ABSTRACT

Collection management is one of the most basic and important functions in the library. The collection management policy is vitally impor-

tant in guiding the library in their efforts to select and acquire material. In the past, as well as today, written collection management statements have often been suggested as a way for libraries to rationally plan the direction of their collection building. With the advent of the Internet, opportunities for libraries to disseminate collection policy information are almost unlimited. Despite the possibilities, the extent in which libraries use the Internet to communicate their overall collection policies is still not widely known. This article will examine the web pages of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) members to see the extent to which premier research institutions provide collection policy information through the vehicle of the Internet. It’s hoped that the information gathered in this article will show the extent that written collection policies have migrated to the Internet, and provide a sense of the kinds of collection information that’s available to the public electronically.