Building an Electronic Resource Collection: A Practical Guide

Citation

Srivastava, S.D. (2003), "Building an Electronic Resource Collection: A Practical Guide", Collection Building, Vol. 22 No. 1, pp. 46-47. https://doi.org/10.1108/06104950310457212

At a time when university, college, public and special libraries are all involved in the process of “going electronic”, this book provides an easy, generalized outline of issues and steps that should be clearly looked at before ordering any electronic product. It provides an overview of collection development, the necessities of having a policy, and the traditional policy versus the electronic policy and how they are different. The resource is invaluable, because it supplies a practical guideline on the range of types of electronic products available and delineates an approach on how to choose, rate and procure them. It goes even further to outline the process after procurement, such as system issues and usage reports and their necessity.

The book provides a select glossary of terms, select bibliography that contains Web sites and journal sources, and an index. This book is highly recommended to all libraries either starting or going through the process of selecting and acquiring electronic products. It is practical, easy to read and very informative. It highlights best practice and also shows the problems that may arise in building electronic collections.