Developing Our Collections - Context for Collection Development
Our collecting is about acquiring resources, either temporarily or permanently, for the use and benefit of people, particularly Western Australians - it is not only about amassing relevant documentary material.
The way we build our collections and the criteria we use to select resources will change as new opportunities arise. In an increasingly digital world collection resources can be preserved externally to our library building and collections need not be owned by the State Library to be accessible, for example the PANDORA initiative.
Access without preservation or ownership is realistic, and for some collections, will be preferred.
We will make choices in developing our collections. The world of publishing and writing is expanding and library collections will always be a subset of this ever expanding collection. The concept of collecting everything is unachievable and undesirable.
Our collecting is driven by several prime roles and purposes.
| Responsibility | |
|---|---|
| Preserve documentary resources associated with Western Australia | provide Western Australians with perpetual access to their documentary heritage |
| Enable access to Western Australia's documentary heritage | to tell Western Australia's story to all |
| Provide Western Australians with free and equitable access to documentary resources |
in response to their immediate needs for learning, growth and enjoyment |
The first two responsibilities are provided primarily from the State Library.
The third responsibility is delivered from both the State Library and Western Australian public libraries, in a complementary role, under a partnership arrangement.
Other organizations at either a state, federal or local level share these roles. Rather than compete with these organisations we are keen to collaborate and partner with them to achieve our shared purpose.
Page last updated: Wednesday 25 May 2011