Hello!
I am the Collection Services Manager at Aurora Public Library District in Illinois. Aurora is the second largest city in Illinois behind Chicago and serves a large, diverse population. We have 3 physical branches plus a Bookmobile that serve parts of 4 different counties. Collection Services at APLD covers centralized selection, acquisitions, cataloging, and material repairs for all branches. Selection duties are split across 4 selectors, a full-time Adult materials selector, a full-time Youth materials selector, a part-time World Languages materials selector (mostly Spanish and Indian languages, but we will consider adding materials in any language), and myself (I currently select for Teen fiction & nonfiction, and Teen & Adult graphic novels/manga).
I just started at APLD at the beginning of September, so I am relatively new to this position and this library. I have 15 years of experience in libraries, including working as the head of technical services at my hometown library, as a "Cataloging and Database Coordinator" for a consortium serving ~200 libraries across central Illinois, and a Librarian Cataloger at a large suburban library.
The majority of my past experience has been with the cataloging side of collection maintenance, so I'm interested in learning more about other pieces of the collections puzzle. I'm especially interested in Inventory and Weeding procedures at public libraries, especially if you have a centralized collection development department. If you have any tips on how to convince reluctant weeders that it's okay to remove books that don't circulate, please let me know! I'm also curious about Diversity Audits, and if anyone has included diverse subject/author criteria into their weeding plans.
When I'm not at work, I can be found playing with my cats Arya and Bowie (in a very librarian move, I accidentally started naming my cats in alphabetical order), working on my latest crochet/knit/cross stitch/sewing/miniatures project, and reading either intense horror fiction or dishy celebrity memoirs.
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Miranda Calhoon
Manager of Collection Services
Aurora Public Library District
She/Her/Hers
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Original Message:
Sent: Dec 22, 2022 11:04 AM
From: Erica Cherup
Subject: Hello and introductions!
Hello, members of the Collection Management in Public Libraries Core Interest Group! My name is Erica Cherup, and I would like to take a moment to introduce myself and Rebecca Sandoval as your new Co-Chairs! Rebecca and I are both excited to lead this group and get to know all of you a little bit better. Here's a bit about each of us:
Erica is the Collection Development Manager for the Columbus Metropolitan Library in Columbus, Ohio. She's worked for CML for over 17 years in various roles. In addition to Core, Erica is a member of PLA and the Ohio Library Council. She presented at PLA in both 2020 and 2022 and was the Local Arrangements Chair for the 2021 Ohio Library Council Convention & Expo. When she isn't thinking about library collections, Erica enjoys playing and streaming video games with her husband, cooking and hosting friends for dinner parties, vacationing by the ocean whenever possible, and watching lots of comedy and sci-fi movies and series!
Rebecca has twenty-four years of library experience including working for an academic library vendor, an academic library, and most recently, a large public library system: Somerset County Library System of New Jersey (SCLSNJ). At SCLSNJ, Rebecca manages a team of 14 full and part-time staff. Rebecca was the grant coordinator for a National Endowment for the Humanities' Common Heritage grant which led to the creation of SCLSNJ's historical and digital collections. Rebecca loves all things historical: from vintage items, to preservation of community memories, to reading historical fiction. In her "free time," Rebecca is a writer and a mother of three.
Now, we'd like to hear from you! Please respond to this post and tell us two things:
- A little about yourself (what library you are with, how you are involved with Core, interests and hobbies, etc.)
- What would you like to get out of your participation in this interest group? If there's a topic you think we should be discussing, please share it!
Take care everyone, and enjoy the holiday season!
Erica
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Erica Cherup
Collection Development Manager
Columbus Metropolitan Library
She/Her/Hers
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