Customer-Based Collection Development: An Overview

by Karl Bridges (Editor)

The traditional "top down" approach to collection development definitely has its even after spending a good deal of time, energy, and resources, librarians are sometimes frustrated to find that their library's collection is not being used as they anticipated. But there's another strategy that's gaining momentum. This book gathers together the best practitioners in the emerging field of customer-based collection development, whose goal is to find out what library users need and want and manage collections accordingly. Speaking from firsthand experience, professionals from a variety of academic and public libraries Customer-based collection development is one way for libraries to navigate the rapid changes in what users expect of libraries, and this new anthology is an important guide to this approach.

Genres: Library Science, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

Reviews

[Toastkat · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am already a few pages in, and I can tell that this isn't The Book For Me. It is 1) focused on acquisition of ebooks for 2) academic libraries. Neither of these are in my field. I'm at that mental place where I know I should stop reading, but I'm only on page 5! Maybe there's something here of value to me, something that can be translated to my analog public library.

Five minutes later

Nope, I'm giving up. I even flipped through it to see if there was anything remotely relevant or useful and to say that this is a dry book would be an understatement. The copy I checked out was in pristine condition, even with a copyright date of 2014, and now I think I understand why. Anyone who picked up this book to skim instantly felt their eyes glaze over or roll back in their heads, then stuffed the book back on the shelf in the same relative area as they found it as soon as their consciousness returned. I don't like giving books I don't finish a bad review, but at the same time, there is a reason I don't finish a book. It's because that book is Bad. Only making me read it further would just make me more and more angry at the book and its contents. Bailing now means I can be somewhat merciful in my verbal lashing.

Unless you are a director of an academic library looking to specifically purchase ebooks, this book is also Not For You. Niche is hardly the appropriate word.

[Danny Reid · Rating 2 out of 5]

A loose collection of papers all about implantations of PDA. No introduction ties it together, and all of the conclusions end with more study being needed; none of them build off each other, making it extremely difficult to get any use out of. Not worth it.

[Maeleah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better for academic libraries