Collection development is the process through which library faculty members identify the subject areas in which materials will be collected, the depth and breadth of the materials to be collected, and the appropriate formats of those materials. Collection maintenance encompasses our processes and procedures for ongoing review of the collection to identify materials that need to be repaired, replaced, or removed from the library holdings.
Library faculty members regularly assess the collection's strengths and weaknesses, filling gaps where possible and weeding as needed. Library bibliographers, who work with the academic departments, are principally responsible for making purchase decisions for library materials, ensuring current and relevant collections, and being good stewards of the library's collections.
Library bibliographers also disseminate information about the library to department faculty members, teach library instruction classes, and assist faculty members in making the best use of the library and associated information resources.
Policy Details
For an overview of our collection development and maintenance policies, take a look at our Collection Policy Summaries. Our complete Collection Development and Maintenance Policy (PDF, 340 KB) is also available for review.