► Overview
Essentials of collection development.
► Collection Development Policies
Policy components and examples.
Online resources for library collections.
Acquiring and sharing AASHTO digital publications.
Supplemental resources for more information.
Definitions of terms, abbreviations and acronyms used throughout the Quick Guide.
The Quick Guides in this collection address the following issues of interest to transportation information professionals:
► Introduction to the Quick Guides
► Accessibility and Section 508
The author of a 2018 book published by the American Library Association on the fundamentals of collection development and management noted that “[t]he terms collection development and collection management are often used synonymously or in tandem.” The author shares a description of collection development that, in her view, remains valid. This description, presented below, was offered by Bonita Bryant in a 1987 journal article:
The goal of any collection development organization must be to provide the library with a collection that meets the appropriate needs of its client population, within the limitations of its fiscal and personnel resources. To reach this goal each segment of the collection must be developed with an application of resources consistent with its relative importance to the mission of the library and the needs of its patrons.
One of the ways libraries formalize collection development and management practices is with a collection development policy.
Typically, these policies reflect an assessment of the information needs of the library’s users and the agency at large, and often include an analysis of usage statistics and the budgetary limitations within which the library must operate. A more comprehensive policy also describes the scope of the collection (the subjects addressed by the collection), selection criteria (what the library will purchase or obtain without cost to add to its collection), plans for resource sharing, how the library will apply deselection (cancellation) of journals and other serials, and weeding (removal) of books and other items in the collection.
This Quick Guide describes the key components of a collection development policy. It also addresses two elements of a library collection that are often in great demand from transportation professionals: electronic resources and AASHTO digital publications.
The guidance in this Quick Guide is appropriate for DOTs with or without library spaces that wish to establish policies and practices to better manage print and digital collections.
The Transportation Research and Connectivity pooled fund study, TPF-5(442), is a consortium of state departments of transportation (DOTs) and other partners that supports the coordinated development of transportation libraries as well as research organizations without dedicated libraries. Study focus areas include communication and networking, digitization, research report accessibility, and developing online resource guides and a toolkit for non-librarians.
Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management, Fourth Edition, Peggy Johnson, ALA Editions, 2018.
This book is billed as a “primer for experienced librarians with new collection development and management responsibilities, and a handy reference resource for practitioners as they go about their day-to-day work.”
This Quick Guide was prepared by CTC & Associates LLC for the Transportation Research and Connectivity pooled fund study, TPF-5(442), under the guidance of the following members of the study's technical advisory committee:
This guide is a living document that is intended to be revised and updated to incorporate new resources. To suggest a resource for inclusion, please contact one of the committee members listed above.
Publication date: December 2022.