ABSTRACT
Penn State’s University Libraries have long had a strong collection development framework that provides a wide range of documents in support of materials selectors. These include guidelines and policy statements as well as materials relating to management, the entire ac-
quisitions and technical services process, and standards for individual units within the Libraries that wish to create their own policy statements and web-based information pages. Few individual units have posted their own acquisitions policies as the umbrella statement is intelligent, strong, and flexible, so there may be no perceived compelling reason or requirement for subject groups to do so. Nevertheless, some units have developed policies that further define and specify the scope and mission of the collection in those areas beyond more general statements. These subject-specific policies are intended to inform any reader and contribute to the development goals of the Libraries. They also succeed in laying out the intellectual considerations and processes that drive collection development in those focused areas, and they discuss selection sources, materials, and procedures. They are therefore valuable on several levels. This article examines the process of identifying and selecting materials dealing with contemporary topics, looks at criteria for writing a collection development statement, and suggests a formal collection development policy statement for this part of the collection.
