Collection development practices in academic libraries: a literature review

Abstract

This study explores aspects that influence collection development in academic libraries. Collection development is an important activity in any library and information centre aimed at building relevant collections that meet user information needs. Moreover, it requires strong support and commitment from decision-makers in terms of funding, and stakeholder participation in the selection process. The method of selective review was employed to identify, document and present the relevant literature in a structured and annotated way. Several themes and sub-themes that influence collection development in libraries emerged: user needs, selection, acquisition, evaluation, de-selection, collection development policy, funding for collection development, resource sharing and consortia building. Librarians may use this review to understand collection development practices in academic libraries since there is a strong need for specific guidelines to assist libraries and librarians on collection development issues.

Keywords: collection development, academic libraries, librarians, collection development process