re #9: As I said above, *my* library relies on publisher and author authority and timeliness of subject matter as we select materials. My library's mission is very different, however, from the mission of any other library, and therefore our collections and policies will also be different. Your arguments and concerns about library selection policies will carry more weight if you don't make overly broad generalizations that ignore what's been written.

re: #6, "Who decides that? All collections use criteria."

Librarians decide that, based on the collection development policy for their library, which will differ from library to library, based on the mission, services, and users of that library. So the question "how many self-published books are in your library" is pretty silly; Whose library? Which collection in that library, governed by which policy?

In my library, as an example, there are probably only a few self-published works in the main research collection since self-publishing will often fail to meet our criterion of "reputable publisher" but sometimes will meet the criterion of "reputable author" or "timeliness of subject matter". However, there are dozens in our Archives and Special Collections, which are dedicated to local history (a field ripe with wonderful, unique, and authoritative self-published works).

None of which has much to do with the very cool work being done by the NLC. Kudos to them for pushing our boundaries.