The Central Colorado Library System, along with the University of Colorado Law Library, and the DU Law Library, will sponsor the AALL (American Association of Law Libraries) videoconference "Books and Bytes: Balancing Formats in Today’s Libraries," Thursday, April 13, 200 at 10am. It will be shown at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Fleming Law Building in the Law School Courtroom. Adjacent parking will be available.

The 1-½ hour videoconference will be followed by a discussion facilitated by Barbara Bintliff, Director of the CU Law Library. The program, subsidized by the local sponsors, is free to participants.

Participants will be able to:

Evaluate resources in order to make appropriate decisions regarding the balance of formats within the collection;

Identify internal and external issues that can affect the balance of formats within the collection;

Identify the existing issues and programs within their information community that may affect collection development in the library.

Collection development is, was and always will be about making choices: What to buy? In which format? What to discard? How many copies are needed? What has changed is the speed with which new products and formats are introduced. Today, librarians rarely have the luxury of introducing new items one at a time, making sure that each patron knows how to use the new resource or media. Widespread changes in the content and format of collections are made in relatively short periods of time; forcing significant changes in the way patrons gain access to information.

The professional literature is filled with helpful articles covering a variety of topics, from comparisons of different media types, to collection development policies and procedures, and information on the world of electronic publishing. Publishers’ web sites, while not perfect, often contain increasingly current information than the print catalog of old.

Even with all this available help the process of collecting and organizing the data needed to make collection development decisions for the organization can be daunting. This program will show how to develop a framework for collecting and organizing the data required to make collection development decisions. It will also aid librarians in developing a plant to institutionalize the process so that collection development decisions can be made on an ongoing basis, in the context of an overall collection department plan.

Joan Axelroth, President, Axelroth & Associates is the lead instructor for the videoconference. She earned her MALS from the University of Chicago in 1984. She has presented numerous workshops and seminars on information management and published a variety of articles in the National Law Journal, Washington Lawyer and other journals. Prior to starting her own company in 1992, she was a principal for five years with Law Office Consulting Group. She has also directed the library and legal assistant departments in various law libraries.

Carol Blohm, Manager of Information Services, Arlington Heights Memorial Library, is the consultant for the public library perspective.

Diane E. Perushek, Assistant University Librarian for Collection Management, Northwestern University Library is the consultant for the academic perspective.

To register, contact CCLS: email: ccls@qadas.com; 303-422-1150; Web site; www.ccksweb.org.