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 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)

Presents a study of 36 selection policy statements from community college libraries in the United States including a content analysis of the policies. Recommends 20 components for inclusion in a community college library materials selection policy. (CBC)

Serials collections are a costly but essential part of a library's periodicals holdings. Jacksonville State University Library's (JSUL) budgetary problems have forced librarians to examine their serials closely in terms of cost factors, indexing, expected usage, and curriculum and research support. The purpose of this project is to assess JSUL's…

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,…

Describes a grant-funded research project to relocate selected print journal runs, for which an electronic version is available, to remote storage from the shelves of campus libraries at the University of California. Includes project objectives, criteria for journal selection, and phases of the grant. (LRW)

Undertaken to provide data on the current status of collection development in selected academic libraries, this study also analyzed the structure of the collection development function at Chicago Academic Library Council (CALC) institutions and outlined a formal collection development policy for Chicago State University's Douglas Library.…

Indicates that the (1) largest journalism libraries employ professional librarians, (2) size of acquisition budgets does not correlate with school enrollment, and (3) average library spends two-thirds of is budget on newspapers and periodicals and only one-third on books. Provides useful guidelines for designing a collection development policy for…

Discusses results of a Web-based survey that was conducted to determine the extent to which Canadian public libraries are collecting multilingual materials, methods used to select materials, and whether public librarians are prepared to provide multilingual clientele with adequate materials and services. Examines constraints preventing public…

Librarians at Harvard University have written the most comprehensive guide to selecting research collections for digitization. This article applies the Harvard Model to a digitization project at Indiana University in order to evaluate the appropriateness of the model for use at another institution and to adapt the model to local needs. (Contains 7…

An important component of a library's collection management activities should be a measure of the effectiveness of the selection process. Effective selection should be a reflection of titles chosen compared to titles available as well as patron use of the material selected. To evaluate the collection development activities for the School of…

Reports the results of a study of circulation records from 10 communities that were analyzed by Dewey Classification and by subjects to discover whether there is a relationship between community lifestyles and circulation patterns in public libraries. The hypothesis that data on community lifestyles have value for collection development was…

This packet is designed to guide users through the steps that ultimately lead to the assignment of collection responsibilities for individual member libraries of the North Bay Cooperative Library System, Santa Rosa, California. An initial profile of the member libraries examined the subject distribution of books owned, availability of books owned,…

Defines mechanical and expert selection of library materials and investigates the usefulness of mechanical selection in three test cases involving popular novels, German literature, and contemporary poetry. The cost of mechanical selection is examined and more quantification in selection practice is recommended. Data are presented in eight tables,…

The purpose of the government document collection in the Langston University (Oklahoma) libraries is to serve as a complement to the general collection of the libraries. The general collection in turn exists in order to provide the maximum coverage of information to support the curriculum and the community needs. This policy is developed to ensure…