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Other Policies
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY
Spring 1989
I. GENERAL LIBRARY OBJECTIVES
A. To provide material on an appropriate level to directly support the degree programs offered. This includes purchase of the materials, organization for access, and instruction in use when needed.
B. To provide additional opportunities for study, independent research, and investigation of current events and developments by providing collections in architecture, business and management, chemistry, physics, math and computer science, mechanical, construction and electrical engineering, and by offering small basic collections in the humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences for general reference and background reading.
C. To assist students in their professional career development by maintaining information on companies for placement opportunities, on resumes and job search, business behavior, etc.
D. To serve as a connection to the larger information world by securing interlibrary loans and photocopies of materials not owned by the library and by providing referral to other collections when needed.
II. CLIENTELE
The collections at Lawrence Technological University are developed to serve the students currently enrolled. The collection to a lesser extent supports the research needs and interest of the University faculty and staff. Although the library provides access to non-students and the general public, no attempt is made to acquire materials to satisfy the needs of non-university users.
III. RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELECTION
The responsibility for selection of materials is delegated to the Library Director by the President of the University through the Office of the Associate Provost.
The Faculty are an integral part of the selection process. Faculty submit information on recommended titles for acquisition. The Library staff is responsible for checking existing holdings for duplicates, processing the orders, and the monitoring of the budget for acquisitions. The Library Director is responsible for maintaining balance in the collection, for ordering titles of a general, interdisciplinary, and reference nature, and for insuring that all acquisitions meet the guidelines set forth in this policy.
In selecting books for the collection, the Library staff also encourages suggestions from University staff and from students. Reviews in journals, in professional library publications, and sale catalogs can be used for selection information. Many of these materials are circulated monthly to representatives of each subject area on campus.
IV. CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
The following are taken into consideration in the purchase of books and other materials:
A. Content - Emphasis is placed on acquiring materials that directly support the programs offered at the university.
B. Level - All materials acquired should be appropriate for an undergraduate library, except in those areas where advanced degrees are offered. These materials could be of Graduate school level.
C. Quality - Considerations include author's significance as a writer, importance of subject matter to the collection, scarcity of material on the subject, reviews in professional journals and in reviewing media, requirements of accrediting bodies, appearance of title in bibliographies and indexes, reputation of the publisher, and price.
D. Language - English is the preferred language for most acquisitions.
E. Duplicate Copies - Because of space and budget restrictions, it is not the policy to purchase multiple copies of anything, except in those cases of extreme demand.
F. Textbooks - The Library is not the substitute of the bookstore, and does not purchase copies of textbooks in order to discourage student purchases. The only textbooks purchased will be those which meet the regular standards for selection.
G. Current vs. Retrospective Titles - The Library strives to purchase books still in print. The prime importance of a book is its content, with less value placed on its format. Rare books and specialized printings are not preferred over standard editions.
V. COOPERATIVE COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT
Whenever Possible, unnecessary duplication of materials found at local libraries is avoided, especially for expensive, seldom-used materials. Interlibrary loan service for materials not available at the Library is available to students, faculty and staff through a variety of direct and indirect cooperative agreements.
VI. FORMAT OF MATERIALS
A. Books - Books of all types (monographs, technical manuals, reference books, essay collections, biographies, textbooks, etc.) and in all formats (hardcover, paperback, looseleaf, folio) are acquired as long as they meet the criteria for selection.
B. Periodicals - Subscriptions are evaluated on the basis of their relevance to the collection, whether they are included in indexing sources, price and delivery terms, and availability elsewhere in the community.
C. Rare Books - Although the purchase of rare books is not pursued normally, important out-of-print titles will be acquired as the library budget allows. Rare books are accepted as gifts only if given without stipulation as to special treatment.
D. Newspapers - Subscriptions to select local and national newspapers are purchased in print format and kept for several months. Microfilm of national newspapers are kept as back issues.
E. Electronic Media - CD-ROM, video and audio materials, and other products are selected on the same basis as print materials.
F. Microfilm - Microfilm is purchased as a substitute for print items that are low demand items, or for print materials no longer available in print, and for those items which are unable to be bound because of format or frequency. The potential savings in available storage space is often an important consideration favoring the purchase of microfilm.
VII. SOURCES OF MATERIALS
The Library Director is responsible for the selection of vendors for the purchase of library materials. Price discounts and quality of service are of primary importance. Direct ordering is discouraged when possible, as usually no discounts are provided, shipping costs are usually extra, and no improvement in delivery time is guaranteed.
VII. GIFT POLICY
The decision to add gift material to the library's collection shall rest with the library staff, who will base their decision on:
1. Condition of the Material;
2. Demonstrated student, faculty, or staff needs;
3. Available library space;
4. Relevancy or accuracy of the material;
5. Relevancy to the school's curricula;
6. Availability of the material in nearby libraries.
Upon receipt, all gifts become the property of the library, and it should be understood that any item not added to the collection will be donated to another library or deserving group, sold, given to students, or discarded.
The library staff is not qualified to appraise for tax or other purposes the value of gift materials.
A letter of acknowledgement and thanks will be sent, but no inventory lists will be prepared by the library staff. Donors may wish to provide their own inventory list which the library 44staff will verify and return with the letter of acknowledgement.
Any exception to the above guidelines must be approved in advance by the library director.
X. MAINTENANCE AND EVALUATION OF MATERIALS
A. Replacement - The library does not replace automatically all materials withdrawn because of loss, damage, or wear. Decisions are based on titles available in a particular field, the existence of similar materials in the collection, the availability of updated or improved materials, and the demand for a particular item.
B. Collection Evaluation - The Library's holdings are checked periodically against standard bibliographies and checklists. These evaluations form the basis of retrospective purchase decisions.
C. Weeding - The following items are periodically withdrawn from the collection: obsolete materials, super ceded editions, unneeded duplicates, worn-out or damaged materials, incomplete files of unindexed journals.