Library Science Collection Development 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What document guides a library's decisions about what materials to acquire, retain, and weed?
- Strategic plan
- Collection development policy (Correct answer)
- Budget report
- Accession list
Correct answer: Collection development policy
A collection development policy (or collection management policy) outlines the library's philosophy, scope, and criteria for selecting, acquiring, and deselecting materials.
Question 2: What is 'weeding' in the context of library collections?
- Acquiring rare botanical materials
- Removing outdated, damaged, or little-used materials from the collection (Correct answer)
- Processing new acquisitions
- Organizing the stacks
Correct answer: Removing outdated, damaged, or little-used materials from the collection
Weeding (deselection) is the systematic process of removing materials from the collection that are outdated, physically deteriorated, superseded, or consistently unused.
Question 3: What does the CREW method stand for in collection weeding?
- Cataloging, Reviewing, Evaluating, and Withdrawing
- Continuous Review, Evaluation, and Weeding (Correct answer)
- Collection Resource Elimination Workflow
- Coordinated Reference Elimination of Waste
Correct answer: Continuous Review, Evaluation, and Weeding
CREW (Continuous Review, Evaluation, and Weeding) is a systematic weeding method developed for public libraries that uses age, usage, and condition criteria for deselection decisions.
Question 4: What is a 'standing order' in library acquisitions?
- A purchase order for a single item
- An arrangement to automatically receive new volumes in a series or annuals from a publisher (Correct answer)
- A request for items that are currently out of stock
- A government document acquisition program
Correct answer: An arrangement to automatically receive new volumes in a series or annuals from a publisher
A standing order is an agreement with a vendor to automatically send and bill each new volume of a series, annual, or publisher's continuation as it is published.
Question 5: Which usage statistic is commonly used to justify retaining or weeding a print book?
- Date of publication only
- Last date checked out (circulation date) (Correct answer)
- Number of pages
- Author's reputation
Correct answer: Last date checked out (circulation date)
The last checkout (circulation) date is a key metric in weeding decisions; books that have not circulated in several years may be candidates for deselection.
Question 6: What is the purpose of a 'gift policy' in collection development?
- To outline rules for accepting donated materials and the library's rights to discard unwanted gifts (Correct answer)
- To manage library grant funding
- To acknowledge donor contributions publicly
- To set prices for selling surplus items
Correct answer: To outline rules for accepting donated materials and the library's rights to discard unwanted gifts
A gift policy clarifies the library's right to accept or decline donations, discard or sell unwanted gifts without obligation, and maintain sole discretion over the collection.
Library Science Collection Development 1
What document guides a library's decisions about what materials to acquire, retain, and weed?