August LiLI Promotion Campaign: Librarian Tools

Summer is coming to an end, school is around the corner, and our 12-month LiLI promotion campaign is almost complete!

This month, we are highlighting a special resource for librarians: Core Collections.

Core Collections is a hub of databases designed for collection development. Collection development is the process of building and maintaining your library’s collections. Not familiar with collection development and management? Check out the LiFT Collection Management courses.

Core Collections includes seven databases:

• Adult Fiction
• Adult Nonfiction
• Children’s
• Middle & Junior High
• Senior High
• Spanish

Access all the categories by using the Core Collections Complete link. 

How does Core Collections differ from Novelist?

Novelist and Core Collections overlap in many ways. However, Novelist is a reader’s advisory tool. It has features such as read-alikes and genre guides. Core Collections is a collection development tool. It separates books into four recommendation categories: Essential, Recommended, Supplemental, and Weeded. Both databases include professional book reviews.

Why should I use Core Collections?

Knowing what books to add to your library’s collection can be difficult. Core Collections makes the process easier. You can start by browsing Essential Titles. Then narrow your search by age group, publication date, subject, or Lexile range. Each book entry in Core Collections includes a recommended reading level and link to professional reviews. You can also build lists in the database to keep track of books you want to buy. Once you’ve purchased Essential Titles, you can move on to Recommended Titles. The Weeded Titles category flags books that have outdated information or are no longer popular.

To learn more about Core Collections, watch Introduction to the New Core Collections Experience.

To access a PDF flyer to share with your colleagues, visit the LiLI databases page.