The psychology of group decision making in collection development

Significant collection development decisions are increasingly made in a group context. Despite this trend, surprisingly little research can be found in the library literature that addresses the psychological and psychosocial aspects of group interaction and their relation to the decision making process. In contrast, the field of psychology contains numerous studies of the role of group interaction in the decision making process. This article examines the psychological research on group decision making and explores how group psychology influences decision making and what the implications might be for collection development.