Developing an electronic information resources collection development policy

Abstract

Electronic resources are becoming increasingly important to libraries of all types and sizes. Addresses the development of an electronic information resources collection development policy to guide the librarians at Penn State Harrisburg in the selection of electronic reference resources. Instead of focusing on how well a given item fits into or supports the collection, the policy gives general guidance on the selection of electronic resources. The general collection development guidelines for electronic information resources include relevance and potential use of the information, redundancy of the information contained in the product, demand for the information, ease of use of the product, availability of the information to multiple users, stability of the coverage of the resource, longevity of the information, cost of the product, predictability of pricing, equipment needed to provide access to the information, technical support, and availability of the physical space needed to house and store the information or equipment.