The set of criteria used to judge whether a potential library purchase should be acquired is best described as?

• A. Selection Criteria
• B. Collection Development
• C. Information Access Policies
• D. Curriculum Alignment

Answer: (A)

Selection criteria are the specific standards librarians use to judge whether a potential library purchase belongs in the collection. They address relevance to user needs, authority and accuracy, currency, format and accessibility, licensing, and cost, helping determine if an item fills a gap and will be used. This is the practical decision rule applied during acquisition. Collection development is the broader, ongoing process of planning and managing a library’s holdings; information access policies govern how users reach resources; curriculum alignment concerns how materials support instructional goals.