Collection development, which differs from collection management, encompasses a wide range of activities. For those with a degree who are unfamiliar and for the layperson, here’s some information about these activities and how they are intended to be carried out —specifically in academic libraries.

Early in the modern field of librarianship, the individuals responsible for determining a library’s collection were called “bibliographers.” Just as the term suggests, these individuals were responsible for being knowledgeable about a subject area and the people associated with it. For example, a music bibliographer for a university would be well-versed in music and work closely with teaching faculty and university researchers to determine the resources their courses require to support student success, as well as identify their research interests. Then, the bibliographer would essentially develop a bibliography of resources relevant to those curricular and research needs to purchase and add to the library collection.

Although “bibliographer” is an outdated term now, the fundamental concept remains: someone must decide what the library should have in order to serve its users’ needs.

The bibliographer was superseded by the subject specialist/selector/liaison, which generally also requires that the person in that role have knowledge of the subject and work directly with faculty and researchers to remain apprised of the institution’s curricular and research needs. In many cases, one person is responsible for multiple subjects. Although they may not be equally familiar with all the subject areas, they are expected to maintain regular contact with faculty and researchers to ensure they are meeting the needs of the university community equally.

Another term for the same work is collection developer. In some cases, a collection developer may oversee the work of others who are subject specialists, engaging in discussions with those specialists to develop appropriate policies, common procedures, and shared expectations for all relevant collection areas.

But that’s not all collection development entails. In fact, these personnel are responsible for several other parts of the overall library collection lifecycle.

As previously mentioned, a collection developer, whether specialized in a subject area or not, oversees the development and execution of collection development policies. These policies govern the selection and procurement of resources, the handling of gifts-in-kind and monetary gifts intended for collection purchases, and the proper and legal removal of resources from a collection.

Yep, you read that right: collection development includes getting rid of stuff.

Often, university personnel think of “development” in terms of developing relationships with donors, who then provide the funding for the institution. However, when it comes to library collections, the development of a collection that meets the needs of its users also includes knowing what no longer serves that purpose and deselecting it.

Do you still have the user manual for PowerPoint 2003? You may no longer need it, as that iteration of PP is no longer in use or supported, and your users may not require it. Does your institution offer a degree in computer science? You should ask the computer science faculty if they use outdated manuals for historical research or to teach specific concepts.

If you can get rid of it, what are the institutional policies and/or laws about disposition? Public institutions likely consider the book to be state property and have rules and regulations for disposing of that property. Perhaps all you can do is toss it in the garbage or recycling bin. Perhaps you could offer it to other institutions. Maybe you are supposed to sell it wholesale to a contractor. Maybe you can sell it at a book sale. However, you must be aware of what you can and cannot do with it if you determine you no longer need it to serve the users.

FYI, there are several words for this process. It is also called weeding, deselection, and withdrawal.

And yet, there is one more crucial aspect of this work: marketing.

Your library has stuff people need…now what? Well, you have to tell them about it. That connection to the faculty and researchers goes both ways. You aren’t simply asking them what they need; you are making sure they know what they already have. In this way, a library contributes to the development of the institution’s research and curriculum. A researcher may discover a new avenue to explore that relates to their work. A faculty member may decide to incorporate additional resources into their reading list. Students can more successfully complete their assignments when they know what is available that might be of interest. Without this key part of the process, everything will remain “out of sight, out of mind,” and you will have wasted every cent to purchase something no one uses.

The overall takeaway here is that collection development is not just adding more content to a library. It is also about carefully curating what you have and what you keep, ensuring that you have what your users need. AND, it keeps your user community informed about what they can access. Otherwise, you are just taking up space.

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No words or images reflect the opinions or viewpoints of my current, former, or future employers and educational institutions. They are from my own viewpoint.