The purpose of this article is to provide tips for electronic collection development for libraries with a meager budget.
The information provided in this article is based on research on electronic collection development practices and the author's experience with electronic resources at small and large university libraries.
There are many useful electronic resources available for free because of the open access movement. Old ideas such as consortia and negotiating still help to keep costs at a manageable level for libraries.
Libraries will be able to maintain or reduce the costs they are spending on electronic resources, but still retain sources that fulfill their collection needs.
This paper combines new and old ideas and resources for electronic collection development into a short and easy‐to‐follow source.
