Instead of presents for the holidays, Booth Library received 1,357 new books and print items in December for student use.

The purchases come in many categories, but all were made by collection management services.

The acquisitions that undergo the most intense vetting process before purchase are academic texts.

Karen Whisler, head of the collection management services, said the process starts with recommendations made by professors based on the material their classes cover.

Whisler said the materials selected were the most appropriate for students’ class work.

The recommendations are brought to each department’s library liaison, who works with the library staff to narrow down the selection.

Whisler said all 12 members of the library staff involved in this step have master’s degrees in both library science and the field of study of the department they advise.

The process of acquiring new materials is ongoing. Whisler said despite the current economic climate, the number of materials purchased has been about the same from month to month.

She said Eastern has protected its budget because the administrators understand how important it is for students to have up-to-date academic materials.

However, not all the academic titles were purchased.

In addition to the steady donations of books made by community members, the library received many books from a Japanese foundation that donates books about Japanese culture to libraries.

Recreational Reading

Although the majority of the libraries acquisitions made are of an academic nature, the library purchased 32 books that are classified by the Eastern online catalog as “recreational reading.”

Whisler said these books are important to give students the option to do light reading between studies.

Whisler cited the “Harry Potter” series and the “Twilight” books as recent examples of popular recreational reading.

Notable recreational reading books purchased in December are “Going Rouge: An American Life,” by Sarah Palin, “Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis,” by Al Gore and “Open: An Autobiography,” by Andre Agassi, all of which were published in 2009.

A full list of the library’s acquisitions can be found on the library’s homepage or at www.library.eiu.edu/newtitles.

Doug Graham can be reached at 581-7942 or dtgraham@eiu.edu.