Conference Prospectus

The Janus Conference will invite participants to consider several themes:

Legacy. Nearly thirty years have passed since the definitive formulation of “collection development” in research libraries. Are there principles that collection development enunciated that will continue to guide practice, or is it time to relegate it to the dustbin of history?

Epistemology. The field once known as collection development is now undergoing a metamorphosis. Does it need a name change? “Content Management” and “Knowledge Management” currently vie for the honor, with neither gaining wide acceptance. Other epistemic concepts in play include selection, content, even reading. Can we meaningfully discuss the issues without first agreeing on a lexicon?

Technology. The Internet is, without a doubt, the single most important reason for Janus to look forward. Through its disruptive success, the Internet has redefined the nature of collections, the relationship of private and public goods, and the role of the library in its communities. Among the Internet-influenced changes we now contend with are the malleability and perishability of digital information, and a change in the locus of collections from one of local use by well-known constituents, to one in which users can be neither described nor anticipated.

Implementation. The rationale and the intent of the Janus Conference are to establish strategies for the discovery, organization and dissemination of scholarly resources. We intend to identify the major obstacles that inhibit collection development’s transformation and identify best practices currently in use to bring the transformation about. Finally, we intend to establish a workable plan that will enable continued access to scholarly information by all those who need it.