Crash Course in Collection Development

Created for those with little formal LIS training working in small, rural libraries, this guide will also be useful for librarians who are new to this area of service or need to brush up on their skills. In a volume covering everything from community analysis through developing collection policies, librarians will learn how to use reviews to acquire materials as well as to help weed the collection, and get hints for simple repair or rebinding items. Attention is given to marketing the collection to patrons, and to handling censorship issues when collections are challenged.

This new entry in the Crash Course Series explaining collection development was created for those with little formal LIS training working in small, rural libraries. The guide will also be useful for librarians who are new to this area of service or need to brush up on their skills. In a volume covering everything from community analysis through developing collection policies, librarians will learn how to use reviews to acquire materials as well as to help weed the collection, how to market the collection to patrons, and how to handle censorship issues when collections are challenged.

Wayne Disher spent over 20 years as a staff member at San Jose Public Library in San Jose, Calif. As Senior Librarian there, he managed the system's Adult Services as well as a collection budget of almost $10,000,000. Mr. Disher is currently Library Director for the City of Hemet Public Library in Hemet, Calif. He also teaches courses in Collection Development and Library Management for the San Jose State University's School of Library and Information Science.