Collections Management Policy

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October 2010

Mission Statement
General Considerations
- Purpose of Collection Management Policy
- Evaluation of Policy and Collection
Background for Policy
Subjects
Formats/Material Types
Special Collections
Appendices

I. Mission Statement

Gathering and sharing tobacco control information, the CCTC strives to ensure that knowledge truly informs effective action to improve the health of Canadians and of the global community.

The mission of the Tobacco Control Reference Catalogue (TCRC) is to support the information needs of its target users (see Section II) and Canadian Council for Tobacco Control staff. The Library Team works to connect people with the information they need using evidence-based information processing and knowledge brokering. The TCRC also serves as a repository for invaluable and hard to find materials.

The TCRC provides high quality information to its target users. The physical collection and online database provide access to a variety of information resources, both directly and indirectly through partnerships with other organizations. These resources are complemented by the telephone and email services provided by our Information Officer.

II. General Considerations

Purpose of Collection Management Policy

This collection management policy is meant as a guide for the selection and acquisition process. It provides some details on subject areas and formats to be collected (or not) and covers other issues such as evaluation, deselection, maintenance, and circulation. It is meant as a starting point for discussion rather than a list of commandments.

This document incorporates not only general policy orientations, but also descriptive notes which may be helpful for the reference purposes of current or new staff. The ever-changing tobacco control environment and available resources necessitate that this document be considered a “work-in-progress.”

Evaluation of Policy and Collection

The TCRC collection exists in an environment of fluctuating resources and priorities. Because funding may not allow for consistent stewardship of the collection, evaluation becomes even more important; therefore, the collection management policy should be reviewed every two years either by the Librarian or the Operations Manager/Executive Director.

If there is no Librarian to ensure consistency in collection management a qualified outside consultant (i.e. at minimum, someone with a Masters of Library and Information Studies) should be contracted to update the collection management policy and evaluate the collection’s adherence to this policy.

III. Background for Policy

Structure of Collection

The breadth of our collection is both a strength and a weakness. Items selected for the TCRC can be about many different topics, in many different formats. This means that our collection gives its users an unparalleled sense of the tobacco control field past and present, but it also means that we are unable to be exhaustive in any manner. As the wealth of information published continues to explode and as social media continues to rise, it will become more and more difficult to have an exhaustive collection.

The collection can be divided into two main sections: electronic and physical.

Electronic

Our electronic collection also consists of two constituent parts.

Most records in the TCRC simply list metadata for items found on the Web (e.g. web pages, articles, posters, etc.). We do not keep a copy for distribution, we simply inform users of the resource location.

However, we do keep electronic copies – mainly PDFs – of certain items. If a resource is considered important enough and/or its internet location is unstable enough, a copy will be assigned a call number and saved in the Electronic Library Stacks.

Physical

The physical collection is mainly – though not entirely – older material that was acquired pre-internet. It is held in various locations throughout the CCTC's offices.

Newer items are added to the physical collection if they meet some or all of the following criteria:

Government documents
CCTC publications (2 copies)
Canadiana
Journals with tobacco or tobacco control focus
NNSW posters
Important items not available in an electronic copy

Target Users

Our target users work in disparate areas: in public health, as advocates, as educators, as policy makers, as researchers and in the media. The TCRC aims to provide these users with a comprehensive overview of tobacco control as well as supporting the work of the CCTC.

Some difficulty may be experienced in assigning collection/acquisition priorities to specific target users and this list may change over the years in terms of scope, definition, or ranking.

Health Professionals

Persons working in the provision of health and patient services, health administration, public health, teaching and research. Includes, but is not limited to, dentists, nurses (incl. public health nurses), pharmacists, physicians.

Information Needs?

Reliable & up-to-date information

Guidance and protocols, e.g. clinical and service guidelines
Evidence, e.g. Cochrane Reviews, and other evidence-based research
Knowledge Network, e.g. email forum/discussion board, access to databases, repositories
References, e.g. specialist websites, health statistics, evidence updates
Education, e.g. continuing education/learning materials and online courses
Patient and office information, e.g. end-user brochures/pamphlets, information on support groups

Public Sector (Service) Personnel

Persons employed at the local, county, provincial or other government level. Includes government officials, policy analysts, enforcement officers, and border patrol officers.

Information Needs?

Quick & customized information

Current awareness services
Online reference services
Research/technical reports & analyses
Statistical & economic/financial data
Tobacco industry data

Advocates

Advocates work to diminish the adverse impact that tobacco use has on the health of Canadians. Advocates may work at an NGO, an NVO, in an informal group, or on their own. They may work on a national, provincial/territorial, or municipal scale and may use a variety of tactics to accomplish their goal.

Information Needs?

Current information & information exchange in TC community

Current awareness services, e.g. What's Hot bibliographies
Online reference services, e.g. Media Network news bulletins
Guidance, e.g. manuals, handbooks, guides to “programs-that-work”
Knowledge Network, e.g. access to databases, email forum/discussion boards, blogs, social media
Education, e.g. continuing education/learning materials and online courses

Researchers

Persons engaged in scholarly and scientific investigations or study, usually at academic, government or private institutions. Research results help to expand the knowledge base in tobacco control.

Information Needs?

Links to practical, real world case studies, examples

Evidence, e.g. Cochrane Reviews, and other evidence-based research
Critical research materials, e.g. survey results, abstracts, systematic reviews, unpublished works, scholarly reports
Current and historical data

Legal Professionals

This group usually desires to access our holdings of court documents. We do not have many requests from this group, but since their work can have international repercussions it is important that they be included as one of our target user groups.

Information Needs?

Fast access to hard copies of legal documents and evidence (i.e. realia).

Historical and statistical data, e.g. Health Canada reports, Statistics Canada links
Government publications, e.g. WHO, Health Canada
Legal data, e.g. decisions & judgments; legal cases
Tobacco industry data, e.g industry document collections

Educators

Persons who plan, organize and direct education programs for the individual, groups and the community.

Information Needs?

Broad information needs; always looking for FREE resources

Curriculum materials/guides, e.g. for lesson plans & activities
Classroom resources, e.g. posters, factsheets etc.

Media Specialists

Persons involved in the reportage of news and current events, commentary and feature materials, through print and electronic communication. They are important because of their wide reach and high degree of influence on the general public.

Information Needs?

Background in response to current events, such as the release of a new study.

Historical and statistical data
Government publications
Legal data, e.g. statutes & regulations; decisions & judgments; legal cases
Tobacco industry data

N.B. General Public: Although we recognize that the general public may find our website and its resources useful, they are not a target user group.

Core Selection Criteria

At this point in time, the TCRC is proactively acquiring very few physical items. Instead, our focus is on collecting links to pertinent online information. We aim to be a portal to Tobacco Control on the web. The following criteria, then, apply to both physical items and online resources.

Core selection criteria to be considered for TCRC acquisitions include:

relevance to the TCRC scope of activities, services, and target users;
relevance to national, provincial and territorial strategies;
support of one or more subject or format collection development priorities;
value -- content, format, physical condition, and cost effectiveness (anticipated use versus cost); especially anticipated significance or contribution to tobacco control;
appropriateness of the subject content and intellectual level of material;
authority -- originates from a recognized authority on the subject;
currency of information;
access and availability;
Stability (for e-materials);
relevance to key funders' programs and priorities; and
potential loss of items if we do not keep them.

Additional criteria or descriptive notes applicable to particular subject areas or formats may be listed in the relevant sections.

It is true that there can be strategic value in acquiring materials for which there may not be an immediate or direct user demand. In such cases, acquisition may still proceed if relevance or importance can be justified on the basis of critical peer recommendation, evaluation of emerging trends, or other important indicators which justify the acquisition for potential usage.

Retention and Archival Policy

Items kept indefinitely (in either hard copy or electronic):

grey literature;
CCTC publications (2 copies of each language);
most recent Federal, Provincial, Territorial tobacco control strategies and legislation;
court documents;
obscure/hard-to-find items;
ATI search results;
periodicals that contain frequently requested articles;
tobacco industry documents and information;
documents for staff use;
items of probable historical significance;
Realia (unless a better home can be found); and
Multimedia (see Section IV, Format/Material Types).

Items not retained:

multiple copies of periodicals and monographs;
journal articles available through Infotrieve; and
municipal by-laws.

Many retention questions may arise that are not covered above. These questions will be answered by the Librarian in consultation with other Library Team members; in the absence of a Librarian, the Operations Manager/Executive Director will be responsible.

The physical collection should be examined and appropriate items deselected on an ongoing basis. Currently, the CCTC does not archive materials. Items are either kept in the main collection or deselected.

IV. Subjects

The subjects listed below are based in part upon New Directions for Tobacco Control in Canada and the Federal Tobacco Control Strategy. Since the aim of the TCRC is to support national tobacco control efforts, it makes sense to follow this schema.

The subject areas listed below have been designated as High Priority (1), Moderate Priority (2) and Low Priority (3). More attention should be paid to subjects marked with a 1 than those with a 2; more attention should be paid to subjects marked with a 2 than those with a 3. Collection in any subject area should be done in reference to the core selection criteria discussed earlier.

Cessation (1)

Canadian programs and research
international efforts
health effects
research, reports, studies, reviews
population characteristics, trends, behaviour
with regards to special populations (e.g. aboriginal peoples, people with mental illness, people with lower SES)
with regards to specific settings (e.g. home, workplace, public places, cars, outdoor public spaces)
specific approaches to cessation (e.g. policy, advertising); evaluations of these approaches
resources and programs for promoting cessation; evaluations of resources and programs
better practices

Prevention (1)

Canadian efforts
international efforts
health effects
research, reports, studies, reviews
population characteristics, trends, behaviour
with regards to special populations (e.g. aboriginal peoples, people with mental illness, people with lower SES)
with regards to specific settings (e.g. home, workplace, public places)
specific approaches to prevention (e.g. policy, taxation); evaluations of these approaches
resources and programs for tackling prevention; evaluations of resources and programs
better practices

Protection (1)

Canadian efforts
international efforts
health effects
research, reports, studies, reviews
population characteristics, trends, behaviour
with regards to special populations (e.g. aboriginal peoples, people with mental illness, people with lower SES)
with regards to specific settings (e.g. home, workplace, public places, outdoor public spaces)
specific approaches to protection (e.g. policy, legislation); evaluations of these approaches
resources and programs for tackling subject; evaluations of resources and programs
better practices

Denormalization (1)

Canadian efforts
international efforts
plain packaging
health effects
research, reports, studies, reviews
population characteristics, trends, behaviour
with regards to special populations (e.g. aboriginal peoples, people with mental illness, people with lower SES)
with regards to specific settings (e.g. home, workplace, public places, outdoor public spaces)
specific approaches to denormalization (e.g. education, policy, media campaigns); evaluations of these approaches
resources and programs for tackling subject; evaluations of resources and programs
better practices
popular culture/mass media

Chronic Diseases & Tobacco Use (1)

arthritis
cardiovascular disease
respiratory disease
diabetes
cancer

Harm Reduction (1)

Canadian information
NRT
alternate nicotine delivery routes
product modification
elimination of misleading information provided to consumers

Law and Taxation (1)

key national and provincial/territorial legislation in Canada
evaluation of impact
international legislation
case law, litigation: key cases
smuggling and contraband

Tobacco Control Strategies (1)

international
national
provincial/territorial/state
evaluations of, writings about, results of such strategies

Tobacco Industry (2)

Canadian and international company profiles and histories
market overview
brands and suppliers
tactics
research, reports, studies, reviews

Health Effects (3)

anything that is not caught in the above high priority categories but is nevertheless important

Special Populations (3)

anything that is not caught in the above high priority categories but is nevertheless important

Population Trends (3)

anything that is not caught in the above high priority categories but is nevertheless important

V. Formats/Material Types

With the TCRC’s move to an object-oriented database, the range of materials we are able to collect has expanded greatly and includes resources not traditionally found in collections management policies. The following list is not exhaustive, but may serve to guide staff in the acquisitions process.

Grey Literature

Grey literature is information that cannot be easily found through conventional sources such as commercial publishers. Includes research reports, technical reports, unpublished conference proceedings or programs amongst other quasi-printed material. This is an important part of the TCRC, since much of this information may be lost if we do not acquire it. We actively seek out grey literature by:

searching the Library and Archives Canada’s AMICUS database for all approved reports;
searching the MERX website of Public Works and Government Services Canada for tenders of upcoming research; and
following up with an ATI search for literature which may have been single-sourced (and therefore missing the tendering process).

Journal Articles

Articles published in peer-reviewed journals. We do not collect any of these items in paper or electronic formats. We search out these links through a regular search of the Web of Knowledge database. Many, many articles are entered in the TCRC: they are ordered from Infotrieve on an as needed basis.

Multimedia

This includes, but is not limited to, podcasts, online videos, posters, kits.

We do not collect hard copy multimedia items or accept them as donations (including VHS tapes, DVDs, CD-ROMs, CDs, cassettes, and reel-to-reel tapes); however, we will not deselect them. Moreover, we will keep a cassette player, a VHS machine and DVD/CD player onsite to ensure researcher access to these materials.

Monographs

We acquire published monographs, particularly reports, when they are deemed to be of particular value to our users and are either unavailable online, or their online presence seems unstable. Preference is to keep 1 copy in the Electronic Library Stacks. Due to space considerations, we only keep one copy of any physical title. They are kept permanently but may be deselected on a case-by-case basis.

Websites

We catalogue both websites and individual web pages, depending on their relevance to tobacco control, their perceived stability, their timeliness and their authority.

Periodicals

The list of periodicals to which we subscribe changes dramatically as budget allows. Core journals include the Canadian Journal of Public Health, Canadian Medical Association Journal, Tobacco Control, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, and the Journal of Smoking Cessation. Due to budgetary constraints, online archiving of many periodicals, and our document delivery agreement with Infotrieve, we do not foresee increasing the number of periodical subscriptions.

Annual Reports

We no longer collect hard copies of tobacco manufacturers' annual reports, but do catalogue the online versions. We do not collect the annual reports for TC advocacy groups. There were few requests for them.

Court Documents

We do not actively seek out the proceedings and exhibits from litigation, but gladly accept them when offered.

Correspondence

We keep selected correspondence from key players about key topics in TC. This includes personal emails and emails sent to listservs. The Information Specialist belongs to several listservs for this purpose. Otherwise, we do not actively seek this out, and when donated, thoroughly vet the collection before cataloguing.

Organizations

This is information collected about a group of individuals working toward the same TC goal or from a similar perspective. Priority is given to Canadian organizations, though international organizations should also be considered.

Programs

We amass information about various TC programs with a focus on Canadian content at the Federal and Provincial level. We may collect some program details from municipal sources, but due to the vast amounts of information available, it is not possible to be comprehensive at that level. We also accumulate information on international programs.

Magazine Articles, News Articles, Press Releases

We do not catalogue any of these formats.

Editorials, Letters to the Editor, Commentaries

We catalogue items of this type only if they meet at least one of the following criteria:

are about a Canadian issue;
are long enough to be useful to users and/or has a significant list of references; and
add value to a hot topic.

Social Media

We do not currently catalogue any ephemeral social media (e.g. Twitter) or items which require a password to view (e.g. Facebook).

Blogs are considered websites and videos (e.g. YouTube) are considered multimedia.

VI. Special Collections

The CCTC does not actively develop any special collections but may accept a donation of specialized items at the discretion of the Librarian/Executive Director/Operations Manager. Special consideration will be given to donated collections that come with funds allocated for processing the items.

A “special collection” is one in which some or all of the following criteria apply:

the material constitutes a significant or 'stand-alone' part of the collection;
the material is of specialized content or utility;
the items were received as a gift or otherwise acquired under difficult or costly circumstances;
the items are fragile, rare or of special significance (e.g. archival);
they will be lost if we do not keep them.

Some important special collections we currently house include:

Attorney General of Canada v. RJR-Macdonald Inc [and Imperial Tobacco Ltd] court transcripts and exhibits;
tobacco industry documents (B&W, PM);
tobacco industry documents donated by Eric LeGresley;
government committee hearings and proceedings; and
papers from the estate of Dr. Delarue.

Special collections for which we would like to find funding or a new home:

tobacco industry advertising and promotional examples;
realia; and
video collection.

VII. Appendices

Appendix A: Inter-library and other loans

The CCTC does not loan out anything from its collection. We are no longer serving as a clearinghouse, though exceptions may always be made at the discretion of the Executive Director/Operations Manager. We do send photocopies of articles, books, and reports to CCTC members in accordance with Access Copyright regulations.

Certain stakeholders, VIPs, and target users may visit CCTC in order to examine our collection. Such appointments will be set up at the discretion of the Executive Director/Operations Manager.

Appendix B: Donations

Donations are a critical component to our collection development strategies; in fact, important parts of our collection rely heavily upon donated items (e.g. court documents, industry documents).

The CCTC gladly accepts donated materials for its collection from funders, affiliated organizations, clients, and individuals, provided that the material meets the criteria established by this policy and at the discretion of the Executive Director/Operations Manager.

Appendix C: Legal Deposit

The CCTC is committed to the principal of the federal depository program. Legal Deposit is the means by which Library and Archives Canada develops and maintains a comprehensive national collection of the nation's published heritage and development. If the CCTC publishes something, 2 copies of each publication in each language should be sent to the address below. Forms and further information are available on the Legal Deposit website.

For additional information, contact:
Legal Deposit
Library and Archives Canada
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0N4
Telephone: (819) 997-9565
Toll-free number in Canada: 1-866-578-7777 (Select 1+5+1+1)
Toll-free number for the deaf (TDD): 1-866-299-1699
Fax: (819) 953-8508
E-mail: legal.deposit@lac-bac.gc.ca

Appendix D: Sources

Evans, G. Edward. Developing library and information center collections. 3rd Ed. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited Inc., 1995.

last modified Nov 16, 2010 07:23 AM