Developments in the philosophy of collection management: a historical review

Abstract

Purpose

The literature on collection development largely discusses all kinds of managerial and practical issues. There appears to be a noteworthy gap in LIS literature regarding the philosophical and conceptual underpinning of the subject. The paper aims to attempt to explore the developments in the theoretical foundations of collection management practices in libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

An extensive review of the available literature was made to synthesise the study. It illustrates the impacts of the developments in civilization, from ancient times to modern, on the collection management services of libraries.

Findings

It was found that the philosophy underlying collection management work has expanded through the ages due to various factors.

Originality/value

The paper provides an overview of social and technological changes on the philosophy of managing collections through the ages.

Citation

Ameen, K. (2005), "Developments in the philosophy of collection management: a historical review", Collection Building, Vol. 24 No. 4, pp. 112-116. https://doi.org/10.1108/01604950510629264