Abstract: Karen Schmidt, "Past Perfect, Future Tense: A Survey of Issues in Collection Development," Library Collections, Acquisitions, & Technical Services 28 (2004): 360-372.

Schmidt's article is about change. And as one of the areas of librarianship that has been most affected by the rapid shift to electronic access, I found it appropriate to read her comments on how collection management librarians have been handling changes in monetary resources and the marketplace for information resources Indeed the very concept of a collection is changing from a group of materials having a physical location and a fixed number to fluid collections of print and digital content that changes rapidly over time, and not always in the direction of increased access.

Schmidt doesn't provide any new observations about potential challenges facing library collection developers, nor does she really suggest any ideas for solving them. One of her most important observations, however, is that even when faced with rapid changes in workflow, technical skill sets, library-vendor relations, media formats, etc., librarians can and should look to skills that set them apart for librarian work in the first place: "Qualities of leadership, of vision, of risk-taking, of emotion are imperative. The future of collections is one of collaboration. The successful collections leader requires both grounding in business and a willingness to reach out and establish new relationships." For me, these are encouraging words, even if they are directed more toward mid-to-late career librarians who haven't lived their formative years in front of a PC.

Finally, she reminds the reader that collecting is active, implying that we must not complacently sit around for the challenges of the information age to wash over us. Rather, we can be active participants for forging new solutions, or at least ride the chaotic wave of the information onslaught without falling off the board. Just as the surfer relies upon the antagonistic force of the wave to stay standing, Schmidt reminds us that the uncertainty of the future can help propel us forward: "The future is tense. We need to remind ourselves on occasion that tension moves us forward."