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Collection
Development and Acquisitions Department
Collection Development Policy Printer-friendly
format
Introduction
Collection priorities
Recommendation
of materials
Allocation of funds
Selection criteria
Selection guidelines
and limitations
Readership level
Content
Quality
Language
Multiple copies
Print formats
Sheet music
Audiovisual formats
Electronic formats
Government documents
Symposia and festschriften
Textbooks
Faculty publications
Gifts policy
Conservation and preservation
Cooperative collection development
Collection evaluation
Replacement and withdrawal
of materials
Intellectual freedom
Collections within the library
Main Collection
Reserve Collection
Reference Collection
Periodicals Collection
Maps
Browse Collection
New Books
Alcove Collections
Media Library
Curriculum Collection and
Children's Literature Collection
Oversize Collection
Thesis and Student Research Archives
collections
Special Collections and Archives
Final note
The A. Frank Smith, Jr. Library Center
(SLC) supports the mission and goals
of Southwestern University primarily
by providing a balanced, accessible library
collection to meet the research and reading
needs of the university's undergraduate
students. The collection also contributes
to the general education and broad intellectual
interests of students by addition of
core works that represent the best of
current and historical thought and writing.
The library's mission statement says,
in part: "the library builds collections
that encourage intellectual exchange,
freedom of inquiry, and a passion for
knowledge."
In addition to serving wide-ranging
student needs, the collection serves
in a more limited way the needs of the
wider campus population, including faculty and
staff. The library
collection serves all members of the
university community to the greatest
extent allowed by the library budget
and the collection size, and hopes to
help fuel the intellectual life of the
campus by its collections, programs,
and services.
Materials needed to support current
undergraduate research and study and
faculty teaching preparation are of primary
importance. Standard reference works
and other quality materials not directly
related to the curriculum but of importance
to the core collection of any undergraduate
liberal arts and sciences library are
also essential. Materials that aid in
the preparation of lectures and other
teaching activities are of high priority.
Materials that encourage wider intellectual
exploration and a love of reading are
also of primary importance.
Secondary in priority are materials
supporting the information needs of the
university community that are not directly
related to the curriculum. The library's
budget and collection size clearly place
it in the category of "undergraduate
library" rather than that of "research
library." The library can afford to purchase
only very limited materials to support
faculty in their research or administrative
staff in their work. Extensive interlibrary
borrowing, document delivery services,
and TexShare* privileges are the primary
route the library provides for faculty
and others whose information needs include
more specialized materials than this
library's budget can provide consistently
for all members of the campus community.
* TexShare is a reciprocal borrowing
agreement that allows current Southwestern students,
faculty, and staff to borrow materials
from the libraries at the University
of Texas and other Texas academic and
public libraries.
Librarians and teaching faculty select
most of the materials that the library
acquires. The partnership between librarians
and faculty is described in the library's Acquisitions
Procedures for Faculty. Faculty are
encouraged to consult with the library's
liaison for their department or
the Head, Collection Development and
Acquisition when questions arise.
Currently enrolled students are especially
encouraged to make recommendations for
book and non-book purchases that support
their studies and interests. Suggestions
from university administration and staff
members and other interested persons
are also appreciated. All requests are
considered in light of the policies in
this document, and in relation to the
overall educational goals of the university.
Limited suggestions from those who are
neither students nor employees of the
university will be considered.
Recommendations for the allocation
of library materials funds are made by
the Head, Collection Development and
Acquisition and approved by the Dean,
Library Services. Allocations strive
to be proportional and to consider many
criteria, including circulation rates,
perceived existing strengths and weaknesses
of the collection, new course offerings,
new tenure-track faculty lines, departmental
offerings and enrollment figures, number
of majors, scholarly publishing rates
in a given field, and more. Requests
for changes in allocations should be
directed to the Head, Collection Development
and Acquisition or the Dean, Library
Services.
The selection criteria and other policies
in this section provide important guidelines
to help ensure a well-rounded, useful
collection that meets the needs of Southwestern
University's students and judiciously
spends the library's limited materials
budget.
The library aims to provide a high-quality,
balanced undergraduate collection. Collection
development efforts in all areas are
necessarily very selective, and it is
important to verify appropriateness and
quality to the degree possible before
ordering any title. Many of the criteria
below will be addressed by book reviews,
which should usually be sought before
placing a request.
To assess the quality of any possible
addition to the library, the selector
should consider what is known about the
selection criteria below, as well as
the guidelines and limitations in the
next section of this policy.
Does the title or resource fit the collection
priorities listed above?
What are the level and intended audience for
the material?
Has there been a positive review of the title
in a recognized source?
What is known of the work's purpose, possible bias,
and accuracy?
What is known of the authority and credibility of
author and publisher?
Is the work a scholarly one, with appropriate
attribution and editorial review?
Are the contents of the work unique when compared
with material already in the library?
Does adding the title assist the library in its goal
of representing all sides of controversial issues?
Is the price reasonable in comparison with prices
for similar material?
Is the value of the content of the item long-lasting
or short-term?
What is the anticipated demand/use on campus
for the material?
What is the date of publication? Are the contents
outdated?
Is the item a core title for liberal arts and
sciences libraries--is it included on standard lists,
recommended bibliographies, etc.?
In all collection development operations,
the principles of intellectual freedom
are upheld. All subjects that are appropriate
to the collection are treated without
prejudice or censorship and all points
of view are included to the greatest
extent possible. The guidelines and limits
below are intended to define the collection
within the accepted limits of collection
purpose, budget, and space constraints.
Readership
level
Although the library collects
material on many subjects, materials
recommended for graduate school or professional
audiences are rarely purchased. Well-reviewed
popular works are added selectively in
order to meet demand for leisure reading.
Content
The library does not purchase
material that is outdated or is not suitable
for inclusion in an academic library
collection.
Quality
The library does not purchase
materials published by "vanity" presses
or those where the author or publisher
reputations indicate work of poor quality
by accepted scholarly standards.
Language
Works are purchased in English,
except as needed for direct curriculum
support. Exceptions include foreign language
materials needed to support students
enrolled in currently offered French,
Spanish, German, or Chinese language/literature
courses. Exceptions may also be made
when a specific course outside the Modern
Language and Literature Department requires
or routinely has students working in
a language other than English. In this
case, the faculty member teaching the
course should contact the Head, Collection
Development and Acquisition to formulate
a plan for defining and supporting the
specific subjects students will need
to research; often, interlibrary loan
is the most appropriate solution to meeting
limited student needs for foreign language
material.
Multiple
copies
The library purchases only single
copies of all types of materials, as
a rule. Some duplication may occur for
reserve or to meet demonstrated high
demand for specific items. Duplicates
can not be purchased in order to provide
faculty with office copies of materials
nor to provide classroom sets of educational
materials.
Print
formats
Cloth bindings are always preferable
for circulating library collections,
but paperback books are purchased when
there is no choice of binding, when there
is a significant price difference between
cloth and paper bindings, when expected
use is limited, and for added copies
intended to meet shorter-term heavy use.
Spiral-bound, ring-bound, and perforated-sheet
books are avoided, and are prebound to
increase their shelf life.
Sheet
music
In sheet music, the library will
purchase and maintain pieces containing
up to 8 parts, if requested. Anything
more, especially pieces with all parts
for choir or orchestra, is bought and
maintained by the Music Department.
Audiovisual
formats
The library collects many types
of nonprint materials, when their format
is preferred and when their content is
appropriate and within the guidelines
of this policy. Vinyl albums, overhead-projection
transparencies, 16 mm film, and kits
are not purchased.
New video recordings are purchased
in DVD; if DVD is unavailable, materials
are acquired in 1/2 inch VHS format.
Off-air videotaping by satellite of programs
and conferences is available with prior
planning. The library does not purchase
optional public viewing rights for videos
unless specifically requested in advance.
Recordings on compact disks (CD's)
are purchased as appropriate; long-playing
albums are not purchased, and cassette
tapes are only added to the collection
when they are the only available format
for a needed item. The library has a
small collection of recorded popular
books ("books on tape"), and recordings
of literary or dramatic works are also
purchased as needed.
Slides are rarely purchased. The Art
Department maintains a Slide Library
in the Sarofim School of Fine Arts Building.
The library does not provide nonprint
items meant to reside in classrooms,
such as globes, maps, or other teaching
aids. The library does not purchase X-rated
films.
Electronic
formats
Internet resources are much preferred
over CD-ROM resources, but CD-ROMs are
purchased when they are the only format
for needed material. CD-ROMs are generally
kept on Reserve and are checked out of
the library to be used in computer labs
or residence halls.
The library does not purchase computer
software for patron use. The library
provides neither computers nor staff
support for software or CD-ROM use. The
university's Information Technology offices
provide excellent software, equipment
and support in the campus computing labs.
In all electronic format materials
that are accessed via the Internet, care
should be taken since in most cases the
library is only purchasing access to
the material by annual contract, rather
than owning it. Price increases, shifting
company ownership, shifting cooperative
agreements, copyright issues, and other
factors can all lead to loss of access
to these materials.
Selection of Internet resources, including
online indexes, full-text periodical
collections, web-based reference sources,
and e-books, is based on the same criteria
as other types of materials. Sometimes
Internet resources are chosen to replace
print holdings, but often they augment
them. What distinguishes Internet resources
from print resources is ease of access:
the library's web site can make them
available to more patrons more of the
time, from locations other than the library
building. This adds to their value and
justifies their expense, even when they
lead to some duplication with the library's
print holdings.
Electronic resources are selected by
librarians. Faculty should make requests
through their liaison, who will
consult with the Heads of Reference Services,
Periodical Services, and Collection Development
and Acquisition. The high annual cost
of electronic resources prevents many
new resources being added in any given
year, but suggestions are always considered.
Government
documents
The library purchases and treats
government documents just as other monographs
or serials. The library does not participate
in the U.S. Government Documents Depository
Program.
Symposia
and festschriften
These materials are purchased
only when they are accessible and focused
on a topic of interest to undergraduates
or when they cover new subjects where
information is hard to obtain elsewhere.
They are also added when university faculty
are participants.
Textbooks
Textbooks are not purchased routinely
unless they are considered to be classics
or they meet information needs in areas
where monographic publications are few.
Faculty may, however, request textbooks
to be placed on reserve. (State-adopted
texts for public schools are placed in
the Curriculum Collection.)
Faculty
publications
Faculty members are requested
to notify the library when their own
publications are available. Gift copies
are gratefully accepted and added to
the library's Main Collection, or the
library will order a copy.
Gifts
policy
The library appreciates gifts,
and holds many important materials, especially
in Special Collections, only due to the
exceptional generosity of our donors.
Decisions to retain gifts in the library's
collection are governed by the same criteria
that govern the selection of purchased
items.
Items that are not accepted as gifts
include:
Materials that do not support the
university's current curriculum
Superceded or dated textbooks or science/technology
titles
Graduate level works
Incomplete runs of magazines or those that the library
already owns
Mass market paperbacks
Items with physical damage, underlining, highlighting,
or mildew
Computer software and CD-ROM products will not be accepted
due to licensing and registration considerations and
the expense of updating
Vinyl records
Duplicates of items we own are only
accepted when use of the currently owned
copy is high, or when the library's copy
is in questionable condition. Donors
are welcome to check our online catalog
at www.southwestern.edu/library/ to see
whether we already have particular items
in our collection before consulting about
their gifts.
Donors are asked to call the Head,
Collection Development and Acquisition
(512-863-1241) or the Head, Special Collections
(512-863-1221), and discuss items that
are available for donation. When a collection
of more than 25 books is being offered,
the library may have to request that
donors submit a bibliography listing
author, title, and publication date for
books that they wish to donate, so that
a librarian can determine which books
can be accepted and which can not before
the books are brought to the library.
While the library recognizes that this
request is a burden for donors, library
staffing levels are not sufficient to
accept, sort, and process large gifts
or to find good alternate placements
for books that the library might accept
but not retain.
The library reserves the right to dispose
of any duplicate and unwanted materials
that it does accept, and except in rare
cases can not provide any guarantee that
books accepted will be retained in perpetuity.
The library can not evaluate gifts for
tax purposes, in accordance with IRS
regulations. All donors must sign the
library's written "Gift Policy."
The policies above also apply to the
personal collections of retiring faculty
wishing to donate their collections to
the library.
Conservation
and preservation
The library strives to maintain
the physical integrity of materials in
the collection with attention to such
issues as temperature, humidity, dust,
and pest control. For preservation of
content, badly damaged materials may
be placed in acid-free covers, boxes,
or tissue. Materials may also be preserved
by reinforcing existing bindings, adding
covers, or replacing with another copy.
Cooperative
collection development
Many of the library's online
resources are available due to negotiated
consortial pricing. The library works
to maintain consortial relationships
in order to enhance access to information
for our patrons.
Collection
evaluation
The library's collection is continually
evaluated, usually in conjunction with
academic departments' 10-year self-studies
or with new or re-accreditation efforts.
Written reports are created, and past
reports kept on file in the office of
the Head, Collection Development and
Acquisition.
Replacement
and withdrawal of materials
Library materials discovered
lost or missing are replaced, as long
as they meet the criteria that govern
the addition of new titles. The library
is alert to efforts by special interest
groups to bias a collection through systematic
theft or mutilation, and works to replace
lost, missing, and damaged materials
whenever possible and reasonable.
Intellectual
freedom
Censorship of the library collection
will not be tolerated. Complaints about
library materials made in writing will
be considered by the Dean, Library Services
in light of the guidelines stated in
this policy and the guidelines endorsed
by the American Library Association and
published in that organization's Intellectual
Freedom Manual.
Collections within
the library
Main
Collection
The library's Main Collection is
divided between the first, second, and
third floors of the building. It includes
books, video and audio recordings, scores,
and more, most of which circulate for three
weeks. The library's DVD/VHS collection
is on the second floor, and most DVD's
and videotapes circulate for one week.
Reserve
Collection
This collection, located at the
Circulation Desk on the first floor,
is composed of library materials placed
on reserve as well as professors' own
copies of books and photocopied articles.
The library's CD-ROMs are on reserve,
as well, and may be checked out to use
in computer labs or residences. Circulation
periods for reserve items vary.
Reference
Collection
Monographic and serial reference
works which support the academic programs
of the university or are necessary in
any undergraduate liberal arts and sciences
university collection are purchased in
print or nonprint formats, as appropriate.
Selection of materials for the Reference
Collection is made with the goal of maintaining
balance and currency. This collection
is on the first floor of the library.
Reference materials do not circulate.
Periodicals
Collection
Periodicals are located on the
first floor. Those that support the academic
program of the university, as well as
some general interest magazines appropriate
for the student population, are purchased.
Review journals, indexes, abstracts,
and a limited number of professional
library journals are also purchased.
Selection is based on appropriateness
for undergraduate use, cost, availability,
language, intellectual value, academic
need, availability of indexing, and format.
Most are purchased in paper format with
microform backfiles. Expensive, low-use
titles may be acquired only in non-paper
format.
New subscriptions are acquired very
selectively, as each title represents
an increasing cost over a number of years.
New titles are only considered after
current funds are determined to be sufficient
to meet increases in existing subscription
costs. Short runs and advanced research
materials are avoided due to their limited
use to undergraduates.
Journal subscriptions are sometimes
requested to be paid from library book
budget allocations. The library's policy
is to locate funding for new periodicals
through the periodicals budget only.
Periodical requests should be given to
the Head of Periodical Services for consideration.
The periodical collection is evaluated
regularly through consultation with academic
departments and by analyzing usage statistics.
Periodical titles are preserved by
binding the print issues, purchasing
microform copies, or by online backfile
subscription. The method chosen depends
on availability, cost, format, completeness,
and faculty preference. Certain titles
may be retained in more than one format.
Periodicals do not circulate.
Maps
The library has a small collection
of single-sheet maps located in the map
case in the Periodicals Department. The
geographical areas included, in priority
order, are: Texas state; Texas city,
county, state parks, etc.; Southwestern
U.S.; Western U.S.; U.S. states, large
cities, national parks, etc.; Canada
and Mexico; Europe; Asia; and the world.
Special Collections also has some maps,
and a representative collection of general
and specialized atlases is kept in Reference.
Browse
Collection
The library's Browse Collection
is located on the first floor, and is
intended to stimulate and meet demand
for leisure reading. The collection is
composed of books that have been purchased
for the library and temporarily placed
in Browse for easy access, and of books
and audiobooks that are leased in order
to provide light reading or additional
copies to meet temporary high demand.
Books in the Browse Collection change
frequently. Browse books circulate for
three weeks.
New
Books
The New Books Collection is located
in the Periodical Services reading room,
and temporarily spotlights new acquisitions
of particular interest. New books are
gradually moved to the Main Collection,
and they circulate for three weeks.
Alcove
Collections
The library's five special study
alcoves are all furnished with subject
collections designed to invite further
exploration; most of these books are
available for checkout for three weeks.
The Melville Alcove includes works by
and about Herman Melville as well as
works of his contemporaries. The Dobie
Alcove includes works by and about J.
Frank and Bertha Dobie. The Enduring
Legacies Alcove serves to showcase a
few of the library's most generous donors
and their gifts to Special Collections.
The Women's Studies Alcove collection
includes works by and about women, with
most titles recommended by university
Feminist Studies faculty.
Media
Library
The Media Library houses the
library's LP albums and CD's. LP's do
not circulate except to faculty members;
CD's circulate for seven days.
Curriculum
Collection and Children's Literature
Collection
The Curriculum Collection, housed
in the Curriculum Classroom (SLC Room
206), consists of (1) selected textbooks
adopted by the Texas State Board of Education
for use in local public schools where
Southwestern students do their student teaching,
and (2) other materials to support the
curriculum (including practice teaching)
of the Education Department. The Children's
Literature Collection, also housed in
the Curriculum Classroom, serves a dual
function. It supports the academic program
of the Education Department, and it provides
a selection of high quality children's
literature to serve the university and
local communities. Most Curriculum and
Children's Literature materials circulate
for three weeks; some are non-circulating.
Oversize
Collection
Oversize works from the Main
Collection are shelved together on the
second floor. Most of these materials
circulate for three weeks.
Thesis
and Student Research Archives collections
Guidelines for submission of
honors theses and other exceptional student
research are included in the Faculty
Handbook. Bound copies of honors theses
by Southwestern University graduates
are bound by the library (inner margins
should be sufficient for binding) and
shelved together on the second floor
of the library and are fully cataloged.
These materials do not circulate.
If a photocopy of an honors thesis
and the student's permanent address are
submitted along with the library's binding
copy, the library will have the extra
copy bound and mailed to the student's
permanent address at no charge.
Special
Collections and Archives
The Special Collections office
is on the second floor, Room 254. Special
Collections contains a number of large
collections, including the Edward A.
Clark Texana Collection, the papers of
Senator John Tower, the J. Frank Dobie
Collection, the Brown Collection, and
the Jackson-Greenwood Collection. There
are also many works related to Methodism
as well as numerous Bibles and hymnals.
Materials for the Special Collections
are generally acquired as gifts only,
and include rare books, manuscripts,
photographs, artifacts, and the papers
and memorabilia of prominent individuals
who are related to the university, Methodism,
or Texas.
The department also houses those university
records that are retired to Special Collections
as well as some items that the department
actively collects. Materials include
university catalogs, university publications,
student yearbooks, photographs, student
publications, records of early literary
societies, and papers and memorabilia
of some past university administrators
and professors.
Special Collections also maintains
the archives of the Alpha Chi Honorary
Society, which was founded at Southwestern
University.
Special Collections materials do not
circulate.
The library is devoted to building a balanced
collection in all appropriate formats.
The collection aims to serve the information
needs of the university community to the
greatest extent that budget, space, and
staffing will allow. All collection policies
are guided by American Library Association
statements of principle, including those
below.
Library
Bill of Rights
Intellectual
Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries
Academic
Libraries and Intellectual Freedom
Freedom
to Read Statement
Freedom
to View Statement
Code
of Ethics of the American Library Association
Dana Hendrix
Head, Collection Development and Acquisition
August 2006
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