In today’s age, collection development must satisfy a number of demands. Whether keeping up with student use trends, serving institutional goals, or meeting budgetary restraints, librarians need more than one-size-fits-all options. Indeed, a flexibility and diversity of resources, content types, and access models allows librarians to pick and choose what works best for their institution. What are modern librarians’ collection development strategies or preferences? How can publishers and vendors support and accommodate challenging collection needs?

In this third episode, our guests chat about acquisition policies, access model preferences, and budget decisions. First, Susanna Smith, Acquisitions Librarian at Georgia Highlands College, and Tracy Holtman, Associate Director of Access & Collection Services at Tarleton State University, describe how COVID-19 has impacted their acquisition strategies and workflows—such as, buying textbooks, investing in Open Educational Resources (OER), and, of course, directing funds and energy toward digital content. In addition, Paige Clunie, Digital Partnerships Manager at Princeton University Press, discusses ongoing digitization efforts at Princeton and the balancing act of supporting scholarship and sustaining its publishing model. Finally, Steven Rosato, General Manager at OverDrive Academic, offers input on which lending models experience the highest demand and best serve library needs.

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