Developing an Outstanding Core Collection

August 1, 2010
Building on the basic premises of the first edition (that the general public needs materials beyond current best-sellers and ready-reference works; that those materials should be high-quality, enduring pieces; and that librarians are the best persons to decide what constitutes appropriate core collections for their communities), Alabaster updates her previous suggestions and addresses the technological changes that drastically affect reading habits and our ability to satisfy the needs of the peoples university. Her updated bibliography, assessment of print and online review sources, and overview of how digitization might affect the way books are delivered make this title required reading for all those charged with the task of adult collection developmenteven if they have already absorbed the basic principles from the first edition. The sample collection-development policies and procedures should prove helpful to anyone responsible for dealing with the reality that no library can have everything and none can keep all they haveand then deciding which items must always be available in one form or another.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)