(Ebook) Rethinking Collection Development and Management by Becky Albitz, Christine Avery, Diane Zabel (eds.) ISBN 9781610693066, 161069306X

(Ebook) Rethinking Collection Development and Management by Becky Albitz, Christine Avery, Diane Zabel (eds.) ISBN 9781610693066, 161069306X

Collection development and management have changed dramatically during the past 25 years. The fact that management has become the predominant word in this activity illustrates a shift in focus from the physical selection, acquisition, and preservation of the object to providing access to a variety of content, no matter who owns the materials or what the packaging is. This shift becomes more evident when the table of contents to Evans’ second edition of Developing Library and Information Center Collections , published in 1987, is compared to this volume’s chapter titles. On the surface they appear similar—both address topics such as selection, weeding, cooperative collection development, and preservation—foundation activities of collection building and maintenance. Rethinking Collection Development and Management , however, redefines collection-related activities for the 21st century —expanding the definitions of each of these activities to take into account the critical issues facing the profession. These include technological innovations, licensing rather than purchase of content, funding restrictions, physical space limitations, and a pervasive culture of assessment. All of these pressures create a climate that encourages cooperation and creativity, both of which are evident in our contributors’ approaches to a variety of collections challenges. Our goal is not to supersede the classic collection development texts, as they continue to provide valuable context to future library and information science professionals.Rather, our hope is to examine these same issues in light of our current environment so that these same professionals have both a theoretical and practical foundation upon which to build their collections skills.