In an organization with a decentralized collection development structure, it can be difficult for selectors to find correct and/or detailed information at the point of need when engaging in collection development. Institutional knowledge that is possessed by individuals who have worked at the library for many years is not always easily shared with others due to the lack of an effective conduit. Simply knowing what is happening and what has happened with purchases, licensing, vendor negotiations, budget planning, and policy creation can be a challenge for those who have not been directly involved. This presentation will detail the presenter's experience in a new collections role at Penn State Libraries and her work gathering the information that exists on shared drives, in file cabinets, dark corners of the intranet, and in the brains of faculty and staff that have worked at the library for many years and making it available to selectors in a meaningful way. The presentation will discuss projects such as compiling information about annual ebook packages and ejournal backfiles as well as Penn State’s management of theses and dissertations. How those projects were identified and prioritized as well as the process for compiling that information and making it available will also be discussed. The presentation will conclude with a long-term plan for storing and presenting this kind of information so that knowledge continues to be shared across Penn State Libraries. Many libraries face challenges with regard to capturing institutional knowledge, and collection development is an area within libraries where historical information needs to be referenced frequently. This presentation will offer attendees some ideas for how to approach this issue as well as the benefit of the successes and failures the presenter experienced while attempting to address this challenge.
