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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,


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