“Collection development in academic libraries (also known as collection management or information resources management) involves the identification, sleection, acquisition, and evaluation of library resources (e.g., print materials, audiovisual materials, and electronic resources) for a community of users. Collection development is the means by which the library provides high-quality information resources of print and nonprint materials and provides access to electronic resources that will meet institutional needs. It is an ongoing process undertaken by librarians and library services staff with input from faculty, administrators, staff, and students.”
— Lidia Uziel, “Collection Development,” in Academic Librarianship Today, ed. Todd Gilman (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017), p. 101.
The 2018 Collection Development Plan (Draft) is a thorough revision of the Collection Development Policy that was last updated in 2009. The nine years between these two iterations saw dramatic (if not tumultuous) changes in the economy, in theological education (and, more broadly, higher education), and new developments in library systems, services, and technologies. The revised collection development plan reflects new realities in theological librarianship at Wesley Theological Seminary and responds to factors such as the disproportionate increase in publishing costs, the rise in prominence of open-access publishing, and the steady proliferation of e-resources (and an increased corresponding demand for access to them).
This draft document is now open to the Wesley community for review and consideration.
You are welcome to download the draft and send feedback to the Library. (The 2009 Policy is also available for review and comparison.)
This draft is available for review and feedback from December 10, 2018 to February 15, 2019.