(via Ramune Kubilius, Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center at Northwestern University)
The Medical Library Association (MLA) Collection Development Caucus is excited to announce the publication of Health Sciences Collection Development: An Overview of Fundamental Knowledge and Practices (second edition), an update to the caucus’s Collection Development Best Practices document published in 2019. You can access it through Pressbooks, an open book creation platform.
This Open Access work provides an overview of the responsibilities and tasks involved in the development and management of health sciences collections. Readers can explore topics in greater detail through references at the end of each chapter. The second edition has a new section on unique collection genres; addresses Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility in collections; incorporates significant updates to and expansion of previous content; and includes a glossary. Each chapter, as applicable, lists key communities and online courses for professional development on that topic. Readers can add comments through Hypothesis (free account sign-up required) via the right-side panel embedded in the text.
Caucus members who served as primary content contributors are: Leah M. Anderson, MLS; Kristina DeShazo, MLS; Karen Gau, MLIS (co-editor); Iris Kovar-Gough, MA MLIS (co-editor); James Michael Lindsay, MSIS, MBA; Sarah McClung, MIS; Nicole Theis-Mahon, MLIS; Sarah Wade, MLS, AHIP; Erin Wentz, MSLIS; and Karen L. Yacobucci, MLS. A final draft was submitted to the caucus for review prior to publication.
This work was truly a collective effort, and we hope it gives readers an accessible entry point into the foundations of health sciences collection development.