Selection Criteria

Criteria differs from one subject area to another, but in general the following factors should be considered in the decision to purchase a library resource:

• Relevance to curriculum.
• Cost of the resource, including the possibility of maintenance fees and inflation.
• Degree of specialization; e.g. is the resource likely to serve multiple disciplines or a more narrow range of users.
• Intended audience (scholarly vs. popular; graduate vs. undergraduate, etc.).
• Projected need based on use patterns of similar material already in the collection.
• Reputation and authority of publisher and/or author.