A Question of Degrees

Librarians responsible for allied health or health sciences materials collect and maintain resources, such as print and electronic books and journals, non-book materials, such as anatomical models and flashcards, citation and full-text databases, and point-of-care resources. To simplify the process, there are selection aids for all stages of collecting as well as methods of assessing a collection’s strengths and weaknesses. Librarians who are involved in the collection development process will find support from professional organizations that provide opportunities for further development of skills and knowledge, venues for presenting, and avenues for members’ to share advice and expertise. This chapter will provide guidance for the librarian new to collecting in the health sciences on each step of the process and point to best practices to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.

Collection Development in Architecture

Most new and even many experienced librarians are initially daunted by collection development and the decision making involved in choosing, deselecting, transferring, helping to assign call numbers, or responding to queries about issues like binding. What can become a gratifying experience also requires subject knowledge, information about specific patron needs, sound judgment, and numerous big and small management decisions. Most librarians assigned such new tasks have wished for some guidance and practical tips those first years. This chapter is intended to provide an overview of the tasks involved in building and maintaining an academic architecture collection. It will also address related duties such as liaison work and scholarly communication. The extensive bibliography is intended to provide sources for further reading on topics addressed in the book chapter.

Developing a Juvenile Literature Collection in an Academic Library

Maintaining a juvenile collection in a university setting requires a careful consideration of both the juvenile materials market and the academic uses of juvenile materials. Because juvenile materials can range from pre-reader items to young adult literature and may exist in different locations and under different authorities within the academy, juvenile collection management can be a complex task. The purpose of this chapter is to serve as a guide to collection managers charged with developing and maintaining a juvenile collection for use by professional programs in education and librarianship. Discussions on the nature and uses of juvenile materials in the academy, collection policies, and evaluation strategies for juvenile collections, selection tools, and resources available to librarians, and emerging issues in juvenile collection management are included.

Evolution and Change in American Legal Education

This chapter examines the changing trends and best practices for collection development in academic law libraries. It begins by examining the historical development of the law school as a professional school, and the need for academic law libraries to become learning laboratories for educating lawyers and providing them with the tools and resources to practice law. It then charts how law school collections evolved in response to the emergence of electronic legal research resources. The increasing use of electronic databases and the subsequent development of the Internet have led libraries to examine what are the best practices in collection development. Along with internal forces, external influences, such as “Educating Lawyers: Preparation for the Profession of Law,” a report by the Carnegie Foundation calling for more practice and skills-based training, will require academic law libraries to adapt their collections in light of changing trends in legal education and scholarship (Sullivan, Colby, Wegner, Bond, & Shulman, 2007).

Out of the Ordinary

The primary purpose of business research is to gather information in order to aid decision-making. While there are many different users of business information, this chapter will focus on those in an academic setting. A wide variety of general and specialized resources exist to support the teaching and research needs of business students and faculty. For several reasons, the nature of these resources is complex and can be confusing. This chapter analyzes various types and subject areas within the discipline of business and considers various criteria used to select the most appropriate resources for curricular and research needs. The chapter recommends ongoing stewardship of the resources and suggests various methods of educating users about them.

Five Steps to Efficient, Economical Collection Development

Libraries’ collection development funding seems limited in the best financial times. In worse economic situations, those resources prove even scarcer. To ensure that the constituents served by libraries receive the best possible materials to meet their needs, developers must set purchasing priorities before spending the first dollar. A five-step process can aid developers in wisely spending funds. First, developers should devote the largest portion of collection building funds to meeting direct patron needs. The next largest fund portion goes toward “core” materials singled out by respected recommendation resources specific to relevant disciplines or genres. Holdings data from libraries with notable collections offer an additional avenue for identifying necessary items. Freely available, quality materials offer another opportunity to plug holes or accentuate collection areas. Finally, resources craved by the developer but not critical to the collection, should be judiciously considered.

Collection Development for Theological Education

Students in graduate theological programs working toward ordination and a career in ministry in the Christian church require library collections that support their study of scripture, doctrine, ancient languages, and Biblical history and interpretation, as well as the practice of pastoral ministry, leadership, and administration. This chapter will discuss how to build collections at theological libraries measured against standards set by the Association of Theological Schools, the accrediting organization for theological schools in Canada and the United States; the importance of print and online reference works such as language dictionaries, atlases, and encyclopedias in theological library collections; indexes and databases for theological studies; important journals; the different categories of theological monographs; collection development policies; special collections in theological libraries; dealing with gifts and donors; and professional development resources for theological librarians.

Something for Everyone

This chapter describes a broad anatomy collection development project undertaken by the Health Sciences Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The project included the selection of a wide range of new electronic resources and print materials to fully support the breadth of program needs and learning styles. As a case study, it provides ample opportunity to discuss strategies and best practices for materials selection to support multiple professional schools with similar but distinct curriculum needs. It also allows discussion of an equally critical but occasionally neglected aspect of collection development—marketing the resources to the users and continuing follow-up.

Building a Transsystemic Law Library Collection

The Faculty of Law of McGill University decided to take an unprecedented step in 1999 in replacing the approach of training to undergraduate law students with the creation of a new legal education curriculum referred to as “transsystemic legal education.” This unique program, geared towards all undergraduate McGill Law students, consists of learning two legal systems, including civil and common law in a comparative and interdisciplinary approach. This article discusses how the law library at McGill had to break from a traditional approach of building a law library collection regarding the practice of Canadian law to acquire the scholarly material needed by professors and students. This meant a complete rethinking of the collection development profile with an increased focus on multilingual legal material from Europe and other legal jurisdictions worldwide, and could only be done with a good collaboration between the library and the faculty members.

Asking the Right Questions, Finding the Right Answers

This chapter presents an overview of collection development in support of academic nursing populations, programs, curriculums, and research, focusing in particular on evaluation, selection, and maintenance. Crucial factors to consider and tools and resources to facilitate nursing collection development decisions will be discussed. Evaluation criteria to assist with the selection of potential materials will also be outlined. Finally, an overview of collection maintenance issues, including withdrawals, gifts and free materials, and digitization will be provided. Future directions are also briefly considered. Topics covered in this chapter should provide academic institutions interested in building or maintaining nursing collections with applicable guidelines and best practices.