Our textbook indicates that there are four steps in the selection process.

Selecting among the vast numbers of materials published each year can seem a daunting task. Book title output increases every year, and the cost of materials has been increasing each year. Johnson notes “No library can keep up with these increases. Selection becomes more challenging because collections librarians must be increasingly selective” (Page 102).

Later, Johnson notes “Selection is both an art and a science. It results from a combination of knowledge, experience, and intuition” (Page 103)

All selection decions begin with consideration of the user community and the long-term mission, goals and priorities of the library and its parent body (Page 104).

The selection process can be thought of as a four step process:

1. identification of the relevant

2. assessment (is the item appropriate for the collection?) and evaluation (is the item worthy of selection?),

3. decision to purchase, and

4. order preparation.

Identifying possible items requires basic, factual information about authors, titles, publishers, and topics. Many tools and resources exist to help librarians identify possible acquisitions (Johnson, Pages 104 -105).