Acquisitions in the New Information Universe: Core Competencies and Ethical Practices

Citation

Peattie, J.K. (2010), "Acquisitions in the New Information Universe: Core Competencies and Ethical Practices", Library Review, Vol. 59 No. 9, pp. 727-728. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242531011087105

This slim volume addresses the issues facing library acquisitions today. Acquisitions are an area of librarianship which has often been neglected in the literature and is an area which, according to the author, is often misunderstood by other professional colleagues. Jesse Holden attempts to give an overview of current acquisitions work and also to address the changing practices of library acquisitions, specifically in academic libraries.

The book is aimed at a dual readership; those who are new to acquisitions and those with more extensive experience of this area. He achieves this throughout the book with a discursive narrative on the changing nature and role of acquisitions along with strategically placed definitions and descriptions of various acquisitions practices and procedures. How this works for those new to acquisitions I am not sure, but it was good not having to jump to an appendix and the additional information panels did not distract from the narrative.

He sets the scene by examining this new information universe then goes on in chapter 2 to outline the “spheres of access” which govern the work of acquisitions. This chapter is the one which is most useful to anyone new to acquisitions as it deals in some detail with various aspects of acquisitions work including selection, request for proposal (RFP) and vendor section, approval plans and access issues. This is also the section which contains the majority of the information panels as well as reproducing Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) statement on principles and standards of acquisitions practice which should govern all acquisitions work.

Holden then describes how the move from the traditional print sphere to the current digital environment is changing the emphasis in acquisitions from an “item‐driven process” to one of the provision of access to content in a variety of formats. The acquisitions librarian no longer just acquires the item but must also investigate and advise on the method of access and he emphasises the increasing complexity of acquisitions work today as a result. The workflows adopted for the purchase of print monographs and serials are discussed along with the need for more flexible working patterns where the format determines the procedures and practices adopted.

Traditionally, the acquisitions section has often been set apart from other areas of the library operation. Jesse Holden argues that this is now changing and must continue to change if the full benefits of technology and the digital environment are to be realised. Acquisitions staff need to work in a more inclusive way within the wider library environment and have a closer working relationship with areas such as the institutional repository and inter‐library loans.

Although predominantly relating to the US experience, the issues highlighted and the drivers which have determined acquisitions and library procurement are universal, for example, the requirement to adhere to any institutional, consortia or statutory procurement regulation.

There are many useful inclusions in this book; the role of e‐books and their different pricing models, the need to embrace user‐driven acquisition and the references to the emerging and growing issue of open access material. Since the publication of Jesse Holden's book, this latter development is fast becoming a point of discussion for many of us at institutional level, particularly how institutional policy on open access publications may impact on library budgets and funding. I found the section on electronic resource management (ERM) particularly useful with helpful criteria for evaluating an electronic resource management system (ERMS) and presenting the arguments for and against the purchase of an ERMS for consideration.

The one area where this book disappoints slightly is the coverage of serials acquisition, but the author may have felt that these issues have been dealt with extensively elsewhere. Although the effect of the big e‐journal deals on library, and, in particular, monograph budgets is covered, as are license agreements and access issues, this did not convey the full extent of the labour intensive nature of serials work. It also left the reader with the overall impression that any discussion of acquisitions work refers predominately to the procurement of printed monographs and their electronic equivalent and that colleagues may continue to misunderstand the totality of acquisitions as a discipline. However, I would still recommend this book to non‐acquisitions, staff, particularly those involved in determining policy within their library. On the whole, this is a very useful and concise contribution to the understanding of acquisitions. It lays out past and current acquisition practices clearly for any novice to understand, as well as providing an interesting discussion on the changing paradigm of acquisitions for the more experienced reader.