Library literature from the late 19th century to the present offers numerous guides to materials selection. Yet, collection development policies and lists of selection criteria are inadequate for humanities electronic texts. Libraries, humanities disciplines, and electronic texts are too complex for any rigid approach to acquisition. To meet goals…

This document presents a collection of papers to be used as a practical guide and reference for delivering library services to small rural schools. The document targets rural school teachers, new school librarians, county superintendents, and rural and small school boards of trustees. Papers cover: (1) issues related to library administration,…

This manual for the College of the Southwest (New Mexico) library delineates collection development policies and procedures for library and teaching faculty. The first section deals with collection development and maintenance responsibilities: knowledge of the collection; knowledge of college and course needs; library materials budget allocations;…

This review of the 1987 literature on collection management covers (1) organization; (2) collection building; (3) collection and use evaluation; (4) cooperative collection development; (5) costs and budgeting; and (6) acquisitions. (185 references) (MES)

Discusses the Hawaii State Public Library system decision to outsource library book selection to a vendor. Highlights include problems with the current contract, including lack of input from local librarians; and possible benefits of outsourcing, including the chance of having an outsourced baseline collection with discretionary funds for local…

Describes the Library of Congress's selective acquisition process. Topics include the collections policy statements; the Exchange and Gift Division; overseas offices; the Order Division; and electronic resources, microforms, and serials and periodicals. (LRW)

Core-reference collections are the small number of sources which meet the basic needs of all libraries, and the purpose of this guide is to assist libraries in the selection, acquisition, and use of these resources. Section I, structured like an annotated bibliography, focuses on the selection of those works which should constitute the main…

Discusses the common forms of book aid for libraries in Pacific countries. Topics include the nature of aid programs; problems arising from donations; types of book aid, which include clearinghouses; "twinning", mentor, friendship or sponsorship arrangements, interest groups, and unsolicited donations; collection development and…

Approval plans challenge library boundaries, require consensus on collection development priorities, cooperation among library departments, and a close partnership with the vendor. Few concrete performance standards exist, and effectiveness is difficult to measure. Vendors will play an active role in the evolution of approval plans, though…

Noting that librarians have long debated whether specific library functions may, or should, be scientifically examined, or whether they constitute an art not susceptible to scientific study, this paper reviews and critiques attempts to develop models of library material selection using the theories and methods of scientific investigation. First,…

A survey of 29 medium-sized academic libraries gathered data on collection development methods in foreign literatures including the language and academic background of the bibliographer; bases of selection decisions; acquisition rates for French, German, and Spanish literature as compared to English/American literature; acquisition practices; and…

The purpose of this project was to determine if publishers, by numbering a monographic series, facilitate the acquisition or retrieval of individual monographs. Treatment of monographic series has been erratic for several reasons: (1) changing cataloging codes; (2) inconsistency by the library of Congress in regard to series added entries and…

Discusses four specific questions regarding university libraries that need to be considered during accreditation reviews, in light of the diminished influence of faculty--particularly journalism faculty--over budget and acquisitions. (HTH)

This document describes a collection assessment made of the Economics and Finance holdings at Ward Edwards Library at Central Missouri State University (CMSU). The assessment is divided into three parts: (1) books, (2) serials, and (3) standing orders/reference materials. In addition to standard collection development sources such as…

This paper addresses organization and management issues related to library material selection and acquisitions in the digital age, based on the author's experiences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill library. The first part of the paper focuses on selection. The following principles of selection are discussed: (1) developing a…