In making selection decisions, librarians consider criteria
including the content of the material, its accuracy, the title's
niche in relation to the rest of the collection, the authority of
the author, the publisher, the work's presentation, and how it
compares with other material available in the same genre or on
the same subject.


In pursuing the goal of achieving a balanced collection that
serves the needs and interests of their patrons, librarians
generally have a fair amount of autonomy, but may also be guided
by a library's collection development policy. These collection
development policies are often drawn up in conjunction with the
libraries' governing boards and with representatives from the
community, and may be the result of public hearings, discussions
and other input.
Although many librarians use selection aids, such as review
journals and bibliographies, as a guide to the quality of
potential acquisitions, they do not generally delegate their
selection decisions to parties outside of the public library or
its governing body. One limited exception is the use of third-
party vendors or approval plans to acquire print and video
resources. In such arrangements, third-party vendors provide
materials based on the library's description of its collection
development criteria. The vendor sends materials to the library,
and the library retains the materials that meet its collection
development needs and returns the materials that do not. Even in
this arrangement, however, the librarians still retain ultimate
control over their collection development and review all of the
materials that enter their library's collection.