Revising a Collection Development Policy in a Rapidly Changing Environment

This article describes the revision of a 10-year-old collection development policy so that it both reflects current collection practices and is flexible enough to adapt to changes in publishing trends, budgeting, and patrons' information needs. The previous collection development policy was written during a time of prosperity and gave little guidance on how to deal with budget cuts, manage a predominately electronic collection, or adjust the physical collection to accommodate external demands for space in the library building. Under the auspices of the collection development committee, faculty librarians from the services and resources divisions formed a task group to draft a new policy. Drawing on the library's extant policy and the policies of peer institutions, the group reflected on trends in publishing and acquisitions, the provision of the right information in the right format, and how to adapt to unforeseen changes in budget and space. The goal of the group was to craft a flexible document that would serve current needs and easily adapt to a rapidly changing information environment. The new collection development policy has already proved useful in guiding the work of selectors and collection management teams. The most significant benefit of revising the policy, however, came from the process itself by forcing us to reflect on patrons' information needs and how to best meet them.