Managing Approval Plan for the Chinese Collection

1
Managing Approval Plan for the Chinese Collection

• The Library of Congress Experience
• Ming Sun Poon
• Asian Division
• The Library of Congress

2
LC Chinese Materials Modes of Acquisitions

• Approval Plan
• Desiderata Catalogs
• Acquisition Trips
• Exchange
• Gifts

3
Approval Plan LC Definition

• An approval plan is an arrangement by which a
  publisher or wholesaler assumes the
  responsibilities for selecting and supplying,
  subject to return privileges, all publications,
  as issued, fitting a librarys collection profile
  specified in terms of subjects, levels, formats,
  prices, languages, etc.

4
Approval Plan Expected benefits

• Make use of vendors connections
• Streamline selection process
• Reduce acquisitions paperwork

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How Approval Plan (for materials from Mainland
China)Works (in the Library of Congress)

• Set up collection profile
• Set up agreement with vendor
• Vendor sends catalogs electronically
• ROs examine catalogs make decisions
• Decisions sent to Acquisition Specialists
• ASs send decisions to vendor
• Vendor ships materials based on decisions

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Types of Decisions by Recommending Officers

• Accept selections
• De-select from selections
• Accept recommendations
• Not accept recommendations
• Add selections

7
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8
LC Chinese Collection Priorities

• Foreign policy international relations
• American studies Sino-American relations
• CCP domestic politics
• Military affairs national security
• Economic development
• (Above priorities recommended by Shambaugh
  Report)
• Continue areas of strength

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Approval Plan Service How to Improve

• Elaborate collection profile
• Maintain hot-line with vendor
• Fully inform vendor on collection policies
• Promptly Inform vendor of changes

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Strategic Handling of Approval Planby
Recommending Officers

• Act fast
• De-select freely
• Add selections liberally
• Be discreet in accepting vendors recommendations
• Supplement with Desiderata Catalogs, etc

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• Thank you
• Send comments to mpoo_at_loc.gov