Collection development Strategy

1. ColleCtion
Development
Strategy
Dheeraj Singh negi

3. 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.

4. CONCEPT
Collection 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

5. Purpose
The 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.

6. 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.

7. Need of Book Selection
The 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

8. Library
staff
Library
staff
Academic
Academic
staff
staff
User’s Analysis
Selection Policies
Acquisition Policies
Resource Sharing
Weeding
Collection Evaluation
Functions of collection
development
Functions of collection
development

9. SELECTION
• General Criteria
Subject 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

10. Formats
• Citation/abstract databases
• Full text article databases
• Full text reference sources online
• Graphics and multimedia files
• Ebooks (selective)

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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