# collection development

> building a coherent collection of books, artworks, archival materials or the like by careful selection of materials

**Wikidata**: [Q116754571](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q116754571)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/collection-development

## Summary
Collection development is the process of building a coherent collection of materials—such as books, artworks, or archival items—through careful selection. It is a part of collections management and is studied within library science. In libraries, it is closely associated with library collection development, which focuses on meeting users’ information needs.

## Key Facts
- Collection development is defined as building a coherent collection of books, artworks, archival materials, or similar items by careful selection of materials.
- Collection development is a subclass of (and part of) collections management.
- Collections management is described as overseeing a collection, including acquisition, curation, and deaccessioning.
- Collection development is studied by library science.
- A related class is library collection development, defined as building library materials to meet the information needs of users.
- Known aliases include 蔵書構築 and 蔵書形成.
- The entity has an Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) identifier: 300078791.
- The entity has a Dictionary of Archives Terminology identifier: collection-development.
- The entity has an RKD Thesaurus identifier: 80783.
- The entity has an ASC Leiden Thesaurus identifier: 312661746 (with a referenced record dated 2018-06-13).

## FAQs
### Q: What is collection development?
A: Collection development is building a coherent collection of materials—such as books, artworks, or archival materials—by carefully selecting what to include. It is treated as part of collections management.

### Q: How is collection development related to collections management?
A: Collection development is a subclass of collections management. Collections management is broader and includes overseeing a collection through activities such as acquisition, curation, and deaccessioning.

### Q: Is collection development only a library activity?
A: No. The definition explicitly includes books, artworks, and archival materials, indicating it applies beyond libraries. A related, more specific concept is library collection development, which focuses on meeting users’ information needs.

### Q: What field studies collection development?
A: Collection development is studied within library science. This aligns with its connection to library collection development and broader collections management practice.

## Why It Matters
Collection development matters because it is the mechanism by which a collection becomes coherent rather than accidental. By emphasizing careful selection, it supports intentional growth of holdings—whether those holdings are books, artworks, or archival materials—so that the collection has internal logic and purpose. As a subclass of collections management, it connects directly to the broader work of overseeing collections, which includes acquisition, curation, and deaccessioning. In library contexts, the related concept of library collection development highlights a user-centered goal: building materials to meet the information needs of users. This makes collection development relevant to institutions and professionals who must decide what to add, what to prioritize, and how to shape a collection over time. It provides a conceptual foundation for selection decisions and helps distinguish the act of building a collection from other collection functions that occur after materials are acquired.

## Notable For
- Defined by its focus on building a *coherent* collection through careful selection of materials.
- Explicitly spans multiple collection types, including books, artworks, and archival materials.
- Classified as a subclass of collections management, linking it to acquisition, curation, and deaccessioning as related oversight activities.
- Recognized across multiple controlled vocabularies and identifiers (e.g., AAT 300078791; RKD 80783; ASC Leiden Thesaurus 312661746).
- Has established terminology and aliases, including Japanese terms 蔵書構築 and 蔵書形成.

## Body
### Definition and Scope
- Collection development is the process of building a coherent collection.
- The materials involved can include:
  - books
  - artworks
  - archival materials
  - “or the like” (similar collection materials)
- The defining method is careful selection of materials.

### Relationship to Collections Management
- Collection development is a subclass of collections management.
- Collections management is described as overseeing a collection, including:
  - acquisition
  - curation
  - deaccessioning
- This positions collection development as one component within a broader collection oversight process.

### Relationship to Library Collection Development
- A related class is library collection development.
- Library collection development is defined as building library materials to meet the information needs of users.
- Collection development is therefore applicable both within and beyond libraries, while library collection development is explicitly user-needs oriented.

### Academic and Topical Context
- Collection development is studied by library science.
- It has a Quora topic label: Collection-Development.
- It has a JSTOR topic identifier (archived): collection-development.

### Names and Identifiers
- Aliases:
  - 蔵書構築
  - 蔵書形成
- External identifiers:
  - Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT): 300078791
  - Dictionary of Archives Terminology: collection-development
  - RKD Thesaurus: 80783
  - ASC Leiden Thesaurus: 312661746 (reference dated 2018-06-13)

## References

1. ASC Leiden Thesaurus dataset of 5 June 2018