Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

"Do You Have Any Books On..." An Examination Of Public Library Holdings, Cynthia Bassett, John M. Budd

Faculty Publications

Public librarians have long debated the question of whether quality or popularity should drive collection decisions. A survey of the selected holdings of twenty medium-sized public libraries indicates that both quality and popularity may be determining factors in whether to acquire particular titles. Furthermore, the study suggests that the existence and content of reviews may also influence the likelihood of libraries to select particular titles, as may the selectors' perception of the diversity of their community.