The library welcomes gifts that are consistent to our collection development practices and have no restrictions on disposition. However, we cannot guarantee all gifts will be kept due to the costs associated with adding items to our collection. Any gifts not kept will be disposed of in the Library’s usual manner.
The library will purchase materials for the purpose of supporting the college curriculum and maintaining a balanced and timely collection. Selection of materials will be accomplished through the work of the professional library staff in conjunction with requests from faculty, students, staff, and administrators.
While the Library Dean is ultimately responsible for all library services and programs, faculty librarians share responsibility for the development and maintenance of the library’s collection. Areas of responsibility are defined as print (including electronic formats) and media.
Librarians solicit faculty members’ recommendations in their areas of expertise. Requests are evaluated in relationship to overall curriculum needs, selection procedures, and financial constraints.
Student and staff recommendations for the purchase of materials are welcomed.
Relevance to curriculum-based student needs
Recommendations from faculty
Recommendations from students, staff and administration
Relevance to the curriculum
Adequacy of current holdings
Relevance to professional growth
Historical or cultural value
Level of interest for faculty and students
Cost
Textbooks
Highly technical resources
Popular fiction
Selection of these materials is based on support for classroom instruction with an emphasis on quality, effectiveness and currency.
Content directly supports classroom instruction, or is potentially useful for more than one class or department.
Treatment and presentation should be on the appropriate academic level.
Color, picture quality, and sound should be good.
Format should be accessible and cost effective.
Appropriate viewing and listening equipment is available and cost effective.
Technical support is available and cost effective.
A reasonable amount of use is anticipated for the cost of the materials.
Weeding, the discarding of materials, is conducted by librarians in sections over a five-year period. Guidelines for weeding:
Outdated materials.
Superseded materials.
Excessively worn or damaged materials.
Multiple copies of monographs no longer needed to support the curriculum.
