The development of patron-driven acquisition (PDA) as a viable collections practice is encouraging many academic libraries to be proactive about sharing significant collection development responsibilities with their patrons. The adoption of PDA represents a challenge to some long-held understandings about libraries and collections, however, and some libraries are still assessing this option. Further, questions about PDA and its fit with academic libraries are just now being answered. An examination of some of the shifting understandings in this area of librarianship and their relation to PDA provides a snapshot of the big picture, which may assist libraries with the decision-making process.