Librarians’ book selection practices and budget fluctuations in the City of Cape Town, South Africa

Abstract

One of the main purposes of a library is to disseminate information to the community it serves. Collection development, which is the process of building and maintaining a library’s collection is, thus an essential part of library services. The selection of materials that align with community needs and interests is an especially important aspect of collection development. With reference to the Helen Haines theory of book selection which is community-centred and highlights the role of lifelong learning in book selection, this research investigated the book selection practices of librarians from the City of Cape Town Library and Information Service