Managing Grey Literature

An important resource for scholarly research, grey literature is relevant to every discipline. It’s also often more current than commercial publications. Unfortunately, though it provides a richness of content, this type of scholarly resource is often overlooked when conducting research. This book aims to change that, describing the importance of grey literature and offering a holistic approach to successfully integrating it into library collections. Readers will learn

• an overview of grey literature that discusses its importance to researchers, scholars, and students;
• collections policies for selection and deselection, complete with a suggested workflow;
• information about vendors, OA, and other aspects of acquisitions;
• guidance on cataloging, such as collection categories in the public-facing catalog, and preservation; and
• methods for promoting grey literature in library collections, including institutional repositories; and
• tips for marketing, branding, outreach, and best communication practices for colleagues, administrators, and patrons.

Michelle Leonard is the assistant director for education and training programs at the University of Florida, Office of Research. From 2004–2021, she was tenured faculty in the Marston Science Library at the University of Florida where she was the librarian and collections liaison to multiple departments in agriculture and natural and environmental sciences. She is an avid advocate for the inclusion of grey literature in her information literary workshops at the undergraduate level, and for scholarly research at the graduate level. Michelle coauthored the book Implementing and Assessing Use Driven Acquisitions (2016) and coedited Assessment Strategies in Technical Services (2019). She has published and presented on collection management, assessment strategies in libraries, and the responsible conduct of research at national educational, and library conferences, and international conferences.

Susan E. Thomas is the interim dean of library services at Indiana University South Bend. Susan has thirty years of experience working in academic libraries. Prior to positions at IU South Bend, Susan has served as the facilitator for reference services and archivist at Valdosta State University (Georgia), the assistant head of the Regents Center Library and bibliographer for social welfare at the University of Kansas/Edwards Campus, and as a medical reference librarian at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Library. She is currently serving as the chair of the Core Publications Committee.

The former Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS), the Library Information Technology Association (LITA), and the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA) are now Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures, a new division of ALA. Its mission is to cultivate and amplify the collective expertise of library workers in core functions through community building, advocacy, and learning.