Based on the experience of the author with acquisitions on approval plan in an Italian academic library, the article explains in detail what is and how it works an approval plan, examining the pros and cons, and comparing it with standing orders and blanket orders. Approval plans are considered a case of outsourcing materials selection, anyway they can be a valuable tool in Italian libraries for librarians to rethink this activity which is often neglected or done by others, like teaching faculty. Also the article goes through prospects of approval plans in collection development
