In American public libraries, the young adult (YA) collection accounts for almost a quarter of borrowing (often on less than ten percent of the budget). For this reason, it is important for libraries to develop YA collections that meet the needs of their users.
This book covers both theoretical and practical aspects of developing YA collections in public libraries. There are eight chapters that cover theoretical perspectives on YA collection development, Collection development policies, Needs assessment, Material selection and acquisition, Collection assessment, evaluation and weeding, and Collection maintenance. It provides a comprehensive overview of all elements of collection development, including discussion of e-collections, games, DVDs and other technologies. Focusing exclusively on public libraries, it highlights the importance of connections between public libraries and the communities they serve in order to maintain relevant YA collections. This includes connections with schools, parents and the young adults themselves. It also advocates for collection development policies that support and are supported by the library’s mission statement. Written from the US perspective, it may have more limited application to public libraries in other countries, but the general principles are sound.
Initially I found it quite repetitive because there is a preface that provides an overview of the book, followed by the first chapter that is also an overview, and it is only once we reach Chapter 2 that the more detailed information begins to be discussed. However, I believe it was written to be used as a textbook for information studies students and in this context, repetition is unlikely to be a drawback and certainly is outweighed by its strengths in the form of highly detailed and current information, including listing popular authors for each broad YA genre (fantasy, romance, horror, etc.) with references to bibliographies and websites, as well as listing websites to keep up to date with YA trends in the US. Overall, this book is highly useful for information studies students because of its comprehensive coverage of both theory and practice.
Moreton Bay Region Libraries
© 2015, Dayna Smith
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00049670.2015.1100252