Documentaries have become increasingly popular over the years. Due to this demand, some libraries have a highlighted collection of critically acclaimed titles. If you are interested in developing one for your own institution but aren’t sure where to start, the following tips can help point you in the right direction.
Budget
The first thing to consider is your budget. If you are a reference librarian or have any position that isn’t the collection development manager this information will be provided to you once the need for the collection has been established. This will give you an idea as to how many titles you can purchase.
Audience
Next, you need to know your audience, and you need to know your library. This will give you an idea as to how many items you need to purchase for your collection. This can depend on the size of your institution, what the goals of your library are, and the door count your library has in a given time period. There are different ways you can do this. You can look at the rate of checkouts for this genre, you can determine which genres are the most popular in this category, and you can also ask your patrons. Some libraries have suggestion boxes or hand out surveys. Another way to determine this is to take into consideration patron requests if your library allows them.
Assess Your Current Library Collection
To prevent redundancy in your collection, you must assess what you already have. Once you’ve done your research on what genres would work best for your collection you need to take into consideration what you have and what you don’t have. This may also include weeding your current collection to make room for new titles. The degree to which this will be necessary will depend on what position you have and if this has already been done in the recent past.
If the decision has been made to create a stand-alone shelf or display for the collection it is important to place it in a location where it makes sense for your library. Things to consider are who your audience is, where they most frequent, and where it is most visible. The display itself doesn’t have to be elaborate, but like all collections, especially stand-alone ones, proper signage is important.
Lastly, make sure to communicate with your department before and during the process. Depending on your institution and position your responsibilities will differ. You may have to oversee the entire process or will only be responsible for part of it. It is extremely important to know what is expected of the project and what your part in it will be.
Search film reviews
If you need resources for titles some places to start are IMDb as well as Rotten Tomatoes. Entertainment and fashion publications also produce lists of critically acclaimed documentaries. When in doubt, read through professional reviews and also look for titles that have received awards and accolades from top film festivals. The vendor your library uses for purchasing items could also serve as a valuable resource.
Video Librarian is the ideal library resource for film reviews. Each review is tailored specifically for librarians and educators. They assess where the documentary would best be placed on your public or academic library shelves. The reviews also tell teachers which school subjects should feature the educational documentary on their classroom syllabus. Take a look at our documentary section to see all of our reviews.
Some well-received films to consider for your collection are On the French Riviera with Man Ray and Picasso (2021), Psychedelia: The History and Science of Mythical Experience (2021), The Sanctity of Space (2021), Caravaggio: The Soul and the Blood (2018), Exit Through the Gift Shop: A Banksy Film (2010), and 20 Feet from Stardom (2013).