You are the potter, data sets are the clay: Shaping a collection of small data sets

Library vendors are starting to compile data into searchable databases, but these will never be complete and many librarians are purchasing individual datasets. Some of the first issues that librarians need to address when starting a collection of individual datasets are the scope of their collection, and whether or not a formal collection development statement is necessary to guide the collection's development. There are issues in collecting data that are not present when collecting other types of library materials, so a general template for a collection development statement is not as helpful for data as it is for books or even other kinds of electronic resources.The presenters surveyed and interviewed North American academic data librarians about their data collection practices, and this presentation will describe what the study revealed about the benefits of writing a collection development statement, the issues that are addressed in data collection development statements, and what librarians use to guide their purchase and retention decisions if they do not have a collection development statement. Attendees at this presentation will learn about both a general shape of collection development statements for data as well as some specific possible points that can be included, in order to be able to plan their own collection development policies efficiently and thoroughly