Finding resources:

As said earlier, supply is another basic factor. Supply means availability of documents for acquisition. Information regarding supply can be collected in the form of various selection sources or tools. A detailed discussion on a variety of selection tools, their characteristics, value and importance for selection of printed documents and non-print materials is given in Unit 6 of this Block 2. The library will be regularly receiving various source materials. If not, they have to be acquired. A good source collection may contain the following:

• Trade catalogues issued by individual publishers and booksellers
• Book trade journals
• Previews and announcements issued by publishers
• Book reviews appearing in newspapers and journals
• Book reviewing journals
• Book selection lists brought out by competent bodies
• List of textbooks prescribed for various courses of studies
• Published catalogues of book exhibitions
• Published catalogues of important libraries
• Subject bibliographies and subject guides to selection

•  National bibliographies 

•  Comprehensive retrospective bibliographies like BooksinPrint 

•  Catalogues of second-hand booksellers 

The sources have to be sorted and stored for convenient use. Updating of the sources and weeding out of old ones should be done on a regular basis.