Collection Development

Selection of materials should follow the guidelines of your library’s collection development policy. It is important to adhere to these guidelines when making purchasing selections, as you might have to explain to your library board or your patrons why you decided to purchase or not purchase a specific book or item. In some cases, your library might receive a book/material challenge, when a patron requests that a book be removed from the library for whatever reason. In those cases, it is important that you can explain why you purchased an item. Having a collection development policy will help you explain why the item should remain in the library collection, or explain why something should be removed.

There are a variety of methods for finding quality and popular materials, including review journals, publisher’s catalogs, best seller lists, and popular interest. You can also talk to youth and their parents and caregivers to find out what they are hearing, watching, or reading to get more ideas.  Sources include:

• Review Journals (School Library Journal, Horn Book, Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Kirkus, and Booklist)
• Publisher’s Catalogs
• Best Seller Lists (New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, and Amazon)
• Popular Interest
• Community Interest
• Award Lists (Caldecott, Printz, etc.)