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The study aims to explore the factors which influence collection development and management in academic libraries. In libraries and information centres, collection development is considered an essential element of the information life cycle. Collection development and management activities do not emanate from a vacuum. Several factors have a direct bearing on the way in which collections are developed and managed in the academic libraries. These factors are bridges and barriers for effective collection development and management.

An extensive review of the available literature was made to conduct the study.

The study found that several factors have a direct bearing on the way in which collections are developed and managed in the academic libraries. These factors include goals of collection development and management policies and procedures, user needs, collection development policies (CDPs), collection development budgets, collection evaluation to determine the strength and weaknesses of various subjects in the collections, selection of reading materials, formats in which materials are selected, the issues of access versus ownership, cooperative collection development, resource-sharing programs and legal issues in collection development and management.

This study provides an overview of various factors that influence collection development activities in the academic libraries. It provides an insight for the selectors of library resources to take these factors into account for building effective collections in the academic libraries of Pakistan and abroad.

“Public librarians are not interested in collection development issues.”

It is obvious that when resources are insufficient to meet all legitimate demands, priorities should be established. During the last decade, funds available to academic institutions in English‐speaking countries have been reduced while the information sources on which they depend continue to increase and the changing technology of access provides new challenges for academics and librarians.

This paper discusses emerging issues in selection and acquisition of electronic information resources in academic libraries of developing countries paying particular attention to the situation at the University of Dar es Salaam Library (www.udsm.ac.tz/library/). First, it discusses in historical perspective the application of information technology in provision of information services and specifically the provision of electronic information services at this university. Then it identifies emerging and challenging issues related to selection and acquisition of electronic information resources. The emerging issues include the information technology skills of staff and users, technology infrastructure, financial resources and collection development and management policy. In conclusion, the paper strategizes the way forward to make selection and acquisition of e‐resources contribute towards promotion of research, scholarly communication, teaching and learning at African universities.

This paper aims to examine the methods of diversity‐related collection assessment useful for large academic libraries.

Several examples of diversity‐related collection assessment (circulation and use statistics, WorldCat Collection Analysis, comparison to standard bibliographies, focus groups, patron interviews and surveys, stewardship letters, and a diversity collection development statement) are explored.

Libraries wishing to assess a collection for diversity should have a clear definition of diversity in place before assessment. Many collection assessment methods useful for determining the diversity of a collection are not applicable for large libraries. Additional tools may need to be developed to facilitate this type of assessment in the future, especially at large libraries.

The paper encourages librarians at larger academic libraries to rethink how the collections are assessed for diversity needs, and illustrates methods useful in performing this assessment in larger institutions.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight collection development activity in UK higher education libraries and to place it within both a conceptual and strategic context.

This paper uses a theoretical approach to collection development and content strategy derived from literary theory to contextualise debates. It uses current examples from collection management within UK academic libraries.

This paper suggests that collection development is not exclusively a library practitioner activity but needs to be considered within a wider context that takes account of multiple strands of collection selection and management. Collection development cannot be considered in isolation but alongside collection management and in relation to content strategy.

This paper includes consideration of the topic of collection development that is influenced by other disciplines, notably literary theory. This suggests that research in library science should include input from other disciplines.

This paper includes implications for content development within academic libraries that suggest that a re-focus at the strategic level of content is required.

This paper introduces a conceptual register to collection development outside of traditional library science models and posits a move to strategy.

Seeks to describe how Lied Library has responded to a rapid increase in the number of new academic programs and degrees at UNLV resulting from new strategic initiatives and tremendous growth of the university's student population during the past four years.

The authors focus on the role of the Collection Development (CD) department in the university's approval process for new academic programs and the role of subject librarians in assessing how well the Libraries' collection meets the demands of new programs proposed by faculty.

Detailed descriptions are provided of the process used by subject librarians and CD to develop the tools and guidelines necessary to assess library collections in support of new academic programs.

Provides information and a model for other libraries and subject bibliographers to use when developing library collection assessment processes and guidelines.

Provides practical information and tools for subject bibliographers and CD departments responsible for performing collection assessment reports for library administrators and/or university officials as new academic programs are proposed.

This paper presents recently published resources on library instruction and information literacy, providing an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of publications covering various library types, study populations and research contexts.

This paper introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations, reports and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2020.

The paper provides a brief description of all 440 sources and highlights sources that contain unique or significant scholarly contributions.

The information may be used by librarians, researchers and anyone interested in a quick and comprehensive reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which teaching staff cooperated with librarians in collection development, specifically in relation to electronic resources, and to identify barriers they encountered while performing collection development activities.

A mixed methods approach was adopted for the study. Quantitative and qualitative techniques of data collection and analysis were used to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the research topic. Data were gathered through a self-administered questionnaire and interviews. A total of 149 faculty members completed the questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 51.2%, while 16 library staff members were interviewed to obtain qualitative data.

The majority of the teaching staff who participated in the study affirmed that they had cooperated with subject librarians in collection development. A high percentage (62.4%) of the faculty members had collaborated with subject librarians in collection development activities. Only 37.6% of the faculty members had not participated in collection development activities with subject librarians to acquire library electronic resources. According to faculty members, some of the main challenges affecting collection development at the University of Namibia were a lack of catalogues for electronic resources and a lack of lists of titles from vendors. Moreover, librarians were not always available to assist faculty members. It is recommended that faculty members be part of the process of selecting materials and that a good relationship be fostered between librarians and faculty members to bring value to collection development activities.

Collection development in respect of electronic resources is a complex process to be undertaken by a single entity and, therefore, requires the collaboration of all stakeholders involved. In the case of institutions of higher learning, these stakeholders include faculty, librarians and vendors. The emergence of a variety of e-resources demands a meticulous strategy on the part of libraries to ensure they can offer a wide range of up-to-date and accurate resources that meet the evolving needs of their users. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, studies that are similar to this one have not been conducted in Namibia before. This case study presents useful findings and lessons on faculty–librarian cooperation for effective collection development, not only at the University of Namibia library but also at other academic libraries in economies with similar characteristics.