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Environmental Materials Collection at Delgado Community College: A Proposal

Bridget C. Johnston

University of Alabama

LS 505: Collection Development

Kaurri C. Williams-Cockfield

May 2, 2022
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Abstract

I propose to create an Environmental Materials collection at Delgado Community College. This

collection will focus on environmental responsibility and will be tailored to the programs and

specialty areas in which Delgado specializes. Subgroups within the collection will be: Advanced

Manufacturing and its Impact on the Environment, Water Management and its Impact on the

Environment, Allied Health and its Impact on the Environment, and the Energy Sector and its

Impact on the Environment. Popular entertainment with environmental issues as a backdrop will

also be included. The audience for this collection would include Delgado students, faculty and

staff, and members of partnering businesses, for whom a temporary Delgado library card would

be issued. The existence of such a collection will send a strong message to businesses and

industries that sustainable development and a commitment to environmental awareness are

integral parts of corporate responsibility and are priorities of the community, including the

students who are, in essence, potential employees. I have approximated the initial cost of

building this collection to be 10% of the average collection materials expenditure annually, or

roughly $19,500. This is an acceptable and manageable amount, particularly considering the

benefit it would provide to students, to business partners, and to the earth itself, as well as the

increased visibility the collection would provide to to the library, thus providing an effective

means of working towards Delgado’s third strategic goal of ensuring relevance on a regional,

national, and global scale.

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Environmental Materials Collection at Delgado Community College: A Proposal

Brief Overview of Proposed Collection

The scope of the proposed collection will be text (including journals, books, and

government documents), audio (audio books and podcasts), websites, video, and video games

pertaining to environmental issues, particularly as they relate to fields Delgado has identified as

emerging in their Strategic Plan for 2017-2021 (Strategic Plan 2017-2021, Creating a Culture

of Transformation, n.d.). Although materials pertaining to environmental issues on a global level

will be included, effort will be taken to ensure the abundance of materials pertaining specifically

to environmental issues in Louisiana and along the Gulf coast.

The collection audience will include Delgado students, faculty and staff, and members of

the partnering businesses with whom Delgado currently collaborates, either through job training

programs or grants or other initiatives. Although no option currently exists to permit those

outside of the Delgado community check out materials or access the online collection, I propose

the creation of a guest card, issued for a restricted time frame, so that members of partnering

businesses will have access to materials that are mutually relevant. I also propose the

establishment of a collaboration with environmental activist groups in the region, including the

Louisiana Environmental Action Network, the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, and No

Waste Louisiana. The sharing of information and resources between Delgado and these

organizations stands to benefit users from all classifications alike.

This collection will be used to enhance environmental resources for the programs and

services that Delgado has identified as important to them. The library’s collection development

policy states that its primary goal is to be of value in relation to courses offered (Clevenger, n.d.-

b); by supplementing course materials with relevant resources that address the environmental
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impact of these industries, users can gain a more comprehensive understanding of all facets of

the industry and will be better prepared to make a positive contribution to corporate

responsibility as they enter the workforce.

Parent Organization Description

Delgado Community College is a comprehensive community college that offers programs

through the Associate degree (Mission, Vision and Values, n.d.). The College provides a

learning-centered environment through face-to-face and distance education to prepare students

from diverse backgrounds to attain their educational, career, and personal goals, to think

critically, to demonstrate leadership, and to be productive and responsible citizens. The Delgado

Libraries seeks to support and enhance academic programs by providing access, materials, and

services in a variety of formats to all patrons.

This collection would be catered specifically to enhancing resources for the programs and

services that Delgado has identified as important to them, particularly technical programs,

occupational programs, and workforce training (Strategic Plan 2017-2021, Creating a Culture of

Transformation, n.d.). Programs in these categories are increasingly more likely to fall into

categories of health sciences, advanced manufacturing, water management, and the energy

sector, which Delgado has identified as emerging fields.

Delgado Community College, as an entity that prides itself on its partnerships with

regional industries and its ability to supply said industries with an educated and prepared

workforce, is to a large degree obligated to do everything in its power to help lessen the

environmental footprint that these industries leave behind. It is in the best interest of Delgado to

be proactive in addressing best practices for educating future generations on sustainable

practices.
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Collection Description

This is a topic that is not likely to go away anytime soon. The effects of climate change,

biodiversity loss, air and water pollution, and deforestation are becoming more evident and the

need to educate ourselves on ways to address these issues becoming increasingly urgent. (Kinhal

et al., n.d.). It is possible and desirable to build a collection for Delgado Community College that

focuses on environmental responsibility and that is tailored to the programs and specialty areas in

which Delgado specializes. I envision subgroups within the collection that are specific to

general topic areas; for example, Advanced Manufacturing and its Impact on the Environment,

Water Management and its Impact on the Environment, and the Energy Sector and its Impact on

the Environment are all potential guidelines that could be used when examining the most useful

resources to add to the collection. In this way, students and partnering businesses would have a

convenient and well-researched source for up-to-date recommendations for best environmental

practices in a wide range of fields.

Proposed Collection Audiences

There will be three segments of the community likely to be interested in this collection.

The primary audience will be students, the secondary audience will be faculty, and the tertiary

audience will be members of partnering businesses.

There are approximately 13,500 students enrolled in academic programs at Delgado, plus

5,000 adult education students and 1,300 workforce development students (Fast Facts About

Delgado, n.d.). The average age of Delgado students is 27, with roughly 49% under 24 and 50%

25 and older. The median family income for a Delgado student is $34,100. Students are more

likely to use this collection in conjunction with their coursework. Collaboration with instructors
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is advised to encourage the incorporation of collection materials into the coursework. Marketing

may be needed to alert students of the existence of the collection.

Delgado currently employs approximately 1,250 employees (Fast Facts About Delgado,

n.d.). Not only will faculty be engaging with the collection for their own information needs, they

are positioned to be an intermediary between their students and the collection. The more

knowledgeable they are about the collection, the more likely they are to inform their students of

its existence and promote its use.

There are approximately 20 businesses who either currently partner with Delgado

through job training collaborations or who provide funding through grants or other initiatives

(Clevenger, n.d.-a). These organizations often have their own strategies and initiatives that

include environmental goals, such as Entergy’s Center for Energy and Workforce Development

2022 work plan, which commits to the re-skilling, upskilling, and redefining of training, as well

as the decarbonization of the energy system. To these ends, partnering companies will have a

strong motivation to promote the educational education of all employees. Access to Delgado

Library resources that are specific to the organizations’ environmental goals would contribute to

a collaboration that would promote mutual growth and learning for all involved.

In addition to these three user profiles, a quaternary user profile could well have been

added to this study, that being the community activist. It is important for those seeking to study

environmental issues in this region to recognize Louisiana’s contemptible history of corporate

abuses that have led to environmental health issues that have disproportionately affected low-

income and minority communities (LEAN | Community Empowerment Program, n.d.).

Therefore, resources that address the policies and decisions that have led to this injustice as well
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as strategies for reversing this trend should be included, and input from these organizations

sought.

Proposed Collection Goals

The overarching goal of this collection is to provide a well-curated set of resources for

Delgado students, faculty, and staff, as well as partnering businesses and community members,

that will enhance their collective knowledge on environmental responsibility, particularly as it

pertains to the intersection of sustainability with existing occupational training programs.

Keeping in mind that this community college is in Louisiana, a state that has its own set of

environmental risks as well as industries that must consider these risks in every facet of their

operations, preparing students to consider the environmental impact of their decisions in their

chosen fields is no longer optional. Learning about environmental factors such as sustainable

development needs to be prioritized in every learning environment so that students can

contribute to greater corporate responsibility as they enter the workforce.

The collection will support the stated goals of Delgado Community College in the

following ways:

Goal #1: Increase opportunities for student access and success (Strategic Plan 2017-

2021, Creating a Culture of Transformation, n.d.). Part of Delgado’s procedures for increasing

student access and success has been the development of programs that are based on workforce

need, such as the programs offered at the Advanced Manufacturing Center, which offers both

credit and accelerated courses and programs in precision machining, logistics technology, and

science laboratory technology, which covers applications in environmental science and

prevention, agricultural and food science, forest and conservation studies, and energy

technology. The environmental impact of industries such as these is taking an ever-growing role
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in the consciousness of business leaders, politicians, and workers alike. Students who emerge

from programs such as these with a strong foundational knowledge of how to approach

environmental issues will be better prepared to succeed in their chosen field. The resulting

expansion of resources would contribute to the goal of ensuring quality services for all users.

Goal #2: Ensure quality and accountability (Strategic Plan 2017-2021, Creating a

Culture of Transformation, n.d.). Environmental responsibility can and should play a large role

in the accountability of every program. Just as businesses are accountable to stakeholders

financially, green business practices are increasingly being called for by employees, consumers,

and investors, and training programs are accountable to these businesses for producing a

workforce that is equipped to respond to these demands.

Goal #3: Promote competitiveness, ensuring relevance on a regional, national, and

global scale (Strategic Plan 2017-2021, Creating a Culture of Transformation, n.d.). An

Environmental Materials collection would inarguably reflect well on both Delgado Libraries and

on the goals and values of Delgado itself. The collection could conceivably be useful beyond

Delgado’s doors, providing measurable benefits to partnering businesses, environmental groups,

and political entities as well, thus increasing the visibility and reputation of the library.

Quality of life for the community, long-term, stands to benefit substantially. The

existence of such a collection sends a strong message to businesses and industries that

sustainable development and a commitment to environmental awareness are integral parts of

corporate responsibility, and are priorities of the community, including the students who will

become potential employees. The elevation of these priorities will naturally evolve into greener

business practices and improved public policy, which will trickle down to improved quality of

life for all communities. The highlighting of the historical disregard for low-income communities
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will help to give a voice to those who frequently bear a larger than average share of the

environmental burden caused by industrial byproducts. This collection will provide the

resources to guide the implementation of these standards that aim to improve the quality for

everyone.

Estimated Cost of Proposed Collection

According to the ACRL’s “2018 Academic Library Trends and Statistics,” the library

expenditure for an associate-degree granting institution on collection materials averages

$196,000 annually (DFREE, 2019). Considering that the Environmental Materials Collection

will be approximately 1% of Delgado’s total collection, we can expect an annual expenditure of

roughly $2,000, or 1.02% of total collection expenditures, to keep the collection maintained and

updated in the years following its implementation. However, the initial cost will necessarily be

higher to acquire all new materials and potentially purchase new subscriptions from vendors. I

have approximated this initial cost to be 10% of total expenditures ($19,600), to be allocated as

follows: monographs: $7,000; serials: $3,500; A/V: $1,050; government documents: $1,050, E-

resources: $7,000. I do not anticipate any additional purchasing for hardware, software, or

connectivity to be necessary.

In assessing the existing collection and how it aligns with the proposed collection, we can

delineate the existing collection by adding up the total of number of physical books listed that

came up certain subject searches and determine that it includes approximately 900 books, of

which around 200 may be duplicate titles or candidates for weeding. The goal of our proposed

collection is approximately 750-900 books, which means that we may be looking at adding 50-

200 titles to the collection in book format. Estimating a cost of about $25 per book and with a

budget of $7000 for monographs, we have the budget to add 280 books, which will allow some
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room in the budget for the purchase of fictional and leisure reading materials in addition to more

academic materials. Evaluating the ebook collection in a similar fashion gives us a total of about

9,300 ebook titles, though many might be duplicates. As $7,000 is the proposed budget allocated

to e-resources, purchasing materials from a suggested “best list” such as “Every Day is Earth

Day: 365 Books to Start Your Climate Change Library” published by Literary Hub is suggested

to round the collection out (“Every Day Is Earth Day,” 2019). We can expect the number of

relevant electronic journal titles to be at about 920 based on subject search results and on the

number of electronic journals held by the databases Environment Complete and GreenFILE.

There is currently the greatest shortage of existing materials in the categories of A/V materials

and government documents, with streaming videos the most represented subgroup from within

these categories; therefore all of the allocated budget will need to be used on new materials,

particularly on audiobooks and government documents.

Deliverables

Resources pertaining to environmental responsibility and sustainability at both the global

and local levels will be the overarching topic of this collection. Subtopics will include Advanced

Manufacturing and its Impact on the Environment (including resources on the environmental

impact of additive manufacturing, transportation and shipping, advanced polymers, and mining

and metals), Water Management and its Impact on the Environment (including resources on

water quality, water quantity, and water management issues in Louisiana), Allied Health and its

Impact on the Environment (including materials on the environmental impact of topics related to

infectious disease, funeral services, surgical technology, and radiology), and the Energy Sector

and its Impact on the Environment (including materials on natural gas, petroleum, coal,

electricity, and renewable energy). Popular entertainment with environmental issues as a

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backdrop will also be included.

Resources that pertain to the overall topic of environmental responsibility will include

reference materials such as the Library of Congress Research Guide, the United Nations

Sustainable Development Guide, Blackwell’s Concise Encyclopedia of Environmental

Management, and the Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy. Indexes and

databases will include the JSTOR Sustainability Collection, Ebsco Environment Complete, and

GreenFILE. The web sites Green America (https://www.greenamerica.org), Sustainable

Louisiana (https://sustainablelouisiana.org), Earth Day (https://www.earthday.org), and the web

site for the Louisiana Environmental Action Network (https://leanweb.org) will all be accessible

from one central digital location from the collection’s home page on the main library web site,

and media materials such as the videos Uneasy Alchemy: Citizens and Experts in Louisiana’s

Chemical Corridor Disputes and Diamond: A Struggle for Environmental Justice in Louisiana’s

Chemical Corridor, as well as others from the Video Project and other sources will be included.

Resources for the subtopics within the collection include, but are not limited to indexes

and databases (for Health Sciences, some suggestions are CINAHL Complete, Science Direct,

Web of Science, Medline, and Health and Science in Video), books, ebooks, and audiobooks for

all subtopics, and journals for all subtopics, such as American Journal of Public Health for the

Health Sciences subtopic, the Journal of Cleaner Production for Advanced Manufacturing,

Sustainability for Water Management, and Energy and Environment for the Energy Sector.

Additionally, some media examples from each subtopic include the Designing Healthy

Communities Series for Health Sciences, Sustainability in Design and Manufacturing for

Advanced Manufacturing, the Sustainable Water Management Webinar for Water Management,

and Bill Gates: How to Fund the Green Revolution, in Economist Video for the Energy Sector.
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Selection Criteria

In order of importance, the selection criteria for this collection in terms of format will

place text materials, including journals, books, and government documents, as top priority,

followed by audio (including audio books and podcasts), web sites such as Earthday.org and

Green America, videos, including documentaries, movies, and clips, and finally, video games

such as Eco Tycoon and Project Green.

Special considerations specific to this topic include timeliness, source of information, and

geography. In regard to timeliness, it is important to consider that there are constantly changing

technological improvements and studies about which students, faculty, and partnering businesses

should be aware. For instance, there currently exists what is known as an “environmental data

vacuum,” which is the absence of monitoring data that allows scientists and researchers to

address climate conditions (“Reasons Behind Environmental Data Vacuum & Importance of

Data,” 2020). There are many reasons for this vacuum, the most significant of which is that the

data is not reaching the community, even if it has been accessed and analyzed, and one of the

major reasons for this is lack of environmental education. The technology for low-cost

environmental sensors has recently emerged; now commitment to investing in the education that

leads to real-time results using the information gleaned from this monitoring is necessary.

Delgado is in a prime position to provide the resources to equip the incoming workforce with

these skills.

It is also important to consider the source of information as selection criteria for the

collection. There exist in Louisiana many entities who have a large and clear financial

motivation to manipulate data and push findings that support their own financial gain. Oil and

gas companies do not necessarily want their history of environmental transgressions publicized
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and will have their own experts and publicists who are paid to downplay any negative

environmental effects of their business. There is also the practice of “greenwashing” to consider,

which is the practice of many companies providing misleading information about their efforts to

minimize their environmental impact for marketing purposes. It is therefore extremely necessary

to research all materials for this collection in order to minimize the inclusion of any

misinformation.

Lastly, geography must be a consideration. As mentioned, this collection will be

primarily targeted to users within the Louisiana community and has a goal of educating those

who will be working in Louisiana-based industries. As such, special effort should be taken to

include as many resources as possible that specifically target environmental issues within this

region.

Anticipated Growth and Maintenance

After the initial investment of 19,600, an anticipated $2,000 per year will be allocated to

the growth and maintenance of the collection. The Delgado Collection Development policy lists

several sources that the library uses for consultation when building a collection, including

bibliographies, Booklist, Choice, and the Chronical of Higher Education (Clevenger, n.d.-b). The

ALA, Booklist, and EarthDay all publish bibliographies related to sustainability that would serve

as excellent resources when looking to grow the collection. However, the majority of the limited

annual funds will necessarily need to be allocated to the renewal of database and journal

subscriptions.

According to Delgado Library’s Collection Development Policy, procurement of library

materials generally spans July through April to comply with fiscal year closeout, and systemic

weeding of the entire collection takes place every two years, with weeding in specific areas
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occurring when areas are up for accreditation and on a rotating basis (Clevenger, n.d.-b). Items

that should be discarded and not promoted include outdated materials that are no longer relevant

to the conversation on environmental protection. The MUSTIE (misleading, ugly, superseded,

trivial, irrelevant, or obtained elsewhere) weeding methodology should also be used to select

materials for discard.

Thematic Considerations

There will be some overlap between the Environmental Materials Collection and the

existing Louisiana collection; however, this is acceptable even beneficial as the Louisiana

collection is likely to contain a decent number of publications that are also desirable for

Environmental Materials. This should provide a solid base on which to build the new collections

and should help to minimize costs. The fact that the proposed space for the Environmental

Materials Collection is within the Louisiana Collection makes the natural overlap even more of

an asset, and lends itself to collaborative collection efforts between the two entities.

Marketing Considerations

In marketing this collection to stakeholders, facilitating factors such as the natural tie-in

to the Louisiana Collection and the alignment with the Strategic Goals of the college should be

stressed. In marketing this collection to audiences, social media would be the primary means of

advertisement. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest would all be ideal locations to

showcase Delgado’s commitment to environmental responsibility in a positive light. The most

useful media platform would be YouTube, which Delgado Library already uses heavily. A video

could easily be created explaining the importance of the collection, an overview of what the

collection contains, and a tutorial on how to best access resources within the collection. A visual

overview of the physical collection in its new space within the Louisiana Reference Room at the
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main campus library would also be included. This would be an ideal marketing and learning tool

that could then be shared across multiple platforms.

Access and Use Restrictions and Considerations

There are no privacy or security concerns that could affect access to the collection.

Although there are no computers in the Louisiana Reference room, there are sufficient computers

in the vicinity to allow potential users access, with space and infrastructure in the Louisiana

Reference room to add more if expansion becomes necessary. Wi-fi speed and net access are also

sufficient. There is a slight concern that partnering businesses may be defensive about the

inclusion of materials that may seem accusatory towards their current business practices,

particularly in regard to the goal of addressing the increased environmental burden people in

low-income neighborhoods have been forced to carry. However, it is important to approach all

issues with the explicitly stated goal of working together cooperatively to find fact-based to these

issues. Although businesses still need to consider profit, they must now balance profit-seeking

behavior with concern for the health of the planet, even if only to appease the increasing

demands for environmental responsibility that are coming from consumers. Thus, partnership

with and support of a collection that aims to increase knowledge and drive behaviors that are

beneficial to the environment is a winning strategy both in terms of public perception and, more

importantly, for the health and survival of our planet.

Instructional Considerations

A YouTube training video is proposed for a tutorial on how to best access resources

within the collection. Such a tutorial would highlight the usefulness and ease of access the

collection provides. A research guide accessible from Delgado Library’s home pages would also

provide users with guidance on how to access materials within the collection. Library staff
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members would need to familiarize themselves with the content and scope of materials. A

demonstration explaining the collection in detail should be given to library staff, and literature

distributed with instructions on further research.

Collection Policy Considerations

The existing Collection Development Policy is broad enough to encompass all subject

matter that the library covers. There are no changes necessary to the policy to accommodate any

special exceptions or caveats resulting from the implementation of this collection.

Proposed Collection Impact

The collection will impact have the greatest impact on the people it serves, the users.

For students and faculty, the supplementation of course materials with relevant resources that

address the environmental impact of the fields they are studying and teaching will give them a

more comprehensive understanding of all facets of the industries and will prepare them to either

make a positive contribution to corporate responsibility as they enter the workforce or adequately

prepare a student body for entry into the workforce in an environmentally responsible manner.

The service community will benefit from greener business practices and improved public policy,

which will trickle down into improved quality of life for all communities. The highlighting of the

historical disregard for low-income communities will help to give a voice to those who

frequently bear a larger than average share of the environmental burden caused by industrial

byproducts. This collection will provide the resources to guide the implementation of these

standards that aim to improve the quality for everyone. Lastly, the parent organization will

benefit by both increased visibility and increased ability to meet the needs of the business sector

for more transparency and better sustainability practices.

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Collection Data and Evaluation

The success of this program will be determined by both circulation numbers and

increased foot traffic. Specifically, an increase in the usage of materials in the Louisiana

Reference would be one indicator of success of the Environmental Materials Collection, as the

two collections are closely related and will share the same space. Student and faculty surveys

could also be conducted, and both formal and informal feedback such as anecdotal evidence can

be collected from faculty members and members of partnering businesses.

Conclusion

The importance of an environmental education is becoming more and more evident as we

face climate change, biodiversity loss, air and water pollution, a water crisis, a drain on natural

resources, and more (Kinhal et al., n.d.). This collection will support the library’s role in in the

community by prioritizing learning about environmental factors such as sustainable development

so that students can contribute to greater corporate environmental responsibility as they enter the

workforce. Communities will further benefit from the efforts of the collection to address and

highlight the effects that industrial disregard has disproportionately had on lower income

neighborhoods, with an aim toward working collaboratively with businesses to reverse these

practices.

One of the biggest facilitating factors in the building of this collection is the natural tie-in

to the Louisiana collection, both in terms of physical space and purchasing decisions. The

overlap in subject matter material indicates a solid base on which to build the new collection,

minimizing costs across the board, including in the areas of print, A/V, and e-resources. The

placement of this collection within the Louisiana Reference room will result in an area that is

aesthetically more pleasing and infinitely more useful to patrons than it currently stands.
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Since the typical procurement of library materials generally spans from July through

April, the beginning start date of this proposal is July 1, 2023. This will allow time for the budget

approval, the preparation of the space, and additional planning in advance of the beginning of

acquisitions.
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References

Clevenger, S. (n.d.-a). Delgado Community College Libraries: About Us: Library Information.

Retrieved February 12, 2022, from https://dcc.libguides.com/c.php?

g=117997&p=767975

Clevenger, S. (n.d.-b). Delgado Community College Libraries: Library Policies: Collection

Development. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from https://dcc.libguides.com/c.php?

g=112548&p=730818

DFREE. (2019, July 17). ACRL releases “2018 Academic Library Trends and Statistics” [Text].

News and Press Center. https://www.ala.org/news/member-news/2019/07/acrl-releases-

2018-academic-library-trends-and-statistics

Every Day is Earth Day: 365 Books to Start Your Climate Change Library. (2019, April 25).

Literary Hub. https://lithub.com/every-day-is-earth-day-365-books-to-start-your-climate-

change-library-4/

Fast Facts About Delgado. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2022, from

https://www.dcc.edu/about/fast-facts.aspx

Kinhal, V., Agriculture, B. S., Ecology, M. S., & Sciences, E. (n.d.). Seven Biggest

Environmental Threats. LoveToKnow. Retrieved January 29, 2022, from

https://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Seven_Biggest_Environmental_Threats

LEAN | Community Empowerment Program. (n.d.). LEAN. Retrieved February 12, 2022, from

https://leanweb.org/about/projects/community-empowerment-program

Mission, Vision and Values. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2022, from

https://www.dcc.edu/about/mission.aspx