Introduction to Collection Development

$250.00

Dates: October 6 - November 2

Credits: 1.5 CEUs or 15 PDHs

Collection development requires understanding who your users and potential users are and finding and acquiring materials to serve their needs. In this four-week course, we will discuss the various factors that go into building a collection to meet user needs. These factors include understanding the community, defining the goals of the collection, setting parameters of what belongs in the collection, gathering information about what resources exist, following trends in pricing, and managing a budget. Because collection development occurs in many types of libraries, the course offers a variety of readings that mention academic, public, and school libraries, allowing students to select those most relevant to their work situation. Assignments will also allow students to answer in ways that relate to their job. The course is a broad introduction to aspects of collections work, many of which are covered in more depth in other Library Juice courses.

Participants will learn:

  • How to research the community they serve and make connections between this research and the library’s collections
  • What to include in a collection development policy
  • How to find information on what to purchase
  • How to plan yearly expenses and justify a budget request
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Course Information

Session

Credits

1.5 CEUs or 15 PDHs

Registration dates

We accept registrations through the first week of classes, unless enrollment is full, and unless the class was canceled before it started due to low enrollment.