14.+Resources+to+Guide+Collection+Development

Gregory, Vicki. //Collection Development and Management for 21st Century Library Collections//. New York: Neal Schuman, 2011.

This is the text book we used for S502: Collection Development. It is a very complete and well-written text that covers issues pertaining to collection development from policies to publishers to collection assessment and weeding. The weakness of this source is that it is written for general use and is not specific to school libraries, which face different issues.

Hoffmann, Frank W., and Richard J. Wood. //Library Collection Development Policies : School Libraries And Learning Resource Centers / Frank W. Hoffmann, Richard J. Wood//. Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 2007.

I found this book in IU’s Herman B. Wells Library. It would be a very valuable book to have on hand if the library in which I work does not currently have a collection development policy. The book outlines a procedure for creating a policy, including consideration of digital tools that are relevant to the 21st century school media program. Because school media specialists are often the only librarian in an organization, I think having a policy that is supported by the administration is extremely useful to guide collection development and weeding.

Baumbach, Donna J., and Linda L. Miller. //Less Is More : A Practical Guide To Weeding School Library Collections / Donna J. Baumbach And Linda L. Miller//. Chicago : American Library Association, 2006., 2006.

I found this book in IU’s Herman B. Wells Library. I read several positive reviews about the book and it seems to help school librarians take a gradual, patient look at the daunting task of weeding a school library. Because the reviews mentioned that the book had criteria to assess books in each subject area, I think the book might be weak in terms of building a collection based on curriculum—not every curriculum will align perfectly with the books stated criteria.