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Reviewed by:
  • Fundamentals of Collection Development & Management, and: Collection Development Policies: New Directions for Changing Collections
  • Janice Adlington
Fundamentals of Collection Development & Management, Peggy Johnson, Chicago: American Library Association, 2004. 342 p. $60(ISBN 0-8389-0853-5)
Collection Development Policies: New Directions for Changing Collections, ed. Daniel C. Mack, Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press, 2003. 174 p. $39.95 hardcover, $24.95 softcover (ISBN 0-7890-1471-8)Simultaneously published as The Acquisitions Librarian, vol. 15, no. 30, 2003

Peggy Johnson, associate university librarian at the University of Minnesota, is one of the acknowledged gurus in the field of collection development. Her textbook, aimed at library school students and beginning bibliographers, provides both a wide-ranging overview of the issues surrounding collection development and management and an accurate snapshot of current activities. The stated goal is to introduce theory and practice, presenting each of the responsibilities that fall within this broad area. Novices should find her exposition both clear and well-structured, with chapter summaries, suggested case studies, and a glossary to assist learning. For experienced selectors there will be much that is familiar. For these readers, much of the value may come from the relatively concise exploration of topics, as reminders of best practices, and the judiciously chosen references to recent literature that follow each chapter.

The expected topics are well covered. Johnson sets the scene with a brief history of collection building in American libraries, then moves to chapters on organization and staffing, policy, planning, and budgets. What might be called the nitty-gritty of a collection librarian's work—selection, assessment, weeding, outreach/liaison—occupies the remaining two-thirds of the text. Although deliberate effort has been made to include information on practice in public, corporate, and school libraries, the primary emphasis is on academic and research collections. Many principles are presented at a level of generality that could be applied to any collection; however, the practices of academic libraries are described in more detail, and substantial sections are devoted to issues such as off-site storage, preservation, and faculty liaison, which may not apply outside this environment.

Mirroring the current status of electronic resources in many libraries, as both an integral and increasingly important part of the regular collection and a "special" format, Johnson discusses electronic resources in every section but also devotes a chapter to the specific issues (budgetary, legal, staffing) they raise. Perhaps wisely, she does not speculate here on the future implications of electronic resources for collections but provides a solid overview of the recent past and current situation.

One of the difficulties in writing a text is deciding the level of detail to present on each issue. Entire books and many articles have been written on each of the topics selected for chapters, and a certain degree of simplification is inevitable. The author has, in general, chosen not to explore controversies or proffer dissenting views within the body of her text (for example, on publishing trends and scholarly communication or the ethics of selection decisions). However, the endnote references and "Suggestions for Further Reading" do suggest the further dimensions to issues and would easily lead the motivated student or practicing librarian into their complexities. The text is also not a how-to manual, per se, but rather presents guidelines and principles to be incorporated into local practice, and so could be a useful supplement to such manuals. [End Page 434]

Collection development policies are perhaps one of the less pressing topics for book-length elaboration, as is presented in Collection Development Policies: New Directions for Changing Collections. Librarians generally, though not universally, agree that such policies are useful to have for training new selectors, documenting past practice, and communicating with external constituencies. In practice, many policies are created and then neglected until external circumstances force their revision. The editor of this volume, Daniel C. Mack, sees these circumstances in the rise of digital media, the dissolution of disciplinary boundaries, and the effects of changed staffing configurations on the decision-making processes. The 11 articles address such topics as the incorporation of electronic resources; collection development policies for contemporary topics, curriculum materials centers, and remote storage facilities; and cooperation with technical services. As...

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