A Suitable Pattern for Collection Development based on a Comparison between Collection Development Processes in the Libraries of Isfahan University and Isfahan University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Collection development is a process to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the collection of a library based on the needs of the users which plays an important role in the of information systems management. The present research aimed to compare the process of collection development in the libraries of Isfahan University and Isfahan University of Medical sciences to recognize the problems faced by their executive managers and to offer suggestions for optimizing the process in the two aforementioned libraries.Methods: This descriptive survey was conducted in 2009 and included 2 central, 15 school, and 12 department libraries, as well as 10 libraries belonging to therapeutic educational centers and 1 library associated with research centers. All mentioned libraries were supervised by Isfahan University and Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Data was collected by distributing a questionnaire among mangers of the 40 studied libraries and also interviewing with the managers of central libraries in the two universities. After face and content validity of the questionnaire were evaluated, its reliability was determined by Cronbach's alpha coefficient (86%). Data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential statistical methods (chi-square test) in SPSS15 and Microsoft Excel.Results: Research findings showed that in more than 70% of the studied libraries, less than 25% of necessary resources were provided using ways other than purchasing. In addition, only 17.5% of the libraries in the two universities had written collection development guidelines. In the collection development field, the libraries faced problems regarding writing collection development policies and also implementing the written policies.Conclusion: Considering the problems in writing collection development policies in the studied libraries, a pattern needs to be provided to optimize the process.Keywords: Libraries; Medical Libraries; Library Collection Development; Policy; Interlibrary Loans.