Describing Grey Literature Again: A Survey of Collection Policies

At Oregon State University, we are exploring the differences between collections formed by digitizing existing materials on our shelves and those created by identifying and acquiring digital objects beyond our library. One example is the proposed Tsunami Digital Library (TDL) that would support a growing research program with users needing access to diverse information, much of it grey. The TDL is conceptualized as an information portal designed to coordinate the access and distribution of Internet based tsunami related information. The distributed collection is maintained by contributing partner sites within a digital library system. Yet, defining this digital collection presents challenges that differ from our traditional approach to collection development as the audience goes well beyond OSU, materials are created and housed elsewhere, and the formats are not consistent. Building on our needs assessment of potential users of the TDL, we surveyed librarians active in the field of digital collections on their practical and theoretical approaches to collecting digital grey literature. Their insights and a careful review of the literature of digital grey collections provide a context for creating a specific collection development policy. Our experience is transferable to any librarian collecting digital grey literature.Includes: Conference preprint, Powerpoint presentation, Abstract and Biographical notes, Pratt student commentaryXAInternationa