Criteria for selection

The output of published materials, in all forms, is so vast that no single library, not even the largest, can hope to acquire everything; even in relatively specialized fields, some selection has become necessary, and most libraries have an explicit selection policy. The basic principles of selection vary little among different types of libraries, inasmuch as they derive directly from the known interests of the users. Practice is another matter and varies according to the types of user. A national library aims to hold at least one copy of all the publications of its own country and to have a good representation of foreign works, many of which may be obtained through exchange agreements with other national libraries. University, college, and school libraries relate their choice of acquisitions to the programs of teaching and research in their institutions; the academic level of the material naturally varies according to the level of the student population. An elementary school will hold a good selection of books written for children, but a university will tend not to. Many university libraries try to maintain a relatively complete coverage of the reports issued by government and other research establishments. Some universities are designated as repositories for the reports issued by intergovernmental agencies, such as the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the European Union.

An important aspect of selection is learning about new publications that would enhance the library. Various surveys have been made of the ways in which specialists gain new information about their fields of work, and the most popular usually turns out to be informal discussions with colleagues. But this is by nature a haphazard process, and most countries now have, or aim to have, a national bibliography based on the acquisitions of the national library. The British National Bibliography, begun in 1950 at the British Museum, is a leading example: it is published weekly, with regular cumulations for easy access over long periods. It is a tool for subject inquiry searches as well as for current selection.

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions has established a program to increase the range and number of such bibliographic tools. The program, called Universal Bibliographic Control and International MARC, aims to encourage national libraries, or groups of libraries, to institute methods of recording their national publications in a standard format and, wherever possible, of entering them into computer files. This program is accompanied by two additional programs, the Universal Availability of Publication and Universal Dataflow and Telecommunications, which aim to provide the necessary follow-up service of document delivery.

Other aids to the selection of material for acquisition are legion. Many libraries join professional societies and institutions to obtain their publications, which usually contain lists and reviews of new work relevant to their subjects. Leading journals, such as The Times Literary Supplement, The New York Review of Books, Nature, and Science, contain reviews by experts, advertisements for new and forthcoming publications, and review articles covering important new books in special fields.

Acquisition systems

The development of electronic means of document delivery is unlikely to supplant the more traditional sources of supply, the publishing and bookselling trades. Some companies combine the two functions. Purchases by libraries have traditionally generated much of the revenue of local bookshops, but firms operating as specialist library suppliers are able to offer many auxiliary services, such as attaching plastic covers and inserting labels of ownership, because they deal in large-scale bulk supply and can afford to maintain machines for such processes.

The acquisition systems described above are found mostly in countries with long-established traditions of reading, research, libraries, and book trade. Far greater difficulties confront the library services in the developing countries, particularly in Africa and Asia. Even in India and China, with their long history of using books, a steady and satisfactory progress is hindered by shortages of finance, materials, and trained staff. Some universities in these nations have large libraries and receive grants that enable them to acquire foreign as well as national publications, but they often meet with delays caused by administrative procedures, shortage of foreign currencies, and problems of language in the postal services. In most African countries, growth of a national literature is hampered by the centuries-old prevalence of an oral tradition and by the cost of importing even such basic materials as paper.

Many countries in eastern Europe as well as in the Third World look to exchanges as a means of obtaining materials. Some governments allow libraries to exchange duplicate copies of national publications, as a recognized method of compensation without payment in foreign currency. The practice does present certain administrative problems, but it is a useful means of encouraging the international flow of publications as well as of giving practical help in collection building to libraries in countries with limited resources.