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…

Discusses problems in the U.S. depository library system and offers suggestions for improvement, including cutting the List of Classes so libraries have more control over material selection; adding more public libraries as depositories; and restructuring regional depository library responsibilities so they do not have to keep all publications.…

Addresses factors to be considered in selecting library audiovisual materials in a time of increasingly complex constraints and operations. Suggestions offered include learning how to dig out facts that count, using unorthodox resources for evaluation, updating selection policy, and employing statistical and other measures to analyze patrons and…

Shows how a well-respected collection development tool contains ideological frames, using the "Public Library Catalog" (PLC) as an example. Evaluation by library science graduate students indicate that the PLC makes recommendations that have an imbalance of perspectives, overemphasize a particular facet or theory within a field, lack authority,…

Discussion of developing racially diverse collections in academic libraries focuses on an Afrocentric approach. Topics addressed include valuing diversity; Afrocentricity as a framework for diversity; barriers to building Afrocentric collections; and resources for building Afrocentric collections, including black-owned publishers, African American…

Discusses the acquisition of library materials in electronic formats, particularly CD-ROMs and machine-readable data files (MRDFs) in academic libraries, and considers possible problems that can result related to collection development policies. Cooperation in the selection process between subject collectors and technical experts is suggested.…

Includes seven articles that discuss censorship and intellectual freedom in junior and senior high schools. Highlights include access to appropriate information; library material selection; dealing with complaints; a list of potentially controversial titles and topics; a history of book burning; the censorship of fiction; weeding versus…

Discussion of problems presented by the introduction of preschool children into an elementary school setting focuses on implications for school librarians. Topics discussed include educational backgrounds of preschool teachers and school librarians; cooperation between teachers, librarians, and parents; characteristics of preschool children; and…