This course is designed to examine the acquisition and evaluation processes used for building and maintaining collections in all formats, formulate and implement collection development policies, identify user needs, selection methods and tools, storage alternatives, publishing and intellectual freedom, administrative and legal issues including licensing and contract negotiation (ALA 2B, PLG 1.2).

Goals in this course include develop understanding of the significance of ‘the collection' within different types of libraries, gain the ability to explain issues relating to the importance of cultural diversity and intellectual freedom in the development and management of different types of collections (ALA 8, SLO 6), be able to describe the purposes and the essential elements of a collection development policy, identify key components of a collections budget (ALA 4A), describe selection criteria and acquisition options for developing collections, be familiar with major vendors (ALA 4D), describe important issues relevant to collections management including deselection, preservation, and storage (PLG 1.1), evaluate a collection using a variety of collection-centered and user-centered techniques (SLO 4), and finally, interpret the influences of current legal, social, and technological changes on collection development and management (ALA 1G).