Editorial

Citation

Cassell, K.A. (2009), "Editorial", Collection Building, Vol. 28 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/cb.2009.17128aaa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Collection Building, Volume 28, Issue 1

In this fast changing world I have been thinking about how we can merge the old world of manual collection development with the new world of new electronic collection development tools. Does, for example, the world of electronic collection development tools have room for the kind of thought and decision making that was of importance in the manual world? How can we hang onto the best of the old and merge it with the new?

First of all, the use of electronic collection development tools such as the availability of bibliographic information and reviews of new titles online from vendors and other sources allows us to make decisions more quickly and to systematise some of the more routine areas of collection development. That is, we know that we will order certain titles annually or we know that we want to order everything by a certain author or publisher.

Second, by systematising routine ordering we leave ourselves free to be more thoughtful about filling in collection gaps and identifying subject areas that are rapidly changing. Libraries should continue to have a value added component to their collections. It is, of course, necessary for libraries to have many of the same titles. But a library trying to meet user needs will usually buy some titles specifically for their user audience. It might be materials from new publishers, materials from other countries or materials that reflect the cutting edge in certain subject areas.

Third, by freeing the collection development librarian’s time from routine work there is now time to evaluate areas of the collection to see if there is a need for new material or a need to fill in gaps. The many new electronic collection development tools such as OCLC’s Collection Analysis Tool make it much faster to take a look at one’s collection and even to evaluate it in relation to other collections.

We must use the new electronic tools we have to speed up collection development. But I urge collection development librarians not to lose the personal touch and the value added features that have always distinguished excellent collections from just average collections. We still need to pay attention to what is happening in the publishing field and what new materials are being developed, be they print or electronic. Our users deserve to have the best we can afford. Cost is only one factor in collection development. Identifying new information sources is also important. We must use our time wisely to shape library collections that will be of value to the community we serve.

Kay Ann Cassell