Patron-Driven Acquisition: Collecting as if Money and Space Mean Something

Abstract

The article discusses the impact of patron-driven acquisition (PDA) programs on the collection development of university libraries. The author reviews the fact that 40% of the University of Vermont's library collection was not circulating, prompting the library to pursue an order-on-demand policy that bought books only when patrons requested them, thus saving shelf space and money for the fiscal years of 2009 and 2010. The PDA system that was initiated also reduces the need for off-site storage of non-circulating materials. Also discussed is the growth of the ebook within PDA and their functioning within discovery searchers such as WorldCat and Google Scholar as well as within inter-library loan programs.