2018 Charleston Library Conference

Library workers new to acquisitions or taking on new acquisitions duties can find themselves lost without appropriate resources. We often hear the refrain of “they didn’t teach this in library school.” Basic introductions to issues confronting acquisitions librarians can be hard to find and out of date. Meanwhile, emerging issues are addressed in journal literature, but few reviews of the issues are available to provide background to newcomers. While professional development opportunities strive to provide sure footing to acquisitions newcomers, we can often fall short, leaving our new colleagues feeling adrift.

Through a positive and structured discussion we will explore the existing and emerging areas of acquisitions that new librarians, librarians new to acquisitions, and even experienced acquisitions librarians can feel unprepared to navigate. We will use several discussion formats to examine topics like: what new acquisitions librarians don’t (and do) know starting out; areas we feel most uncertain and unprepared; what we feel is essential knowledge for starting acquisitions librarians; and best formats for delivering professional development in these areas.

Results of the discussions will be collected, synthesized, and widely distributed as an agenda for introduction to acquisitions professional development. We hope that they will encourage additional opportunities for professional development based on the expressed needs of new acquisitions librarians.