ABSTRACT
The project, begun in 1982, involves academic, public, special, and school libraries in devising systems for optimizing collection development in a resource-poor state at a crucial point in its library growth. It seeks to establish a system of distributed, shared holdings and services that will most effectively provide for long-range knowledge and information needs. Supported by grants from the State Library, the work is coordinated by a Steering Committee representing all types of libraries. It currently concentrates on training librarians and library staff for collection development policy formulation and collection assessment, on liaison with cooperative collection development efforts outside Alaska, and on the establishment of the Alaska Conspectus. The Conspectus is intended to map collection strengths and serve as a basic step to coordinated statewide collection development.
