Media selection and acquisition is highly dependent on a number of variables, perhaps the most important of which is changing technologies. New technology is a wonderful and frightening thing, with a high level of impact on media collection development. New technologies can improve sound and visual quality, but can also play havoc with established…

The New Thought movement is the focus of an exercise in developing a core collection to support research in a defined subject area. The authors outline the New Thought movement's conceptual and historical development and apply this outline to the selection of library resources. A sample collection development policy is included; such a policy is…

Illinois Wesleyan University's Ames Library opened in January 2002. The vision for this library focused on creating a user-centered arrangement of information regardless of format. Much of the library's collection was integrated during the move to the new building; however, several discrete collections remain separate. This article will discuss…

The review and negotiation of license agreements has become a time-consuming but necessary part of the job of providing access to the electronic information resources required by libraries' patrons. The nature of these agreements may pose a number of barriers to the development of fully integrated collections. This article presents a fictitious…

Collection development in the highly specialized area of the United States merchant marine, which includes navigation, marine engineering, shipping, naval architecture and shipbuilding, and seamanship, requires familiarity with the national and international organizations, governmental and other, which regulate and oversee the marine industry.…

This paper discusses techniques for selection of library materials in the subjects of exercise, sport and leisure. Details are shared about utilizing standard review sources, locating subject-specific publishers, searching indexes and abstracts as sources of reviews, and tapping into the work of professional organizations.

The number of electronic resources has climbed up steadily in recent times. Some of these e-resources are reference sources, mostly in Science, Technology and Medicine (STM), which publishers convert to electronic for obvious reasons. The library budgets for materials usually have two main lines, budget for one time purchase (monographs) and…

Patrons in academic libraries want convenient 24-hour access to full-text journals in a rapid, convenient manner. They want "anytime, anywhere" access to information and they do not want to enter a library to obtain it. This article describes how Eastern Washington University Libraries provide access to full-text journals through several…

The scholarly communication system is in a critical stage, due to a number of factors. The Open Access movement is perhaps the most interesting response that the scientific community has tried to give to this problem. The paper examines strengths and weaknesses of the Open Access strategy in general and, more specifically, of the Open Archives…

This article provides an introduction to the major information resources in the field of economics. The essay evaluates the major selection tools in the area of business and economics, as well as selected core reference titles. The article also includes suggestions for developing and evaluating economics collections, as well as a listing of online…

Resources found in the typical education library that supports teacher education programs often include print and non-print library items, and other items that are unique to education library collections. This article attempts to share what the education library is doing to integrate all of its resources irrespective of their formats. The main…

This construct for collection development as it relates to Native American resources utilizes Thomas Mann's "Library Research Methods" (1993) concepts of the Traditional Model, the Actual-Practice Model, and the Principle of Least Effort to organize recommendations for both strategies and resources. The three-pronged hierarchical approach to…

The conscientious selection of music materials requires an understanding of the needs of the public being served at least as much as it requires subject competence on the part of the selector. Online and print resources are available to aid in the selection of music materials in all formats, the most important of which are books, scores, audio and…

Tracking use of print journals over a ten-year period has allowed The University of South Carolina (USC) School of Medicine Library an essential tool for more accurate collection development, for both print and electronic selection. This lengthy study has provided usage statistics for purchasing decisions regarding electronic subscriptions still…

Reference services are in the midst of evolutionary changes. At a time when budgets are shrinking, traditional models of service and print reference formats are being questioned. This article discusses future directions of academic reference collections in terms of the apparent shift from print to electronic reference sources. Questions addressed…