The impact of collection development policy on service rendering to undergraduates: a case study of the University of the Western Cape Library

Abstract

Collection development in academic libraries is going through technology-driven changes relating to the new information technologies ,e.g. -Electronic databases, the Internet and CD-ROM's, joint published materials and audio-visual resources. Libraries are also facing declining budgets and spiralling costs. This research project looked closely at what collection development is and the impact it has on service rendering to undergraduates at the University of the Western Cape. It is also aimed at establishing if the librarians that formulate these policies understand what they (Collection Development Policies) are, and what they should entail.