Many public libraries routinely provide patrons with access to materials not in their collections through the use of bibliographic access tools and interlibrary loan programs.  Public libraries typically will assist patrons in obtaining access to all materials except those that are illegal, even if they do not collect those materials in their physical collection.  In order to provide this access, a librarian may attempt to find material not included in the library’s own collection in other libraries in the system, through interlibrary loan, or through a referral, perhaps to a government agency or a commercial bookstore.  Interlibrary loan is expensive, however, and is therefore used infrequently.  Public librarians also apply professional standards to their collection development practices.  Public libraries generally make material selection decisions and frame policies governing collection development at the local level.  Collection development is a key subject in the curricula of Masters of Library Science programs and is defined by certain practices.  In general, professional standards guide public librarians to build, develop and create collections that have certain characteristics, such as balance in its coverage and requisite and appropriate quality.  To this end, the goal of library collections is not universal coverage, but rather to find those materials that would be of the greatest direct benefit or interest to the community.  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. 2.  The Internet in Public Libraries