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Seema Sharma, Lovely Professional University Unit 6: Collection Development Policy
Unit 6: Collection Development Policy Notes
CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
6.1 Importance of Collection Development Policies
6.2 Preparing a Collection Development Policy
6.3 Procedure of Ordering
6.4 Summary
6.5 Keywords
6.6 Review Questions
6.7 Further Readings
Objectives
After studying this unit, you will be able to:
Know the collection development policy
Understand the preparation of collection development policy
Explain the procedure of ordering.
Introduction
A collection development policy is a written statement of your library’s intentions for building its
collection. It describes the collection’s strengths and weaknesses and provides guidelines for your
staff. Producing one is a commitment; it takes time and careful consideration to develop a useful and
relevant document. Once you have completed the document and your Library Board has approved
it, it is a good idea to put your collection development policy on the World Wide Web as a resource
for your own patrons and as an example for other librarians beyond your local community.
A collection development policy should be a living document, adaptable to change and growth. It
provides guidelines that can be modified as your library’s collection needs change. This section
discusses the importance of collection development policies, outlines the basic elements of these
policies, and identifies the steps involved in writing a policy for your library. It should be noted, that
as libraries put important policy and other documents on their websites, it is possible to link from
one document to another without the need to duplicate information that once had to be included in
more than one document.
Caution: Use your common sense to determine when a section of the collection development
policy might be excluded by linking to the same information in another official
document also on the Web.
6.1 Importance of Collection Development Policies
Every library, no matter how small, should have a collection development policy. Such a policy is
really an expanded version of the mission or purpose of the library. The policy can be useful in
several ways. First, a policy provides a point of reference for staff to consult when deciding on
whether to acquire, discard, or reject an item. By following the guidelines established in your policy,
LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 37