Canon based collection development in academic libraries and museums

Canon noun: A standard; criterion; an authoritative list; a basis for judgment

Wyrick, D. B. (1998). Fanon for beginners. New York, NY: Writers and Readers.

Whether canons are artistic or literary works, they are lauded as the standards to which many library and museum collections are molded to reflect the dominant culture’s  “natural”,  “national”, and authorized heritages, histories, and ways of ordering the world. Canons symbolize superior taste and high culture, but unless cultural, ethnic and gender minorities (groups with less political and social power) actively engage in professional discussions that object to the prioritization of the “timeless” traditional Western canons in collections development, their culturally significant narratives might be excluded. Librarians and cultural heritage professionals are becoming more diverse and have greater opportunities to decide what is accessible, important, and worthy to be preserved.  Many academic libraries are excellent examples of how intellectually diverse librarians, faculty, staff, researchers, and students contribute to the development of representative collections. Let’s join the conversation! Please check out these books and articles to learn more about this issue:

Bona, Mary Jo.Maini, Irma. (Eds.) (2006)Multiethnic literature and canon debates. Albany : State University of New York Press.

The Academic Librarian and the hegemony of the Canon

Academic Libraries and the Culture Wars: The politics of Collection Development

Academic Libraries and the Remaking of the Canon: Implications for Collection Development  Libraries

Some implications of the canon debate for collection development

Wyrick, D. B. (1998). Fanon for beginners. New York, NY: Writers and Readers.

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The Living Dead are infiltrating the Library!

According to the March issue of Library Journal, McPherson College’s Miller Library in Kansas released a 23-page zombie-themed guide book on using library resources like the library catalogue and Interlibrary Loan System, and demonstrating how to employ information retrieval skills such as narrowing search results and navigating academic journals.  Zombies have long since roamed between library shelves; Jane Austin’s beloved 1813 literary work was parodied in 2009 as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The movie currently in production and expected to be released in 2013!  In addition, check out The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead, World War Z, and The Zombie Survival Guide: Recoded Attacks, guides to surviving a zombie apocalypse by Max Brooks, all of which are currently available at several academic and public libraries including the University of Illinois Library.

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Spring 2011 Semester Bowling Kickoff!

LAMPers and GSLIS faculty and staff bowled at the Illini Union’s rec room on Friday, February 4,2011.

LAMP-GSLIS bowling group photo

LAMP-GSLIS bowling night group photo

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ALA Conference

In order to help LAMPers be successful, LAMP attempts to encourage professional involvement while LAMP scholars are still students. Not only does professional involvement in activities such as conferences and paper writing help accustom LAMP scholars to the kinds of activities that will be expected of them when they enter the profession, but it also helps them to begin building a network of professional contacts.

For these and other reasons, not the least of which was that travel is fun, LAMP was happy to help some LAMPers attend this year’s ALA Conference in Washington, D.C.

The ALA’s Diversity and Outreach Fair provided LAMP with an opportunity to present a poster about LAMP, informing or reminding the broader LIS community of the important goals and values which LAMP serves and of LAMP’s specific and unique approach to promoting those goals.

While in Washington, LAMPers had a chance, not only to learn from the countless sessions, talks, vendors, and colleagues, but also to enjoy the cultural resources collected together in our nation’s capital. D.C. happens to be one of the best places to get Ethiopian cuisine, and some of the LAMP scholars were able to set aside some time to enjoy lunch at an Ethiopian restaurant. It was wonderful!

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2010 Summer LAMP Institute

The 2010 Summer LAMP Institute was a great success! The Michigan State University Libraries, one of the members of LAMP’s partner network, hosted the Institute in a noteworthy display of generosity and professional excellence. The MSU Libraries were able to obtain generous donations from three vendors, QuestionPoint, Gale Cengage Learning, and ProQuest.

Cliff Haka and his wife showed great hospitality in inviting the the Institute participants over to their home for a catered dinner reception. The food and drink were delicious. For example, the dessert consisted of cute little shot glasses filled with a dark chocolate mousse over a bed of chocolate cookie crumbs and garnished with a stick of shaved white and milk chocolate. Yummy!

As mentioned on LAMP’s website, “Professional mentors at academic libraries give LAMP scholars real-world advice and guidance that is rooted in practical experience,” and this proved to be the case at the Summer Institute. The involvement of active information professionals helped to ground the sessions in practical subjects such as data librarianship, Asian studies librarianship, libraries and government information, and special collections librarianship.

One example of the many fascinating sessions is Xian Wu’s talk on collecting Chinese films. He explained how, although interest in and availability of Chinese films have increased, an Asian studies librarian still faces many challenges. Among these are the variety of languages in which films are produced and sold, the numerous technical formats and region codes in which films are distributed, the legal issues associated with acquiring, preserving, and displaying the cultural products of various countries, and the budget problems connected to selecting which works to acquire and preserving those that one has already collected.

Another highlight of the Institute was the presentation by Ruth Ann Jones on controversial materials. The MSU Libraries have impressive and popular special collections of comic books and cookbooks, but they also preserve for research, scholarship, and history a variety of controversial materials. The LAMP scholars were broken into groups, and each group considered a few selected controversial works from such areas as Holocaust denial, antisemitism, and crude jokes to pornography, suicide manuals, and LGBT erotica. LAMP scholars confronted questions related to the people, communities, and values they would serve as future information professionals. Would they participate in the censorship of dangerous ideas? How best could they serve the interests of present and future generations?

The above are but two of the interesting subjects to which the LAMP scholars were exposed at the Summer Institute; however, the Institute is not only a time for academic and professional advancement—it’s also a social occasion designed to encourage the LAMPers to get to know each other. In order for the LAMP community to remain a strong, supportive network, its members need to be bound to each other by human ties of friendship and mutual respect. Some of the LAMPers got to know each other better on the drive over. LAMP rented a bus for the trip, and, in addition to the other skills learned at the Institute, Damon, Rae, and Amani trained to be able to drive the bus. One evening, LAMP treated all the scholars to dinner at a local restaurant, and other evenings were spent dancing and conversing at campus bars.

The Sunday breakfast, which was sponsored by SkyRiver and consisted of a delightful abundance of fresh fruits, pastries, meats, eggs, and beverages, proved to be a final occasion for practical instruction. Cliff Haka and other MSU librarians gave the LAMP scholars some parting words of wisdom about applying to and interviewing for different LIS positions. Everyone left with an abundance of food and ideas to digest!

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Hello and welcome!

Welcome to LAMPlog! One of the main goals of LAMP is to provide a network of support so that everyone can succeed. And we all intend to have fun while doing it! This web log will be a space where LAMPers can express themselves, share and collect the wisdom of their experiences, document their activities, and encourage each other. Please feel free to post entries in this log.

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