Information Sources and Collection Planning for Engineering

This chapter will provide background for practicing librarians who have collection development responsibilities for engineering programs at academic institutions. Although it is intended as a resource for all engineering bibliographers, new librarians or those new to the technical fields may find it especially useful. Engineers (and engineering students) use information quite differently than other disciplines, and this can make collection development a daunting task. Furthermore, it is common for librarians with no background in engineering or technology to be assigned to manage the engineering collection. The information and tips contained in this chapter are meant to make this job easier.