Collection Management Basics

by Margaret Zarnosky Saponaro, John Novak, G. Edward Evans

Overview

This eighth edition offers students and working professionals the tools to manage the complex process of creating appropriate collections of resources for all types of libraries.

Managing collections in today's environment is a challenging process. This eighth edition of the classic text on collection management covers all aspects of the management cycle from selection through deselection and preservation. The text also includes discussions of intellectual freedom, legal issues in collection development, and collaborative collection development. Timely topics such as diversity, open access, AI, digital preservation, local history, creation spaces, and “libraries of things” bring this comprehensive overview up to date. Engagingly written and easy to understand, chapters rely on feedback from experts working in the field and include many sidebars with practical examples and resources. Designed primarily for students in LIS programs, the text is also a valuable resource for all library workers responsible for collection management.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798216170259
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	09/04/2025
Series:	Library and Information Science Text Series
Edition description:	8th ed.
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.95(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Margaret Zarnosky Saponaro, MLS, is Director of Collection Development Strategies at the University of Maryland Libraries (UMD), USA, where she provides leadership for the collections and manages the collections budget. Her prior work experience includes serving as Manager of Staff Learning and Development, and later Librarian for the College of Journalism at UMD, as Associate Director of Learning Resources at the Alexandria Campus of Northern Virginia Community College, and as Librarian for the Northern Virginia Center of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Her research interests are in the areas of collection management, instruction, and emerging technologies in libraries.

G. Edward Evans, PhD, is a retired award-winning author and Fulbright Scholar. He holds several graduate degrees in anthropology and library and information science. As a researcher, he has published in both anthropology and LIS and held a Fulbright Fellowship and a National Science Foundation Fellowship. His teaching experience has also been in both fields in the United States and the Nordic countries, in particular at the Graduate School of Librarianship and Information Science at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

Preface

1 Introduction
What Is Collection Management?
Access to Information
New Trends, Issues, and Approaches
Points to Keep in Mind
Notes

2 Intellectual Freedom and Ethics
Libraries, the First Amendment, and Intellectual Freedom
Ethics, Personal Beliefs, Biases, and Collection Management
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Collection Management
Access – Filtering
Points to Keep in Mind
Notes

3 Collection Management
Components of Collection Management
Trends in Collection Management
Taking on Collection Management Responsibilities
Points to Keep in Mind
Notes

4 Collection Management Policies
What Is a Collection Management Policy?
Does a Library Need a Collection Management Policy?
Creating a Policy and the Stages of the Policy Development Process
Getting the Policy Approved
Points to Keep in Mind
Notes

5 Assessing User Needs
Defining Needs
The Value of User Studies
Getting Started
Listening to Your Users: Collecting Primary Data
Information About Your Users: Collecting Secondary Data
Communicating Value
Points to Keep in Mind
Notes

6 Selecting Materials
Resources to Consult
What is in the Collection/What is Lacking
Language
Quality
Cost Issues
Variations in Selection by Library Type
Quality or Demand
Points to Keep in Mind
Notes

7 Acquisitions
Acquiring Materials
Vendor Selection
Fiscal Management
Points to Keep in Mind
Notes

8 Assessing Collections and the Library
Collection Assessment Methodologies
Deselection: Weeding
Points to Keep in Mind
Notes

9 Cooperation, Collaboration, and Consortia Issues
Background
Reasons for Engaging in Joint Ventures
Collaboration on the Personal Level
Making Collaborative Projects Work
Points to Keep in Mind
Notes

10 Print and Media
Producers of Collection Resources
Types of Producers
Media Formats
Nontraditional Formats: Library of Things
Format Selection Considerations
Points to Keep in Mind
Notes

11 Serials
Types of Serials and Their Characteristics
Print Serials
Electronic Serials
Selection and Management of Serials
E-Resource Management
Financial Aspects and Pricing Models
Trends and Developments
Points to Keep in Mind
Notes

12 E-Resources and Their Management
Differences Between Traditional and E-Resources
Management of E-Resources
E-Formats
Points to Keep in Mind
Notes

13 Preservation Issues
Preserving the Investment in the Collection
Disaster Preparedness
Digital Preservation
Conservation
Points to Keep in Mind
Notes

14 Legal Issues and Collection Management
Copyright Laws and Collection Management
Gifts and the Internal Revenue Service
Accessibility and Collection Management
Privacy
Points to Keep in Mind
Notes

Index

Editorial Reviews

Whether you are a new librarian or an experienced one starting over with a new collection, this latest edition remains a foundational tool.” —American Libraries (of the seventh edition)

“The newest edition of this essential work provides critical updates on collection management practices for public, academic, and special libraries with expanded sections on needs assessment, intellectual freedom, vendor services, and collection analysis. This book is a must-have for MLIS programs and selectors working in all types of libraries.” —Belinda Boon, Professor, Kent State University School of Information, USA

From the Publisher