Abstract:
Collection development is one of the critical activities of any library management process. The goal of collection development in university libraries is to effectively provide relevant and up to date information resources. The purpose of the study was to investigate the collection development practices at the University of Namibia (UNAM) library (and its constituent branches) with special reference to the electronic resources. The study population comprised of 291 teaching staff from all
eight faculties of UNAM. A total number of 149 faculty members responded to the survey, which gave a response rate of 51.2%, while a total number of 16 library staff were interviewed. The study was largely quantitative, with qualitative data being collected to supplement the quantitative data. For quantitative data collection, the study used a self-administered questionnaire, while for qualitative data, the study
used an interview schedule with library staff . The study found that not all faculty members were aware of the guidelines, procedures and policies on the collection development activities. Eighty-one percent (81%) of faculty members were aware of the importance of their role in selecting library materials. As a result, a high percentage of respondents (62.4%) have been involved in collection development
activities with librarians. The main factors influencing collection development at UNAM, according to the faculty members, are: budget allocated for e-resources, communication between librarians and the faculty members, and procedures of placing orders for resources.
