Discusses collection development policy as means to express and systematize guidelines for collection building that fulfill three basic functions: the referential, the generative, the rhetorical. Division of policy into subject categories, and use of "collection levels" to rank the collection and collecting effort for each subject are…

Based on communication with librarians from Russia, Mongolia, the Baltic States, Bulgaria, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Romania, this paper discusses library collection development and preservation policies. Highlights include: mission statements of national and regional libraries; availability of a formal structure responsible for collection…

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…

Describes why and how the North American Collections Inventory Project (NCIP) involving three Indiana research libraries was implemented; how cooperative decisions and planning are proceeding as a result of the project; and benefits and drawbacks of the project. Comments on future are offered as NCIP begins Phase Three. (6 references) (EJS)

This paper highlights some of the issues that arose during the drafting of a revised version of the IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) Guidelines for Public Libraries. The sections of the new document are outlined as follows: (1) The Role and Purpose of the Public Library; (2) The Legal and Financial…

At the Daytona Beach Community College (DBCC) Library, collection development, selection, and acquisitions function as levels of a hierarchy. The highest level is collection development, which constitutes the planning function. Meetings are held annually to assess user needs, evaluate the present collection, discuss budget considerations, plan for…

Reports on the IFLA Pre-Session Seminar on international issues in school librarianship (Caldes de Montbui, Spain, August 1993). Summarizes papers dealing with the role of school libraries in developing countries; selection and acquisitions; management and financial support; and country reports on the school library situation. Also includes…

Discusses the use of library management data, particularly circulation data, in making selection decisions for library collection development based on experiences at Louisiana State University. Development of a collection based on actual use rather than perceived research needs is considered, and the decision-making process for serials…

Describes problems facing academic libraries today concerning the amount of literature and information available, costs, copyright issues affecting ownership, and technological changes. Strategies for dealing with diminishing funds and increasing information resources are suggested, and activities at the Association of Research Libraries (ARL)…

Discusses library collection evaluation and its relationship to the acquisitions budget. Topics addressed include the publishing industry; library services that are more user centered; acquisition of versus access to sources of information and knowledge; the concept of value; library accountability; objectives and setting priorities; and levels of…

This paper discusses the management of library collections of electronic information resources within the classical theoretical framework of collection development and management. The first section provides an overview of electronic information resources, including bibliographic databases, electronic journals, journal aggregation services, and…