A Collection of Importance: The Role of Selection in Academic Libraries

Abstract

There has been little recent research into the roles and responsibilities of academic librarians in collection development in Australian universities. In 2007 the authors reviewed the findings of a 1994 study of collection management in Australian university libraries, examining current practice and taking into account the impact of technology over the past 13 years. Two models of responsibility for selection of monographic materials in Australian academic libraries were identified from the study and these are presented and compared with a generalised model of practice in academic libraries in the United States.