ETL 503 Module 1
 What is involved in managing collections?
Collection management according to Module 1 material refers to a set of activities relating to the identification (identifying potential and available resources) selection (choosing which of these resources will be obtained for the collection) acquisition (obtaining resources) evaluation (reviewing the value of the existing collection and existing resources), and deselection (weeding out and disposing of resources).

The process of collection management should be focused and have a context. It involves planning and organisation and benefits from the TL's knowledge and experience. The definition of collection management according to Kennedy (2006) is to select, acquire, evaluate, preserve and deselect library materials. Despite the huge amount of information available, there appears to be a blurring of the definitions of collection management and development and they way they can be differentiated. It seems that development is an older term and that the preferred term is management.

 Balancing the Collection
My reflections on e -books vs p - books are similar to the views held by many others in the course that our collections must really reflect the needs of our learning community. Shifting to digital is more complex than merely selecting and acquiring digital resources. There are issues to consider including the availability and accessibility for low socio-economic communities. I think about my own school's learning community and there would be a number of students who only have access to computers at school. Students will rely upon the physical version. As educators we must ensure all students have equitable access to quality resources for learning. Technology has and will continue to drive change but finding the right balance is essential. There is still a need for the physical version of the book.