"Explores the paradigm of "area studies" - a way of supporting regionally-focused collecting, processing, and liaison work - in the academic library, through an explicitly anti-colonial lens"--

Strategies and tools to help you plan, build, and maintain your library collection! Selecting Materials for Library Collections takes you step-by-step through the process of planning, building, and maintaining a quality library collection. This up-to-date guide addresses the interests and concerns of academic and public libraries with expert advice on budgets, policies, and planning. The book examines print, non-print, and Internet selection resources, including the OCLC WorldCat Database and ACQNET-L. You’ll find valuable information you can apply right away to help you keep any collection relevant and up-to-date! Selecting Materials for Library Collections provides the tools you need to keep your library collection current. Seasoned experts share their thoughts on how to analyze your users’ expectations and then provide them with the materials they need. The contributors also examine the selection aids that they use in their own acquisitions work and then look at how to achieve a balanced collection that efficiently serves their clients’ needs. Supplementary reading lists and extensive bibliographies provide you with additional resources. Selecting Materials for Library Collections presents the latest information on: using print, non-print, and Internet selection resources such as OCLC WorldCat database and ACQNET-L initial collection assessment and decision making collection tool evaluations acquiring international core titles the New Thought movement approval plans—set-up, maintenance, and evaluation the newest technology for media selection specialized library collections in music, art, business, economics, health, sports, leisure, and more

Supporting Research in Area Studies: A Guide for Academic Libraries focuses on the study of other countries or regions of the world, crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries in the humanities and social sciences. The book provides a comprehensive guide for academic libraries supporting communities of researchers, exploring the specialist requirements of these researchers in information resources, resource discovery tools, information skills, and the challenges of working with materials in multiple languages. The book makes the case that adapting systems and procedures to meet these needs will help academic libraries be better placed to support their institutions' international agenda. Early chapters cover the academic landscape, its history, area studies, librarianship, and acquisitions. Subsequent chapters discuss collections management, digital products, and the digital humanities, and their role in academic projects, with final sections exploring information skills and the various disciplinary skills that facilitate the needs of researchers during their careers. - Describes the nature of area studies research and the traditional strengths of area studies librarianship in supporting inter- and trans-disciplinary research - Applies the latest thinking in research support in university libraries to the specific needs of the area studies research community in the United Kingdom and United States - Explores how internationalizing systems and processes can bring broader benefits to the university as a whole - Analyzes the particular issues caused by working with content and systems in multiple languages

This volume will help you acquire and manage a strong collection for your library, even when budgets are being cut. Topics covered include purchasing materials, formulating selection criteria, sharing materials with other institutions, and evaluating and preserving materials. This edition by the late Elizabeth Futas begins with the results of the author's survey of academic and public libraries. The author then explains how a sharply focused and clearly articulated collections development policy can assist libraries in providing the best possible service in the most cost-effective manner. These and other ideas, practices, and policies in this new edition will allow libraries to continue meeting the needs of their particular constituents, even in uncertain economic times.

Skillfully acquisitions and collection development plays a key role in creating exceptional libraries. These authoritative resources provide the guidance you need to build and maintain the comprehensive, high-quality collection your customers demand. Get expert advice on: a- selecting material from serial to CD-ROMs; b- participating effectively in the budget process; and c- evaluating your existing collections and vendors. Developed by ALA's Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, this blueprint for a collection-development training program can be easily adapted to meet the collection management goals and organizational structures found in libraries of all types and sizes. Outlines for training are given in these areas, among many others: collection and development policies; selection and review processes; weeding and deselection; and navigating electronic networks. The guide divides training into three skill levels, supplies a curriculum framework matched to collection duties, and identifies competencies achievable after training.