Country Revisited.

I have just begun to blog regularly again. I sort of went into remission for a while because I wasn't sure anyone was out there reading this and if I'm going to blog on the taxpayer's dime I want it to be useful. Libraries always have trouble with feedback. That's why we count everything, the number of people that come into the building, the number times a book checks out, and so forth. It's the only we have of knowing whether what we do works. I was hoping that by blogging, Rogers Library customers would learn a little about WHY I collect the materials that I do. We have mission statements, policies, and guidelines, all of which are published and posted but every Library Mission Statement I ever read sounded dry and vanilla, and ours sounds just like every other public Library mission statement. But I really do collect with a purpose and I am trying to build a specific type of collection.

Last year I started with evaluating and building "core" collections. I went back to roots of a specific collection, identified the classics, and worked my way forward. This year with many collections I will begin to concentrate on the present. Country & Western music is one of those collections. Last year I went back and found Jimmie Rogers, the Carter Family, and Hank Williams. This year I'll looking at the hot tracks and working back. There is a concern. How many of these guys will fade? Was LeAnn Rimes a one hit wonder? Will Sara Evans and Keith Urban have staying power? I don't know but it will interesting to find out.