Although the concept of public libraries is recognised throughout the world, their role and priorities are not always the same. According to IFLA the three key roles of the public library are education, information and personal development.

Support for formal and informal education has been a basic function of public libraries since their earliest days. The demand and need for education has never been greater, ranging from basic literacy and numeracy to a highly specialised level. In some countries support for education is seen as the primary role of the library and development is directed to that end.

The acquisition of reliable information is now recognised as being vitally important and of great value. Information is power in the modern world and it improves people's chance of enjoying fulfilling lives and contributing to society. The lack of information would deny them these opportunities. There is more information available now than at any other time in the history of the world, and the demand for it is insatiable. Today people can access information in many different ways, and in some countries they do not even have to leave their homes to do so.

Public libraries have always played a very important role in providing opportunities for personal development. They offer a range of ideas, opinions and creative experience not freely available anywhere else. A key function of public libraries in some countries is the provision of books and other materials for recreation and leisure. Using interlending andinformation technology we can make the world's knowledge and literature available to everyone.

With different degrees of emphasis and priority depending on local circumstances, these are the key roles of public libraries throughout the world. There are others, however, which are also very important - services to children and young people, to groups in the community with special needs, the library as a meeting place, and the relationship between libraries, culture and the arts.

It is essential that librarians and their governing boards determine what their priorities are and develop services based on those priorities. Public libraries need to use their resources as effectively as possible. They must decide on their priorities and plan accordingly, and they have to decide on a collection development policy. The alternative is a random approach to service development which carries the very real risk that none of the services will be provided adequately or consistently.

Public libraries must aim to meet the needs of their users. Public librarians are sometimes guilty of deciding what services and materials they should provide without any attempt to assess what the potential users feel. We must realise the importance of community needs analysis, user involvement in policy-making and the judgement and experience of the librarian as key factors in determining the shape of the public library service. We must start with the precept that we are there to serve the whole community, and shape our collections accordingly.

Libraries are made up of collections of information and cultural materials in a variety of formats. The range of formats continues to grow. Users often have access to the resources of other libraries as well. Standards for collection development are often asked for, but difficult to develop.The development of collection standards is affected not only by levels of funding but also by a number of other factors, e g the number of items available in the primary language of the community served, access to other information sources and the needs of the local community. Standards are often related to population statistics. This assumes that reliable population figures are available, but it is not always the case.

Whatever circumstances you operate in, it is really necessary to have a community needs assessment, as well as a collection assessment, and then to work out a collection development policy.

Collection development (also known as collection or materials management) involves the identification, selection, acquisition, and evaluation of a collection of library resources for a community of users. While it is the goal of collection development to meet the information needs of everyone in a user community, this is usually not realised due to financial constraints, the diversity of user information needs, and the vast amount of available information. Nonetheless, public libraries strive to provide the greatest possible number of library resources to meet the information and recreational needs of the majority of their user community.

Unfortunately the reality is that there is an enormous number of titles to purchase, while the budget is very often rather small. For librarians it's a challenge to build up a collection within the financial limits, and to reach as much users as possible!

Having a large collection does however not necessarily mean that it is a good collection. The key criterion must be the relevance and currency of the material provided. Collection development can be divided into two parts :

• the basic functions : the collection development process itself (selection of library materials, acquisitions, donations, weeding and preservation); and

• the umbrella functions that support the collection development process by providing guidelines for staff (i e collection development policies, community needs assessment and collection assessment).

Librarians have an innate sense of what direction the collection is heading in, what their users want from their library, and how their collections are used. However, periodically it can be useful to step back and re-evaluate your collection priorities and preconceived notions of your community. The umbrella functions provide you with the tools to re-evaluate your collection goals in relation to your user community. While these functions usually provide valuable information, they may not be used frequently enough (perhaps never!), due to the staff time and resources required for these projects - especially in smaller libraries.

Collection assessment is "an organised process for systematically analysing and describing a library's collection". Assessments are conducted to provide several kinds of important information to libraries. They help clarify the library's goals in the context of its mission and budget, supply data used to set funding priorities, and build a base for long-range planning and administration.

There are many ways to conduct assessments, some of which may be better suited to small libraries. However, the success of any method depends on how well it meets the goals of the evaluation, which in turn depends on the purpose and mission of the library. The process can be broken into two steps : assessment, in which the collection is described according to the different subjects and formats of the materials, and evaluation, in which the collection's appropriateness for the community is judged.

Collection assessment provides library administrators with a management tool for adapting the collection, an internal analysis tool for planning, a tool to respond systematically to budget changes, and a communication tool and data for resource sharing with other libraries. Library staff can also benefit by having a better understanding of the collection, a basis for more selective collection development, improved communication with similar libraries, and enhanced professional skills in collection development. For libraries involved in co-operative resource sharing, collection assessment is essential in determining how each library fits into the system and what should be expected for each library's further growth in the context of the co-operative relationship.

When planning a collection assessment project, it is important to carefully define the goals. Choose the most appropriate method(s) to be used, and establish what information is needed. An assessment can be fully comprehensive or it can focus on specific areas, depending on the library's needs (and the resources available to carry it out - evaluations can be expensive!). It can be very tempting to gather all sorts of information because it seems interesting, but it may be useless if it does not fit into the parameters of the project. Be sure that everyone participating in the project understands what is expected and when tasks should be completed.

Evaluation and assessment techniques fall into two broad categories : collection-centred (counting stock and checking lists to determine the collection's scope and depth); and user-centred (conducting user surveys and gathering information on how users use the collection).

An effective assessment uses both types of technique to gather two kinds of data : quantitative (statistics such as number of titles, age and timeliness of materials, circulation and items per community member) and qualitative (e g observations such as individual or group evaluation, and the percentage of standard titles or items). The type of data useful for your particular evaluation depends on the library's purpose and mission. For example, a library that wants to provide many varied titles might compare its acquisition rate to annual publishing output, and might look at titles held per capita. If the library has very limited space and must keep growth to a minimum, data on turnover rates (how often items are circulated), acquisitions, and withdrawals (weeding) will be essential. A library that focuses on popular works would want information on circulation and use per capita.

In general, librarians already know a lot about their community, and a full-scale needs assessment is often not necessary. However, they may find it useful to be aware of the formal process of assessing needs. By following the steps outlined below, a librarian can organise his or her needs assessment programme and reduce both time and cost. A community needs assessment determines how well your library is currently meeting the needs of your community. It can make clear what other types of resources and services it could provide in the future. Results of an assessment study can be used to determine :

• how extensively the collection is being used, and where there are gaps;

• who uses the library, and ways to reach the non-users;

• how successful library services are and how they could be improved to reflect the community's needs;

• whether the space and physical building are adequate for the provision of services;

• how the user community is changing (e g socio-economic status, demographics, etc); and

• whether staffing patterns and library hours are adequate.

If your library has never carried out a needs assessment, performing one can be a major undertaking. The level and intensity of the exercise depends on your particular library and community. If the demographics of your community change regularly, you need to assess it more often; a more stable community may not require frequent assessments.

A needs assessment project can be carried out by outside consultants (most expensive), library volunteers (danger of biased interpretation, lack of experience), or library staff (lack of time, and inexperience). Your available resources, time frame, and comfort level with performing research may influence your decision. Often, budget is the major factor restricting choice. It may be a good idea to use a combination of these methods. For example, you might hire an outside consultant to help you set up the needs assessment study, but then use volunteers to actually implement the study.

Do you wish to conduct a broad assessment or focus on a particular area?

Some categories of information you might want to collect include :

• historical development;

• geography and transportation;

• law and politics;

• demographic data;

• economic data; and

• social, cultural, educational and recreational organisations.

You can collect data by interviewing key informants in the community, holding a community forum, researching social indicators/demographic information from public records and reports, and conducting field surveys. It's best to use more than one of these data collection methods. However, most libraries don't have the necessary budgetary and staff resources to use more than one method.

Surveys

Surveys and questionnaires involve asking individuals in the community about their library needs. Surveys can be done by mailing questionnaires to randomly selected members of the community, by using the telephone, handing out survey forms while people are in the library, or posting questionnaires on your public-access computer catalogue (if the library has one).

Information gathered from surveys is only as good as the questions asked, and care should be taken in formulating them. Phrase questions clearly!

A collection development policy is a written statement of your library's intentions for building its collection. It describes the collection's strengths and weaknesses and provides guidelines for your staff. Producing one is a commitment; it takes time and careful consideration to develop a useful and relevant document.

A collection development policy should be a living document, adaptable to change and growth. It provides guidelines that can be modified as your library's collection needs to change. By following these guidelines, you can make more consistent and informed decisions about the collection. The policy will provide continuity during times of staff turnover or funding changes.

Policy elements

Many policies start with a brief descriptive community profile or background that identifies general characteristics of the community, the library services, the library service area, and/or the library's general goals or mission. Then there is often a needs assessment of your community. Collection goals represent what the library's priorities are for the various categories of a collection (Adult Fiction, Adult Non-Fiction, Large Print, Easy Readers, etc). A policy should state who is responsible for selection, and typically, the document also includes a list of criteria used to make selection decisions within specific subject areas.

It should also describe the acquisition procedure and include a statement on the handling of gifts. It is a good idea to include your weeding criteria/guidelines in the collection development policy. When the policy is completed, you need to get it approved by your local governing board.

Selection is at the heart of the collection development process. This core function builds the library's collection for a particular user community. Skill, knowledge, and the right tools are required to select appropriate library materials that meet the needs of the community. Building a balanced collection that meets user needs is a challenging task.

Competing selection philosophies have been debated in the library profession for a long time, in the complicated field of public library stock selection. This debate pits selection based on customer preference ("demand") against selection based on quality materials ("quality"). In a certain sense this is an artificial debate, since most public libraries strive for a balanced mixture of the two selection philosophies. Your ultimate goal is to provide a balanced collection that meets the needs of your community.

Some people say that selection is an art. However, there are some practical strategies you can use to become a good selector. In general, you need to keep track of what is happening in the world of publishing, know your community, and be aware of current events and popular cultural trends.

General criteria to consider when you make selection decisions include subject matter, format quality, potential use, relation to the collection, bibliographic considerations, and cost.

Once materials have been selected by staff or requested by users, the acquisition process begins - that is, confirmation of price and publication, location of the item, placement of the order, etc. All libraries have some goals in common here, among them an emphasis on efficiency, so that material is acquired as quickly and economically as possible.

Among the other materials acquired, such as periodicals, audio-visual materials and local-interest materials, electronic resources are the most unusual. Acquiring digital data requires consideration of several additional factors. Making online and CD-ROM resources available to library users will depend on the library's ability to provide delivery platforms or gateways, and the need for user support and training should also be kept in mind. Also consider which of the different kinds of digital information your community would be most interested in. Because electronic resources often require licensing agreements rather than "purchase", "acquiring" these resources is a continuing process.

Weeding is an essential but difficult element of collection development that ensures optimal accessibility and usefulness of the library's material. Every library's print collection is limited by the space available for housing it, and collections should change over time to reflect changes in the community and in the library's goals. Weeding is a periodic or continual evaluation of resources, to remove items that are no longer useful from the collection.

This section discusses the importance of having a weeding policy, the rationale behind weeding, resistance to weeding, planning for weeding, and options for the materials you remove. Keep in mind that every library is different and has its own priorities and problems - not every suggestion or guideline for weeding would fit a particular library, and librarians should feel free to adapt suggestions to their own situation.

Weeding can be controversial, and a carefully prepared policy on weeding can help to prevent misunderstandings. It can't replace individual judgement or common sense, but it will make your actions more understandable to the public.

When libraries do not weed regularly or consistently, users have trouble finding interesting and relevant, up-to-date material. Removing outdated or worn-out items makes the collection more attractive visually, and more inviting to users. Weeding helps the librarian to identify gaps in the collection, and creates space for new material.

If weeding provides so many benefits, why is it so hard to do? Below are a few of the reasons librarians tend to use to explain their resistance to weeding, together with helpful comments :

- "It takes too much time."

A weeding plan will actually save you time by making maintenance, searching and shelving more efficient.

Books may be recycled in your community or passed on to another institution that can make better use of them.

Develop a policy, get it approved by your board and stick to it. Be ready to explain to your community why weeding is necessary and how it is conducted. Avoid "crisis weeding" where many materials are removed at once.

When you develop your weeding policy, you should check on any local requirements for the disposal of public property. Keep in mind that weeding is not arbitrary or destructive. Your good judgement and deliberate pruning will make the library more useful. Some books are literally dead wood.

This is possible, but not very likely. If it does happen, don't panic. Use your skills to find another source for the information : a more recent book, a current encyclopaedia, a periodical article, the Web.

What is "enough"? Your goal is probably to have a quality collection. Focusing on the quantity of materials in your collection will not improve their quality; in fact, it can actually harm the collection as a whole by diluting the impact of your most useful materials.

Most old books are too worn or too common to be worth anything in the rare or second-hand book market. If by chance you should find a good-quality, truly rare book while weeding, consider selling it and using the proceeds to buy books for your circulating collection.

- "Weeding means admitting to mistakes."

Turn this around for a more positive outlook. If something is worn out, it was a good choice. If it's dated, it's a testimony to the passage of time. If it hasn't been used, it could mean that times have changed, your audience has changed or that it didn't fit the collection. We can't know everything!

Most libraries would benefit from a complete weeding once a year. If this seems too daunting, start by scheduling individual sections and expand your plan as you establish a routine. Keep records of your progress to reduce overlap. Plus, a concrete measure of your progress keeps your morale high.

When setting goals and priorities, some areas are obvious targets. When your shelver says, "I just can't get one more book on that shelf," weed it soon. Tackle one small section at a time and complete it before you start the next one. You will weed more effectively and you won't get frustrated as easily. Keep in mind that weeding is a process!

If your library is automated, the computer system can facilitate the weeding process. However, to be optimally useful the system must have been in operation long enough (usually about one to three years) for the existence of complete records of the material in stock, and for a fair accumulation of circulation data. You should be able to get the following information from your system : latest checkout data for items currently in circulation, the date that each item was added to the collection (accession date), and previous checkout dates for items not currently in circulation.

If your system can provide this information, print out two lists : all items that have and have not circulated in the last three years. Each list should include author, title, barcode number, publication date, last circulation date and number of copies for each item. Divide the lists by subject category and use it as you would use a catalogue drawer.

After you have planned your approach, you can start your weeding project by setting the stage (completing final preparations), gathering materials needed for the weeding project, and defining your weeding criteria.

The weeding criteria may include :

Condition : If a book is in poor condition, its removal may be considered, depending on your ability and willingness to mend it. Problems to watch out for include a broken spine, fragile or brittle paper or bindings, bent corners, torn or missing pages, defaced pages or covers, insect or mildew infestations and books that are just plain worn-out.

Age : Evaluating an item's usefulness based on its age is tricky, especially with regard to books. In truth, most old books have very little value (monetary or otherwise) in a public library. Library users generally prefer new books, regardless of content. Some questions to ask when considering age as a reason to withdraw an item : Is the book so fragile that it can't withstand normal library use? Does this item have local historical value? If so, perhaps it should be given to the local historical society. (If your library serves as the town's archives, you'll probably consider housing such material separately from the regular circulation collection anyway.)

Frequency of use : When last did the item circulate? How often is it used in the library? If you want to keep the item, perhaps it could be moved to a more visible or attractive location.

Multiple copies : Sometimes you discover that you have more copies of an item than you realised. Perhaps some of them are donated copies; you might have several different editions of the same work, or it may be that a once popular subject or bestseller now no longer draws interest. Does your collection contain material that provides better, more current coverage? Extra copies are often excellent candidates for book sales, trades or donations.

Currency/accuracy : When evaluating currency, the key issue is relevance. History books may not be especially current, but if they are still relevant they should be kept. Materials on computers, law, science, technology, health and travel on the other hand, need to be current to be useful. For example, if your health guides don't discuss AIDS and other disease prevention issues, you will need to remove them and update your collection. Other items likely to be out of date quickly are travel guides, atlases, subjects that change frequently such as college entrance exams, guides to elected officials, etc.

A final word on weeding : don't forget to update the catalogue! It would be very frustrating for a user to find the "perfect" item in the catalogue and then discover that it had been weeded months before.