Collection Development Policy:
from just in case to just in time
Collection Development
the process of planning and building a useful and balanced collection of library materials over a period of years, based on an ongoing assessment of the information needs of the library's clientele, analysis of usage statistics, and demographic projections, normally constrained by budgetary limitations (Reitz, 2001).
Components of Collection Development
the formulation of selection criteria planning for resource sharing replacement of lost and damaged items, as well as routine selection and deselection decisions.
Collection Development Policy (CDP)
A formal written statement of the principles guiding a library's selection of materials, including the criteria used in making selection and de-selection decisions (fields covered, degrees of specialization, levels of difficulty, languages, formats, balance, etc.) and policies concerning gifts and exchanges (Reitz, 2001).
Uses of a CDP
framework and set of parameters within which staff and users work tool for selection of materials describes current collections guides the librarians in prioritizing library activities assists with budgeting serves as communication channel within a library and between the library and outside constituents supports cooperative collection development prevents censorship assists in overall collection management activities (handling of gifts, de-selection of materials and serial cancellations).
Functions of CDP
Selection Planning Public Relations The wider context
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Selection
provides guidance to staff when selecting and deselecting (printed and electronic) resources for the local collection reduces personal bias by setting individual selection decisions in the context of the aims of collection building practice, and identifies gaps in collection development responsibilities ensures continuity and consistency in selection and revision clarifies the purpose and scope of local collections, and allows selection decisions to be evaluated reduces the need of selectors to raise recurrent questions, and assists in the training of new staff provides useful information to other library staff whose work is collection based.
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Planning
assists in determining priorities, especially when financial resources are limited provides a basis for the fair allocation of resources, and helps to protect library funds by explaining the rationale behind acquisitions bids it involves acquiring knowledge of existing collection strengths, and obliges staff to reflect on the library's goals helps other collection-related activities such as cataloguing, preservation and storage to form a coherent strategy, and support reader services
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Public relations
useful in making the case for the library when dealing with both its users, administrators and funding bodies requires the active participation of both users and administrators, thereby improving communication between the library and its clientele serves as a contract with the librarys users has the function to demonstrate to individuals within an institution what they can expect of the library both in form of collections and of services enables individual selection decisions to be justified on a standardized basis library staff can deflect criticism or censorship arising from special interest groups, and politely but firmly refuse unwanted gifts, sectarian materials or potentially offensive items
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The wider context
As individual libraries are increasingly unable to provide all their services by themselves, they are banding together into cooperatives, alliances and consortia. serves as a basis for wider cooperation and resource sharing, whether in a locality, region, country, or even internationally
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CDP elements
Introduction General Statements Narrative Statements Subject Profiles Collection evaluation methods Collection depth indicators Language codes Policy implementation and revision timetables
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Introduction
mission statement of the library the purpose of the policy the audience to whom it is addressed brief statements about the community or user group(s) description of the types of programs the library collection serves the size (including number of periodicals, monographic volumes, electronic resources, languages represented) of the collection a detailed budgetary overview of the money the library will spend on the different types of information resources any formal or informal cooperative agreements that affect the collection policy or practices
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General Statements
characteristics that determine the direction of the development of the collection:
Focus (current or retrospective) Resource types (monographs, periodicals, theses, etc) Languages Formats Special sources of funding Policy regarding gifts and maintenance of the collection Size of the collection Others (complaints, rights, limitations)
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Narrative statements
Statements should be made of special subject or format collections that represent unique materials and for which special guidelines apply, and which formats are excluded. The scope of coverage should be described Subjects should be described in terms of the librarys classification scheme and subject descriptors. Library unit or selector responsible for the collection(s). Other categories of useful local information (interdisciplinary relationships, consortial relationships, policies for acquiring access to information) Other factors of local importance.
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Subject profiles
based upon collection assessment (also referred to as collection evaluation) needs periodic updating to reflect progress towards goals or goal revision due to changing circumstances. summary of collection strength and collection intensities
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Collection evaluation methods
Quantitative measures (size, age, use, costs) Qualitative measures - subjective evaluation and involve the professional judgment of librarians, appraisal from subject experts, or the opinion of customers.
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Collection depth indicators
0 = out of scope 1 = minimal information level (minimal inquiries) 2 = basic information level (general library users) 3 = study or instructional support level (systematic graduate study) 4 = research level (major published source materials required for doctoral study) 5 = comprehensive level (defined field of knowledge that strives to be exhaustive)
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Language codes
English language Foreign language Filipino Local dialects
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Policy implementation and revision timetables
describes the process for implementation timetable for revision official adoption issues introduces the notion of control
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Appendices
CDP example (Parks High School) DepEds Standards for Philippine Libraries (2011)
References:
Reitz, JM. (n.d.). Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science. Retrieved from: http://www.abcclio.com/ODLIS/odlis_c.aspx#collecdevel IFLA. 2001. Guidelines for a Collection Development Policy using the Conspectus Model. Retrieved from: http://www.ifla.org/files/assets/acquisitioncollection-development/publications/gcdpen.pdf
