One Size Does Not Fit All

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Haeflinger, Maria 

Miller, M. E. & Ward, S. M. (2002, May 2). Rightsizing Your Collection: Making the academic collection management process more intentional and user-centric. American Libraries. (pp. 1-6) 
https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2022/05/02/rightsizing-your-collection/

Summary

Who is to tell you how many resources you should have in your library? How many books should you have in each subject? One size does not fit all when it comes to libraries. The resources, in variety and quantity, all depends on your community and patron needs and desires. We all want to add resources to our libraries to meet the needs, but what do we do with the resources we already have? Every library has a hard time with downsizing their collections. It takes a lot of work.

Rightsizing your library is not easy, but it is the best way to go. The resources not being used need to be replaced. The present trend is for less physical resources and more space and services. Libraries are investing in more online resources to take the place of the physical, turning from the physical repository to the online repository.

Review

This article was an excerpt taken from Rightsizing the Academic Library Collection, 2nd edition by Mary E. Miller and Suzanne M. Ward (ALA Editions, 2021). 

I believe all librarians need to read this book. The book simplifies the needs and the steps to rightsizing your library. It will help the librarian think about what size is the right size for them and their situations and communities.