Collection Development as a TEAM

Tracy, Anna

INFO 266, Fall 2016

This article looks at the evolution of collection development theories in academic libraries, the centralized selection model, its relevance to today’s practices, the streamlining of electronic resources and the electronic resource librarian.

There is a continuing dilemma in collection development of whether or not to add selection to someone’s existing roles or hiring a person specifically for that role. This article went into detail on what the Head of Collection Development at UW had to do in order to get devoted staff to selection rather than dividing up the tasks among many people as an afterthought to their workflow.

I do believe that selection should be accepted as ‘a regular part of the days work… not an added burden’, though there is a difference in budgets from library to library and especially spanning from academic to rural public libraries. I find it an incredibly rewarding part of my job, though it often gets put on the back burner for other tasks which is a shame. I have implemented a similar model, on a smaller scale within my department, similar to how UW achieved their team for the whole library, by defining policies very clearly, working in close proximity to the selection team, and consistent updates on budget and availability of funds.

Barstow, S., Macaulay, D., & Tharp, S. (2016). How to Build a High-Quality Library Collection in a Multi-Format Environment: Centralized Selection at University of Wyoming Libraries. Journal Of Library Administration, 56(7), 790-809. doi:10.1080/01930826.2015.1116336