How can you identify gaps in your library's collection with community engagement?

Community engagement and identifying the key needs of the community can help in collection development. Engagement also reduces the chances of leaving out other groups in the community

There are several options: 1. Survey 2. Friends of the Library input 3. Circulation trends 4. Suggestion box or suggestions email address 5. Dialogue with users at circulation desk or amongst the shelves 6. Develop a community profile - this is crucial and a key to collecting development

La participación comunitaria es el conjunto de acciones que permiten que los usuarios de la bibliotecas formen parte del proceso de creación de su propia biblioteca, siendo ellos quienes colaboran en la selección de las obras que se van a prestar. Se puede realizar a través de encuestas en papel o digital, mediante charlas en grupo o a través de las redes sociales. La participación de los usuarios es fundamental porque sin ellos la biblioteca no tendría sentido. La biblioteca se hace para que los usuarios usen sus servicios.

One thing I find helpful when identifying gaps in the library collection is conducting community analysis which includes workshops, surveys or polls, and user groups. Identifying the relevancy of the collection by considering the needs of diverse library users in the community. Inclusivity is also crucial considering those with disabilities and learning challenges.

En respuesta a la primera pregunta planteada, es decir, detectar las brechas en la colección podemos realizar varias tareas: 1. Revisar si nos faltan partes. Es decir, si tenemos trilogías, bilogías, o colecciones incompletas. Esto lo podemos hacer consultando la estantería, el catálogo y otras fuentes como catálogos. 2. En el día a día al entablar conversación e intentar resolver dudas de información bibliográfica descubriremos si nos faltan monografías de un tema o alguna novela. 3. Realizar un inventario. Nos servirá para expurgar aquello que ya no tenga que formar parte del fondo y para saber si nos falta completar alguna temática.

Community engagement and collaboration can be invaluable for highlighting gaps in the collection. These might not necessarily be in the material itself, but in the metadata supporting it. Engaging with communities that have specialist skills and knowledge - such as different cultural groups - can go such a long way to reevaluating existing collections, celebrating material in new ways, and decolonising historic acquisitions to make them more valuable to the communities who actually wish to use them. By being involved in the cataloguing and metadata process, communities who do not usually access the collections can have a point of entry, and approach the material from a less intimidating - and more informed - perspective.

Community engagement in collection development is important for the following reasons: *It helps in acquiring the relevant information materials needed by the community. *It gives them a sense of involvement in library acquisitions and belonging in such organisations. *It makes them to easily patronise the library knowing fully well that their information needs would be taken care of since they were involved in the acquisition process. *It prevents wastage of Library funds since the information materials are acquired with the contributions of the host community.

It's very important as they are stakeholders, customers, patrons. Users and above all the library is designed to cater to the needs of the users.

Community engagement helps enrich and include everyone in our doors. In areas where there is a heavy immigrant population we will always add books in the languages of our community. Literacy comes in all tongues, including new comers. It is within our doors that we can introduce them to the culture they are about to become a part if. It's the library that will support their reading habits, supply news from home, help them with their new language, teach them to use new technology and introduce them to services that will help them adjust to a new country. We try to show them if they need or want something we can aquire it for everyone's use.

Community engagement can help ensure the proper resources are being procured and curated for current up to date research needs. Allowing the community into the process helps them understand the constraints libraries are under in purchasing, yet allowing for better resource understanding.

En mi experiencia se debe realizar un estudio de usuarios primeramente para determinar las características principales sobre el consumo de información que tienen los usuarios, de preferencia encuestas y entrevistas con grupos focales. Posteriormente se deber revisar la pertinencia de la colección con las características de los usuarios.

Community engagement is extremely important. In order to properly and effectively fill the gaps, you need to actually engage with communities. This means, going INTO communities and doing outreach. User surveys, interviews, meetings, talkbacks, focus groups, data collection, etc... are all great ways to engage and assess. I also found that actually getting boots on the ground and actively listening and bonding within these communities are extremely important and powerful to get clear, honest, and effective assessments. It is not enough to only gather information in the branch. Go out and make things accessible. Provide surveys and instructions in various languages. Communicate, ask questions, watch, and listen.

I think the location of the library is likely another element that will determine what kind of community need. Such as libraries in children's schools, youth's school, universities, churches, or public libraries, etc.

I worked in a highly integrated system with excellent computer capability. We had a lot of data from borrowing patterns. Hold patterns placed and filled from the whole system and borrowing from the integrated interlibrary loans system. We would see what areas we lacked local resource in, and order to fill gaps. Teachers would notify us of curriculum changes or timing for certain core project so we could order in additional materials and prepare "cheat sheets" for internet research sites that met standards for information . A healthy relationship with the local community is key, asks need to be responded to, and community outreach is key. You need to go to them. Presenting programs continuously in your community schools, senior centers,etc.

Setting up broad based discussions and then working to focus in on current research is critical. Identifying the researchers willing to participate is the challenge. They may self identify to participate, but then not have time to fully engage. Providing more short, quick responses, and following up with questions related to their original answers may help guide the discussions. For libraries to expect experts to spend hours evaluating a collection for a department need is most likely not going to happen.

Make it fun and never underestimate the power of prizes for patrons of all ages! Getting people involved, even just by taking a survey or voting in-house for their favorite things, shouldn't feel like homework.

One easy way would be to have books listed on an editable Google Doc with voting chips next to each title. That way, people could add in their own ideas, including recommendations, and vote on others' suggestions. You could also use an online form/survey but it would be less likely to engage patrons to the point of completion. I would be sure to share the file far & wide - including all types and ages of community members. For those not-so-tech-savvy members, others (like librarians) could assist.

Another way to look at this is through requests received via interlibrary loan. This is on demand requesting of materials not owned. Often content not owned can be borrowed, but what is the likely hood-of needing that item again? Very often purchased materials are rarely used but if used once often will have a secondary borrow. This in an academic setting puts the purchase or request directly in the community hands.

Surveys and questionnaires offered to students, teachers, and community members are great ways to solicit feedback in regards to collection development and can relieve the burden that large collection development projects invoke.

Creo que hay que aprovechar las herramientas tecnológicas. La biblioteca puede crear una app para la participación de sus usuarios. Hoy en día se pueden crear aplicaciones móviles con programas gratuitos y No Code. Los comentarios se pueden almacenar en hojas de cálculo para ser analizadas por los empleados de la biblioteca.

Las formas en las que los usuarios pueden participar son: las desideratas, que se pueden realizar por escrito, vía online o bien de boca a boca en el momento de atenderle. Los datos son recogidos, se busca el documento y se pide al departamento de adquisiciones, una vez que se ha comprobado que no lo tenemos. Otra forma son las donaciones. Pero en esta caso hay que ser muy concreto para no trabajar más de lo debido, puesto que las donaciones muchas veces suelen ser documentos obsoletos que a la gente le da pena tirar.

Se podría otorgar beneficios especiales a los usuarios que estén dispuestos a donar o apoyar a la biblioteca en el enriquecimiento de la colección. También realizar eventos cada fin de año con el objetivo de crear conciencia en los usuarios para que aporten ideas y materiales para enriquecer la colección.

Communication with a library’s patrons and wider community members, needs to be continuous to ensure that libraries continue to be useful to their users. Information can be provided to regular library users through direct communication, such as through member lists or printed within the library space. Whereas, to reach the general community that could access the library’s services, information needs to be accessed by all, such as on the library’s website and social media platforms. Space for feedback needs to be provided, encouraging users to engage with their library, assisting the library in growing to better meet their community’s needs. It’s through this cycle of communication that continuous improvement is made possible.

No está demás tener un puesto de recepción para recibir propuestas, realizar encuestas rápidas en forma presencial. Atender las necesidades y conversar con calidez con el usuario de la biblioteca. En lugar de un buzón de quejas y sugerencias, un bibliotecario para escuchar y comprender.

Sometimes there is a lot of emphasis on addressing the needs of regular patrons. I think more needs to be done to reach out to other potential library users. Why are they not coming? Can libraries do anything to change that?

In order to truly engage with the entire community, outreach must be done beyond the scope of the library's active patronage. Members of the community who cannot or do not access the library, for their own reasons, are an important and valid source of information on how a library can better serve its community and expand its collection appropriately. The community will also be more willing to engage and make suggestions if the library takes strides to include their more peripheral patronage.

We often have ideas and initiatives that we think would be great, but our patrons might not want or need these services. Always ALWAYS communicate with your community. This means that you have to actually go into these communities and create a solid relationship between libraries and residents. Ask questions and actively listen. We often focus so much on regular patrons but not much on those who do not have access to libraries due to disability, economic status, homelessness, not speaking English, or other barriers. We have to meet people where they are and truly make library services accessible for all.

Before setting all these ,a rough draft and expenditure involved should be discuss .Division of work and then physical and under guidance only each and everything should be done