Evaluation of the Book Collection and Periodical Collections of the College of Allied Medical Profession

De Leon, Rosa I (2004). Evaluation of the Book Collection and Periodical Collections of the College of Allied Medical Profession. Unpublished Master’s Thesis. University of the Philippines, Diliman, Q.C.

Introduction

The College of Allied Medical Professions, University of the Philippines was the first school in the Philippines (UP CAMP) to offer the Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Pathology, Masters in Clinical Audiology and Masters in Rehabilitation Science. In its 40 years of existence, the College has always maintained a quality of standards in its graduates who are unparalleled in the practice of their future profession. The profession must provide a vast amount of knowledge for each student. This basic theoretical knowledge must be translated into the practical clinical setting in which all students must go through. Through the College’s 39 years of servicing the Filipino public, the College Library has been at the forefront in providing the necessary, adequate, well-selected and organized information for its major clientele, which includes students, faculty, researchers and other users. The College Library is an essential source of information for the intellectual advancement in the health sciences.

The Problem

This study evaluated the library collections, namely the periodical and book sections qualitatively and quantitatively. It determined the strength and weaknesses of the collection through a descriptive comparison of the collection of the College Library in relation to two foreign institutions that have similar objectives. The study compared the collection to the Brandon-Hill List that is the standard list used by health libraries as basis for the contents of their collections. It also compared the College Library standards to the University of the Philippines Library standards. Lastly, it evaluated the Library collection according to the perceptions of the faculty and students.

Methodology

The main areas focused on the recency, adequacy and comprehensiveness of the collection. The results of the study may serve as guidelines in the planning and formulation of the Library’s collection development program. One hundred twenty three (123) respondents were asked to answer the questionnaires. There was 100% response rate, which may be attributed to the method of data gathering.

Discussions

The average age of the respondents is 22.7. Around 68 of the respondents are females while 32 are males. More than half (55% of the sample) came from the undergraduate level, while almost 20 percent came from the faculty. A little over 16 percent of the sampled library users were alumni. The top four (4) purposes in visiting the library was research (109), borrowing and returning library materials (90), studying (58), and leisure reading (49). Other purposes noted by the respondents were using the computer and internet, along with conducting group discussions and meetings. An assessment of the standards by UP System for UP Libraries revealed that the book collection of the UP CAMP: Library does not meet the set standards. UP CAMP only meets around 53 percent of the total volume of books required. On the other hand, the current listing of UP CAMP periodicals exceeds the requirement of 50 titles for a student population of less than 1000. It can be noted from the graph that the University of the Philippines College of Allied Medical Professions Library collections are greater in number compared to University of Queensland and University of South Alabama in all categories, Occupational therapy. Physical therapy, Speech Pathology and the journals. The University of Queensland was second and the University of South Alabama had the least amount of materials in all categories listed. Overall, the University of the Philippines, College of Allied medical professions Library had the largest collection of 1624, followed by the University of Queensland at 1179. The University of South Alabama had the smallest overall collection at 400. This comparison was done without regard to the Brandon/Hill List of recommended books and periodicals. Furthermore, the UP CAMP Library has in its acquisition 63 percent of the selected Brandon/Hill List of printed books and journals in allied health, while University of Queensland has only acquired 43 percent of those materials suggested in the Brandon/Hill List. The University of South Alabama had the lowest percentage of acquired materials in the Brandon/Hill List at 31 percent.

Recommendations

The CAMP Library collection be maintained and more books be added to continually be at par with the other institutions with the same specialization and to fulfill the standards set by the university and international boards.

A Five-Year Development Plan for the Adventist University of the Philippines Academy Library

Researcher: OFELIA R. PADILLA

Course: Master of Arts in Library Science

School: Centro Escolar University, Manila

Subject Area: Academic Libraries-Development Plan

Year of Graduation: 1997

Research Problem

This study attempted to formulate a five-year development plan for the Adventist University of the Philippines (AUP) Academy Library in order to improve its current condition. The development plan covered the following aspects: a) staffing; b) financial support; c) holdings; d) selection, organization and maintenance of collections; and e) physical facilities and services. In addition, the development plan was based on the situational study of the AUP Academy Library and the perception of its users.

Methodology
The descriptive survey method was used in this study, and it involved 182 respondents, consisting of 160 students and 22 faculty members. There were two sets of survey questionnaire that were administered. The first set was intended to obtain the perceptions of the AUP Academy Library users while the second set was used to determine its present status. The gathered data were tabulated and fed into a computer for statistical analysis. The frequency distribution, mean and standard deviation were the statistical measures used in analyzing the data.

Findings and Conclusions
1. The library staff was adequate in number; however, the academic librarian required upgrading.
2. The financial support was not enough to support the library’s improvement and therefore other means should be explored.
3. The library holdings were adequate for the school population, but might need expansion if the school population would increase.
4. The selection of materials should be a cooperative activity among the librarian, the school head, and the faculty.
5. The physical facilities and services were adequate and satisfactory. Perceptions of the respondents about the AUP Academy Library corroborated the findings of the ACSS-AA. The library aspects of holdings, selections, organization and maintenance of collections, and physical facilities and services were perceived to be “good” and were described as moderately extensive and functioning well.
6. The current condition of the AUP Academy Library could be improved by implementing the Five-Year Development Plan.
7. The proposed Five-Year Development Plan for the AUP Academy Library should be implemented according to the timetable prescribed and actual results of the plan should be monitored and analyzed so that appropriate changes could be made making certain that the objectives would be attained.