Collection Development in the E-content World: Challenges of Procurement, Access and Preservation

Collection Development is one of the most demanding professional functions of a library that involves deeper understanding of the users' needs, organisational eco-system in which a library functions, and the supply-chain of information and publishing industry. The importance of this function to library's usage value continues to be more demanding in the e-content world. However, the multitude of choices offered and controls exercised by the content creators and providers (authors, publishers, aggregators, and distributors) and the laws that regulate the ownership, pricing, and usage rights of e-content makes the collection development process one of the most challenging functions in the libraries of digital world today. It is a very different process demanding the libraries to redefine their purpose and functions. This article is a broad sketch of emerging challenges of e-collection development and the changes it will bring in other key functions of the libraries. The scope of discussion is limited to journals and books in the digital format.