A total of 16 articles report practice, give ideas, and make suggestions for improving collection development methods. My expectations overruled my reading of the title. Information technology, the Internet etc., do feature, but more traditional forms of data use are present as well. The “information age” is just recent: contemporary developments using information.
The first group of articles examines how libraries use information to plan and budget for collection development. We learn how Ring County Library System, Seattle, gathered data on its various communities and translated these into budget proposals. We read about the American Library Association’s community‐based A Planning Process for Public Libraries of 1980 and how this has been used in over 225 libraries for collection development. And we are told how San Diego’s impoverished library service finds the detailed financial information they can provide, which includes data such as property tax revenues and client needs, which are a useful defence against criticism.
The second group of essays looks at the new directions in which public library collection developers are going using information technology. The value of centralised selection procedures in Indianapolis is stressed and how electronic methods enhance that value. This theme is continued with a look at the five levels of vendor‐assisted collection development strategies from the manager of the Brodart Company. The five levels are:
- 1.
(1) the automated level;
- 2.
(2) the edited level;
- 3.
(3) the preselected level;
- 4.
(4) the selected level;
- 5.
(5) the slected and distributed level.
Varying amounts of information (community and product) and evaluation are involved. Finally, there is a discussion of the benefits of using the conspectus method to assess and organise the collections of small public libraries’ collections information needed for assessment and the techniques required to adapt it for small libraries are outlined.
A third set of contributions focusses on the impact of the Internet and other electronic resources on the collection development process and on the content of libraries’ collections. Three British libraries are featured (Croydon, Dunfermline and York) to show how new technology has affected their collection development policies and practices. The needs assessment and censorship practices of these libraries are discussed. Advice is provided on integrating the Internet into both a library’s collection development process and its daily operations. Emphasised are the importance of acceptable use policies, rules and regulations for Internet access, and providing staff with technical training and help with finding, evaluating and knowing when to use Internet resources. Another contributor interviewed librarians who use the Internet for selection and acquisition, and for keeping apprised of new and current topics. Comments are also made on its impact on purchasing decisions and deciding between print and AV resources. New York Public Library’s selection and use of electronic resources in its Science, Industry and Business Library are described, and a separate article outlines the criteria for selecting networked CD‐ROM and Internet resources, and methods for evaluating them.
Next comes a look at the provision of information and advice for selectors of both electronic and print resources. Rural and small town libraries are considered with a useful listing of Web sites, catalogues and bibliographies, and publishers and other relevant agencies and organisations. Gay and lesbian patrons are considered in the context of print and Internet sources of bibliographic data and reviews. Best‐seller and award lists are covered, and a checklist of questions and reminders for selectors. Multicultural children’s literature is also considered with a look at the traditional strategies for identifying and evaluating the literature, with ideas of how to integrate Web sites into the process. Many useful sites are listed and annotated. The final group of essays looks at formal library and information science education and staff development in the field of collection development. We are told of the topics covered at the University of South Florida where the author prepares students for the problems created by emphasis on electronic formats. The final author again reports on initiatives to prepare staff for the task of developing collections in the midst of technological and other changes.
This mix of case studies, interviews, and research provides a timely anthology of ideas for all who are concerned with making our services useful and relevant to user demands and needs. The focus on US practice is not a barrier as the problems and principles are common to us all, and never more so than in the Age of the Internet. See how others are coping and learn from their experience. The volume is robustly produced, easy to handle, smart and stylish. One of Haworth Press’s best yet.
