Collection Development Policy

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, staff, and administration. 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.

Collection priorities

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 SU students, faculty, and staff to borrow materials from the libraries at the University of Texas and other Texas academic and public libraries.

Recommendation of materials

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.

Allocation of funds

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.

Selection criteria

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.

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:

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

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 circulatefor 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.

Final note

Dana Hendrix
Head, Collection Development and Acquisition
August 2006