Biographies

General Comments

This area is minimally developed since it depends on the more comprehensive coverage of the Adult nonfiction collection.

This collection provides biographical and autobiographical information about important historical and significant contemporary figures. The major interest of young adults in biographies or autobiographies is to meet report needs.

Development Plan

• Sources on major historical and contemporary figures with a specific focus on American presidents, historical, and current international leaders are maintained.
• Current biographies of sports and entertainment figures of interest to young adults are developed and maintained.
• Sources on authors who write for young adults are developed and maintained.
• Sources on inventors both historical and current are developed and maintained.
• Biographies of young adults with historical or social interest are maintained.

Influencing Factors

Purchases and buying patterns are determined in large part by:

• limited availability of material for young adults meeting the criteria of visual appeal and appropriate vocabulary.
• electronic/Internet sources availability.
• new works.
• budget constraints.
• circulation statistics.
• patron requests.
• present and potential relevance to young adult patrons.
• shelf space.

Retention/Weeding

• Books on world figures are weeded as their subjects pass into American obscurity.
• Information on young adult entertainment figures are weeded as the celebrities decline in popularity.
• Works on sports figures are weeded as their subjects become obscure.
• Works on popular figures which might be used for school reports are retained.
• Young adult biographies of significant figures such as Anne Frank and Ryan White should be retained.