Collection Evaluation 1

Running Head: Collection Evaluation

Collection Evaluation:

Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science

Michael Wells

Kent State University

 Collection Evaluation 2

Collection Evaluation:

Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science

Effective January 4, 2011, I will begin my first day as the Director of Library and

Information Technologies at The Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science in Cincinnati,

Ohio. This is a great opportunity, and one that offers a wealth of potential for growth,

especially directly after graduating from the SLIS at Kent State. Half of this job will fall

directly in line with my past 14 years of being a professional in the information

technologies field, yet the other half of this position offers me the chance to operate a

small specialized library, where I will be able to do every aspect of librarianship from

acquisitions, to cataloging, to information literacy education.

The Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science on the surface does not seem like a

glamourous academic advancement after working five years as a paraprofessional at

Miami University. However, once beyond the morbidity of the subject matter, one learns

quickly that Mortuary Science is a fascinating subject area that incorporates three main

curriculum disciplines, these areas are science, psychology, and business management.

Each of these three broad areas help define Mortuary Science and the educational field of

funeral services. Because of these three areas of education within this field, and their

relationship with the social sciences, it seemed ideal to evaluate the mortuary science

collection at CCMS for this assignment.

On November 17, 2010, I went to CCMS to sign my contract for this new

position. After signing the contract, I then spent three hours with the library collection

that will be my responsibility for many years to come. During this time, I made note of
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the various journal titles in the collection currently, and the Dewey numbers for the book

collection in both rooms of this small library. Because my new job will be a dual role

with IT support as well, I also spent time evaluating the computers in the library, and

made notes for ideas on improving the environment as a whole.

In particular for this assignment, I will focus on journal and periodical titles that I

recommend for purchase both to update ones in the collection currently and to add new

titles. Additionally, I will also make general recommendations on a possible small scale

ILS implementation, also to allocate some money for preservation of older materials,

funding for additional book purchases, and to scope out an electronic book pilot program

for the future, from the hypothetical $5,000 budget in this assignment.

One key item to remember when reading this report is that The Cincinnati College

of Mortuary Science Library and Media Center is extremely small. The library consists

of two rooms, one of which contains 10 computers for student use. The school itself has

about 160 students per year, and operates on a trimester system. Students go to CCMS

full time, from 8AM to 4PM daily, and upon graduating with their Bachelors in Mortuary

Science, they take a state board exam to become a funeral director or mortician in Ohio.

For this collection evaluation, I did not speak with faculty directly, but as Lotlikar

suggests, one of the first measures I will take as a librarian at CCMS will be to work

directly with faculty to find materials needed to support classroom objectives (Lotliker,

1997). It is obvious that no matter the size of a library, or a collection within a library,

there are a few key things to always remember to make the collection useful. First, the

collection must be engaged, evaluated, weeded, and kept up to date. In certain ways, it
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appears that the CCMS collection grew stagnant under the prior librarian, and in his

absence it now needs some modernization. Second, a collection needs to be tied to the

curriculum no matter how specific the learning is. This is where it will be important to

work with faculty to make things more meaningful for the classroom. Third, the

materials within a collection need a level of protection and preservation. This can be

done by having preservation materials on hand for the books that are damaged or

deteriorating, and by also having a future focus to allow students to find items through

sites like Google Books, or Project Gutenberg. Lastly, it is imperative to know what is or

is not circulating and to constantly evaluate this to keep the collection in use by students

and faculty.

For this evaluation I am recommending the following journal titles to be

purchased for CCMS. Again, these recommendation come only through observation of

the current collection, and it is unknown to me at this time if electronic access is made

available for CCMS students, however that is highly unlikely. Some of these journal

titles are currently in the CCMS collection, but are not current as of 2010. Many end

around 2006, while others stop in the late 1990s.

American Funeral Director

American Cemetery
American Blue Book
Funeral Service Insider
Funeral Service Journal
The Funeral Director Monthly
Mortuary Management

Pricing information and publication details about these journal titles can be found

at the end of this report in the table, however, upon researching sources within the
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Mortuary Science field, these seven titles appear to be mandatory for any mortuary

college library.

From a book collection standpoint, many materials in the reference collection

non-circulating collection were up to date materials. However, many books in the overall

collection, and in what could be called the special reference collection were dated, with

some needing special attention through preservation. The book collection will need to be

evaluated very closely within my first two years of working at CCMS. At this time, I am

making preliminary plans to purchase at least one desktop book scanner to preserve

certain delicate materials, and to utilize eBook access whenever possible.

Another point of note for digitization will be to work on digitizing the current

journals that exist in the library. Especially, those journals that predate 1980, or that

show signs of wear. One technical aspect to consider when digitizing content of books or

journals will be the long term storage of such materials in a physical sense and

electronically, both of which are plans I am making currently.

When it comes to the book collection, the cataloging and classification scheme is

done using Dewey, which is ideal for a collection of this size. The Dewey numbers in the

collection range from 133 to 340 (Occult to Social Sciences), 614 (Disposal of the dead),

and 618 to 902 (Gynecology to History). Because of the breadth of mortuary science and

funeral service, it is hard to detail all the Dewey numbers in this collection within the

scope of this paper, but it can be said that this small collection has an enormous variety of

content.
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One last key recommendation for this collection going forward will be for an

inventory and cataloging to be done into a modern ILS. An eventual recommendation

will be for CCMS to purchase access to the LibLime Koho Express cloud based ILS for

$299 per year. Having a system that will allow copy cataloging to be done easier to

update the current collection, and to better maintain this small collection more efficiently

than writing or maintaining a product from the ground up. This purchase will allow time

to be spent developing plans for digitizing and preserving the current collection as well.

Furthermore, to have a modern ILS in place it will be easier to calculate usage metrics

that might be useful for future accreditation.

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References

Lotlikar, S. D. (1997). Collection assessment at the Ganser Library: a case study.

Collection Building, 16(1), 24-29.

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ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abbott and Hast Publications. Mortuary Management. (2010)

Mortuary Management magazine is a trade publication designed for funeral directors
and others related to the funeral service industry, including manufacturers, suppliers
and dealers of funeral merchandise and equipment, embalmers, cemeteries, and
mortuary science students and colleges. Each month, thousands of death care
professionals read Mortuary Management because it is a leading source of
independent news and guidance. As the only funeral industry publisher with offices
on both the east and west coast, Abbott & Hast Publications is uniquely qualified to
provide information nationally.

First published in 1914, Mortuary Management provides continual analysis about the
service of death care, including strategies and tactics to help increase productivity and
reduce overhead. While also giving news on pre-need insurance policies, trust
accounts, and reliable legal advice to help reduce liability. Mortuary Management
covers the increasing state and federal government regulations, as well as techniques
to effectively market a funeral business. This publication also gives reliable
information on computer use, technology and using the Internet to successfully grow
a funeral business. Mortuary Management also has while commentary on continuing
education and significant trends in cremation, and low-cost funeral providers and
casket sales.

Cost: $91.00 for three years

Kates-Boylston Publications. American Funeral Director. (2010)

American Funeral Director is one of the leading independent trade magazine for
funeral directors and other funeral service professionals. American Funeral Director
has been published for over 130 years continuously and features content pertaining to
cremation, pre-need funeral planning, and funeral business topics. American Funeral
Director also covers professional vehicles for funeral service, computers and software
used in the industry, insurance, funeral service history, and provides business tips and
tools for those working inside and the profession.

As one of the Kates-Boylston family of funeral publications, American Funeral

Director is essential for practitioners and students in the industry. Each of the Kates-
Boylston publications provide a unique and specific view of the funeral industry, and
American Funeral Director stands as the overall flagship of these publications.

Cost: $99.00 for two years

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Kates-Boylston Publications. American Cemetery. (2010)

American Cemetery is an independent trade magazine for cemetery owners and
managers and others with interest in the field. Each issue of American Cemetery
offers in-depth coverage of issues affecting the cemetery profession in today's
competitive business environment. American Cemetery covers issues including
grounds maintenance tips, national and state association issues, pre-need funeral
planning, marketing, cremation, insurance, and current technologies.

As another of the Kates-Boylston family of funeral publications, American Cemetery

focuses more on the business of maintaining a cemetery grounds and internment
facility. Again, each of the Kates-Boylston publications provide a unique and specific
view of the funeral industry, and American Cemetery is essential for those who wish
to learn more about the challenges faced by the cemetery industry specifically.

Cost: $85.00 for two years

Kates-Boylston Publications. American Blue Book. (2010)

The American Blue Book is published annually by Kates-Boylston publications and
provides updated regulations for domestic and international shipping of human
remains with a list of international consulates. The Blue Book is also a directory of
U.S. funeral homes and crematories, complete with population figures and newspaper
contacts per location nationally. This publication also provides a listing of
international funeral homes, a list of state, national and international funeral service
associations and regulatory boards with addresses, phone and fax numbers, and
convention dates, as well as a revised listing of U.S. airlines and shipment services
for remains. Other information contained within this publication annually is a
directory of state vital statistics offices, veterans information including national &
state veterans’ cemeteries and a new suppliers buyer's guide.

Cost: $125.00 per year

Kates-Boylston Publications. Funeral Service Insider. (2010)

Funeral Service Insider is one of the nations top newsletters for funeral service
professionals. Each weekly issue of Funeral Service Insider provides the latest news
within the profession, business building and growth tips. The Funeral Service Insider
also provides information for guidance to help practitioners with navigating
governmental regulations, and other challenges that are updated weekly throughout
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the country. The Funeral Service Insider also provides forms and work tools that can
be used immediately in the profession.

As another of the Kates-Boylston family of funeral publications, Funeral Service

Insider is a weekly publication, therefore it provides more timely information on
issues relating to the field of funeral service. Again, each of the Kates-Boylston
publications give a unique view of the funeral industry, and Funeral Service Insider is
a critical publication in this line up because of it’s timely delivery of news and
information.

Cost: $489.00 for two years

Heritage Studios Ltd. Funeral Service Journal. [Link] Worthing, United

Kingdom (2010)
First published in 1886, the Funeral Service Journal (FSJ) is the leading journal in
British funeral directing.
Independent funeral directors, and cooperative groups are all subscribers. The FSJ
has a substantial readership in Great Britain and Ireland but also be found in funeral
directors' offices around the world. It is a monthly magazine featuring news items,
mortality figures for the UK and Ireland, regular features, and has a comprehensive
classified advertising section for funeral directing. The magazine is the best way to
reach funeral directors, and for funeral directors it is the best chance of keeping up to
date with events in the industry.

The FSJ appears to be a great source of information for funeral directors and funeral
service students in the United States. With regulations that exist in the United
Kingdom, it provides great insight for US practitioners to stay up to date on practices
in the field, while also allowing US markets access to businesses outside the domestic
market.

Cost: $62.50 (converted from Euros) for one year

LRP Publications. Death Care Business Advisor. (2010)

The Death Care Business Advisor is a newsletter that offers in-depth business
coverage of memorialization and remembrance issues that help practitioners to
compete in today's evolving death care industry. Whether running a funeral home,
cemetery or crematorium, providers need to prepare for changes while providing
superior service clients. Additionally, the Death Care Business Advisor provides
unbiased advice for dealing with the dramatic changes occurring in death care by
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offering news and tips on the latest trends and developments in funeral service,
cemetery management and cremation.

Readers of the Death Care Business Advisor can stay up to date on innovative
strategies for capturing the expanding pre-need and funeral planning market. Learn
how to take advantage of new tax laws and policies.
Protect and grow market share in the funeral service industry, and how to
accommodate an increasingly diverse and demanding customer base.

Cost: $538.00 for two years

National Association of Funeral Directors. The Funeral Director Monthly Journal.: West
Midlands, United Kingdom (2010)
The Funeral Director Monthly addresses the information needs of a variety of people
working in the profession, not only funeral directors, but also new entrants to the
industry, and those looking to develop their skills. As a British publication, the
British Institute of Funeral Directors' tutors, the clergy, cemeteries, crematoria,
manufacturers, and distributors in the finer points of funeral directorship. It is with
this specialization that this publication can offer insight on very industry specific
matters, with regular updates from the National Association of Funeral Director’s in
Great Britain. This published information includes meetings with Parliamentary
funeral groups, and senior European Union officials. This information along with
regular features on education and professional developments, sector news, and the
latest products and services makes the Funeral Director Monthly essential reading for
funeral studies students internationally.

Cost: $203 (converted from Euros) for two years

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Billing Publicati Current Collection

Journal Title Cost
Cycle on Status
American Funeral Director $99.00 two year Monthly Ended in 2006
American Cemetery $85.00 two year Monthly Limited number of copies
American Blue Book $125.00 one year Annual 2008 Edition
Funeral Service Insider $489.00 two year Weekly N/A
Funeral Service Journal $62.50 one year Quarterly N/A
Death Care Business Advisor $538.00 two year Quarterly Ended in 2006
The Funeral Director Monthly $203.00 two year Monthly Ended in 2006
Journal
Mortuary Management $91.00 three year Quarterly Ended in 2006

Proposed ILS

LibLime - Koha Express ILS $299.00 one year

SaaS

Book Budget $1,000.00

Digital/Preservation Budget $1,000.00

eBook/Purchase On Demand
$1,000.00
Budget

Total Proposed Expenditures: $4,991.50