Access Services Interest Group

 View Only
last person joined: 19 hours ago 

Charge: Provides a broad framework for discussing topics and exploring areas of development in the field of Access Services.
Community members can post as a new Discussion or email ALA-acrlasig@ConnectedCommunity.org
Before you post: please note job postings are prohibited on ALA Connect. Please see the Code of Conduct for more information.

Small Format Playscripts: Balancing Discovery and Shelf Management

  • 1.  Small Format Playscripts: Balancing Discovery and Shelf Management

    Posted Nov 17, 2023 03:38 PM

    Hello, colleagues!

    Recently, the chair of our Theatre department redesigned a course assignment with a more research-focused direction for students, asking them to explore plays, playwrights and criticism, as well as work with reference librarians (win!).
       
    Currently we have playscripts (alphabetized in periodical boxes) in one LC area, cataloged separate from criticism; the main reasoning was to facilitate ease of locating specific plays for auditions. In addition, these small, paperbound playscripts may be easily lost in the stacks when interfiled with their playwrights and criticism. However, students are now searching by playwright, so discovery is an issue if plays and playwrights are separate.
     
    If you have the small single volume playscripts (Samuel French, Dramatists Play Service, etc.) in your collection, I'm interested in knowing:
     
    • do you have a particular way of shelving this format, or do you interfile them with the playwright, along with biography and criticism?
    • do you have suggestions for serendipitous discovery and managing the needs of this small format?

    Thanks in advance for any suggestions, and I'm happy to summarize and share responses with the group, if interested. 

    Lisa 



    ------------------------------
    [Lisa] [Richter]
    [Assistant Director, Research and Instruction]
    [Salve Regina University]
    [She/her, hers]
    ------------------------------