How public librarians actually build collections

 Maklynn St. Clare, INFO 266

Gooding-Call, A. (2020, February 24). Public library collection development secrets, revealed: Behold the mystery of public library collection development. Book Riot. https://bookriot.com/public-library-collection-development/

Summary: Anna Gooding-Call explains how public librarians actually build collections. She shows that librarians can’t just follow their personal tastes or ideas of “quality,” because that would set dangerous precedents and exclude viewpoints when staff changes. Instead, they balance demand, circulation data, space limits, and community needs, often relying on professional review sources. Gooding-Call argues that public libraries must prioritize relevance, diversity, and use over stocking every “classic,” and that donations are usually handled according to policy rather than simply added to shelves.

Evaluation: The author made some good points about unknown considerations that librarians should keep in mind, rather than making random choices in collection development. The article was easy to understand and thought-provoking.

Tags: collection development, librarians, libraries, circulation data, community, diversity, donations, funding