Books may then be kept for the collection or returned to the bookseller. Judicial use of approval plans can be a valuable asset to a collection development program. With careful profiling and review of materials, approval plans have proven to be especially useful for building core collections, as well as for ensuring collection breadth. F or approval plans to work well, however, incoming materials have to be carefully reviewed, and profiles need to be routinely and systematically assessed through review of returns lists, post-profiling materials received in other ways, and through periodic comparison of past receipts with lists of materials that would or should have been ordered were no plan in place .
Libraries maintain several approval plans with various book vendors.
Materials that have been received on approval and are awaiting review by faculty and librarian liaisons are displayed in the Approvals Room in the Library, across from the Director of Libraries' office. Individual department and program plans are administered by librarian liaisons . Accessing Blackwell's Collection Manager to review profiles, check the status of specific titles, or review listings of new publications not covered by the current plan.