Collection Development

Strategy

Dheeraj Singh negi

The goal of the Libraries is to provide an effective combination of print, non-print and electronic resources, and the integration of the use of these resources in support of teaching, learning and research at the University. Electronic resources, however, pose challenges not encountered with the acquisitions of traditional library materials, such as access, interface, technical support and licensing. The Libraries therefore need to formulate a separate Electronic Resources Collection Development Policy to address these issues. The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines in choosing appropriate electronic resources and to establish consistency and priorities in managing this important part of the Libraries' collection.

CONCEPTCollection development is the process of acquiring books/documents and non-print media

needed to satisfy request for the information needs and to attain systems objectives

Activities included Assessing the users need Evaluating the present collection Determining selection policy Coordinating selection of items Re-evaluating Preserving Planning for resource sharing

PurposeThe purpose of the Electronic Resources Collection Development Policy is to direct the

addition, maintenance, and removal of electronic resources to the existing library

collection through the following:

• Acknowledging that differences between versions are created by packaging content in

• various formats. Acknowledging that there are limits to the Library's ability to provide

• access to materials in electronic formats.

• Guiding the selection of electronic resources by identifying the characteristics of useful

• and usable resources.

• Adding discipline, consistency, and transparency to the process of selecting, acquiring,

• licensing, organizing, announcing, maintaining, and evaluating electronic resources.

Objectives of Collection Development: 

The main objectives of collection development are-

i) A library should acquire and provide all the relevant reading materials to its clientele so that the basic function of the library are fulfilled from the vast amount of literature, which are also increasing day by day.

ii) A library should acquire all other books on the related topics;

iii) A library should contain all the reading materials pertaining to the history and culture of a particular country, city, place or institution as the case may be.

Need of Book SelectionThe need of book selection arises due to the following reasons-

i) The world of book is so large that a library, however large and resourceful, cannot procure all the materials published and available in the market;

ii) The library collection is meant for the user of a particular library so that library collection should commensurate with the need and requirement of the users;

iii) The physical limitation of storage naturally imposes the necessity for selection.

d) Factors that Influence Book Selection:

 Selection of the library materials is of prime importance in a library. The librarians with the concern of library staff and with the help of various user groups should perform the job of selection of the library material. In selection process the following factors should be considered:-

i) The Library: The kind, objectives, size and goals of the library, specialization areas of the library;

ii) Users: Need and demand, requirement and intellectual level of the users, the number of users;

iii) Existing Holding: The number of books, its nature and characteristics which are already present in the collection; the merits of the books which are going to be selected;

iv) Fund: The amount allotted for acquisition of books/journals

Library staff

Library staff

Academic staff

Academic staff

User’s Analysis

Selection Policies

Acquisition Policies

Resource Sharing

Weeding

Collection Evaluation

Functions of collection developmentFunctions of collection development

SELECTION

• General CriteriaSubject matter covered is relevant to the needs of primary users (students, faculty and staff)

• Appropriate intellectual level, depth of coverage and quality of information for user population

• Reputable, reliable, and authoritative producer• Information and updates are current, accurate and

complete• Electronic format provides greater accessibility to

information over other formats• Uniqueness of information

Formats

• Citation/abstract databases

• Full text article databases

• Full text reference sources online

• Graphics and multimedia files

• Ebooks (selective)

Access

• Electronic Resources must meet the following criteria:

• Delivery via the web

• Authentication by IP address (rather than passwords or logins)

• Compatibility with the Library’s existing proxy server and software

User-Friendliness

• Availability of on-screen help and/or tutorials

• Basic and guided/advanced searching

• Helpful error messages (i.e., error message indicates specific problem(s) and provides possible alternatives)

• Ability to print, save, and email results and/or articles

Cost Considerations

• Cost-effectiveness (including the availability and cost of updates and backfiles when appropriate)

• Ability to sustain cost for the foreseeable future

• Potential usage and/or uniqueness of information justifies cost 

Vendor Considerations

• Provides responsive customer service and technical support that is available during library working hours

• Availability and quality of training programs• Reputation and business record suggests

continued support for the product via updates or new versions

• Documentation is thorough and clear

Technical Considerations

• Meets usual and customary technical standards in the industry

• Allows for local customizations via system administration access for the Library

• Product is compatible with the Library’s existing and/or future hardware

• Product is compatible with standard web browsers if accessible via the web

• Usage statistics are readily available in a user-friendly format

License Agreements • The Library purchases access to or data from publishers who require signed license

agreements. When negotiating license agreements, the Library keeps the interests of the user in mind and refrains from purchasing products where use restrictions would seriously impede research or be impossible to enforce. The Head of Collection Management coordinates the review of license agreements and submits the signed license agreement as part of the ordering procedure. The Library will consult with General Counsel to amend vendor license agreements on a case-by-case basis to ensure use is granted to the fullest extent possible.

Pricing

The library selects e-resources when:– Funds from the materials budget can sustain the cost for

the foreseeable future.– Cost of the number of simultaneous users is appropriate

to the projected use of the resource.– Purchase does not require a print subscription.– Cost includes permanent rights to the information even if

the subscription is cancelled.

FUNDING

• Purchase of e-resources represents a significant and ongoing commitment of library funds.  To minimize the impact of purchasing these materials, the library takes advantage of discounts by participating in local, regional, and state consortia

EVALUATION OF ELECTRONIC RESOURCES

• Subscriptions to e-resources may be cancelled if:– Budget reductions make continuing the

subscription difficult or impossible.– Usage statistics are consistently low over a

period of time.– The same or similar content is found in

another resource.

REVIEW OF ELECTRONIC RESOURCES FOR CANCELLATION

A subscription to a product may be cancelled if: Usage statistics are consistently low over a significant period of time. The product is no longer cost-effective The content provided is no longer meeting the needs of Columbia College

Chicago users. A competitive or better product becomes available. The vendor fails to hold up their end of the agreement and/or provides poor

service. A product’s price inflates such that it no longer is considered affordable. The product’s content is found to duplicate content in another database. A new vendor can deliver a superior product, including a more user-friendly

search interface, providing greater and more reliable access at a reasonable cost, or meet other key criteria not being met by current database provider.

 

Role of libraries and Information Center

• Librarian will have to initiate the transition to an access-based model of service based upon electronic networks that will provide bibliographic, numeric and full text information to scholars and researchers.

• Willingness amongst librarians to adopt multimedia technology is a must for collection and preservation of important and regularly used documents beside handling conventional resources