Quick Questions: What is the Life Cycle of a Book at Frost?

While wandering around Frost Library, one might marvel at the depth, breadth, and volume of the book collection. Whether it’s mathematics textbooks filled with numbers and Greek letters, prominent classic novels, or colorful picture books, Frost’s collection has it all. However, one might wonder how and why these books appeared on the library shelves? And when, if ever, would they permanently leave the brick walls that house them? I sat down with Head of Collection Management Laura Evans and Collection Development & Acquisition Librarian Jenna Lanterman to learn more about the life cycle of a Frost book.

The story of a library book begins with you, the patron. According to the library’s collection development policy, materials are selected in a manner that prioritizes the “curricular and research needs” of students and faculty along with the mission of an “undergraduate liberal arts education” and the “holistic needs of a residential campus.” In other words, materials are constantly being acquired to meet the college community’s academic and personal needs.

There are two primary channels for determining which books should be acquired. The first is research and instruction librarians, who each work directly with academic departments in their subject area. As Evans explains, these librarians regularly search for and recommend new books “based on their subject [specialization] and their knowledge of the needs of students and faculty.”

The second channel is the online purchase request form, which is accessible through the library’s website and allows students, faculty, and staff to suggest new books for the library’s collection. Recommendations made through this form are directly sent to the acquisitions department. According to Lanterman, when a student sends in a request, the department “almost always” moves forward and acquires the material. They do not evaluate the particular reason a book is being requested (i.e. coursework or extracurricular) but rather aim to build a collection that reflects the library’s mission, including supporting the whole student, and their interests both inside and outside the classroom.

After a book is recommended for acquisition, the library then purchases it from one of its many vendors. Lanterman emphasized that recently the library has made “a concerted effort to work with small, independent booksellers.” For example, all books in the new recreational book collection were purchased from Amherst Books. Another partner is Birchbark Books, a native-owned bookstore in Minnesota which focuses on Indigenous authors, publishers, and illustrators.

Once a book enters the library’s collection, it will likely remain there for a long period of time. The primary reason a book would be removed from the library’s collection, according to Evans, is if it is damaged beyond repair. In that case, the book is recycled. Although less common, undamaged books may be deselected if a newer edition has been released or if books in the same subject area, but with more up-to-date information, are available. The library partners with the Office of Sustainability to donate such books to the college community and organizations such as Better World Books, which supports nonprofit organizations.

Hopefully, with this quick recounting of the life of a library book, the next time you are navigating Frost’s extensive collection, you will have a greater understanding and appreciation of how and why books occupy their respective spaces.