
  with a larger, more spacious world.
• Catherine Sheldrick Ross, Readers Advisory
  Service
• New Directions, RQ, Summer 1991.

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The McMaster Study

• Objectives
• Evaluate the usage of a small popular fiction
  collection in an academic library setting
• Gain some insight into what genres are most
  popular
• Experiment with various strategies (some
  technical, some not) for promoting its use.

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Original Sample Collection

• 160 books (everything selected and available for
  use by Oct. 1, 2007)
• Wide spectrum of genres picked with students in
  mind (no cat mysteries)
• Mixture of hardback and paperback
• Mostly current but some older works

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The Study

• Original study Circulation over the period Nov.
  9, 2007 April 9, 2008
• Data subsetted by genre and by author
• Updates
• New circulation stats for the original sample
• Some info on usage of later purchases

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Where it all BeganCreating the Collection

• Put out a call to library staff to recommend
  titles/genres AND/OR participate in a book buying
  expedition.

12
The Collection

• Prominent location adjacent to the Learning
  Commons
• Spare shelving out of existing inventory
• Simplified call number
• Books face out
• Dust jackets and book protectors

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Promoting the Collection

• Library news item
• Library web site
• In-Library Signage
• Included in scripts for physical tours

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Library News posting
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Popular Reading Web Site
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LibraryThing
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Results

• Confession Applying some science after the
  fact!
• Looking first at the original sample (160 titles)
• Will also look at some of the books added more
  recently

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Overall ImpressionsItem Status
19
Overall ImpressionsCirc Stats

• Average of circulations for popular reading
  titles (the original sample)
• 4.25
• Average of circulations for books in the Mills
  monograph collection
• 0.038

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Top Titles
21
Luck of the DrawPart 1

• Which of these titles is the most circulated?
• Angels Fall
• Before I Wake
• Beloved A Novel
• The Brief History of the Dead
• Dear John
• The Emperors Children
• The Lonely Bones
• Shopaholic Takes Manhattan
• A Thousand Splendid Suns
• Wicked

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Top Ten BooksApril 2008 February 2009
23
Something NewStudent Shoppers

• Chose more than 100 books at Titles
• Top picks
• Snuff (12)
• The Twentieth Wife (11)
• Book of Air Shadows (8)
• Citizen Girl (8)
• Daughter of York (8)

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Most popular Genres
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Luck of the DrawPart 2

• Which genre had the highest average circulation?
• FICTION / Coming of Age
• FICTION / Family Life
• FICTION / Fantasy
• FICTION / Horror
• FICTION / Literary
• FICTION / Medical
• FICTION / Romance
• FICTION / Visionary Metaphysical
• JUVENILE FICTION / General
• JUVENILE FICTION / Science Fiction, Fantasy,
  Magic

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Results Most Popular Genres February 2009
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Top 5 Genres (Avg. Circ / Genre)

• Family life (22)
• Coming of Age (16)
• Juvenile Fiction (14)
• Medical Fiction (12)
• Romance (11)

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Policy Decisions Along the Way

• Where do books go when they are no longer
  popular?
• ANSWER Make decision on a case-by-case basis.
  May be discarded.
• Do you split authors?
• ANSWER Yes, only the popular titles go into the
  Pop Fiction collection!

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More Policies

• How will we fund the collection going forward?
• ANSWER Will spend 2,000/year on new titles.
• Who will be responsible for refreshing the
  collection (selecting new titles, removing
  unpopular titles)?
• ANSWER Will be asking for a volunteer to take a
  lead on the collection.

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More Policy Decisions

• Do we add award winners to the collection?
  ANSWER Maybe. Some award lists too high brow
  for our audience.
• Would we duplicate titles between the popular
  collection and the stacks?
• ANSWER Yes, but dont think it will come up too
  often.

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More Policy Decisions

• Will we replace copies if they go missing, get
  damaged?
• ANSWER Yes, if its still popular.

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Reactions

• Heavily used!
• Students getting involved
• Libraries at other universities contacting us for
  advice

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Lessons Learned

• Usage Popular fiction is much more popular than
  we expected.
• Genres Wide spectrum. Literary and trash.
• Selection Pick for your audience, not yourself.
  Consider the award winners, but dont be a slave
  to the lists. If you can, have your users pick
  for themselves.
• Arrangement Dont be too librarianish. Be
  ready to live with inconsistencies (books by the
  same author in two separate areas).
• Maintenance Separate processing and shelving
  policies are manageable.

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Going Forward

• Refresh the collection
• New titles
• Replace tattered copies (if still popular!)
• Staff volunteer(s)
• Suggest new titles, books needing replacement,
  review stats with Wade (sounds fun, no?)
• Improved shelving
• Improved signage

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Questions Comments

• Then

• Now