IS59-25 Library Collection Development

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Procedure Number:	IS59-25
Title:	Library Collection Development Date Approved: 10/6/98 Updated & Approved: 10/10/05; 03/11/22
Related Policy	3354:2-59-25

General Information
1. This procedure implements the Board of Trustees policy no. 3354:2-59-25 - Library Collection Development:
  1. The Lakeland library will maintain on file a collection development procedure which describes how books and materials will be selected, purchased and withdrawn from circulation by the college.
2. This procedure provides guidance to and invites cooperation of the college community in order to build and maintain a library collection which supports the instructional, research, cultural, intellectual and recreational needs of the college.
3. This procedure incorporates the American Library Association Bill of Rights which supports the following basic policies:
  1. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information and enlightenment of all people of the community which the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background or views of those contributing to their creation.
  2. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
  3. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
  4. A person's right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background or views.
Selection
1. Responsibilities
  1. The Library Department Chair has overall responsibility for building and maintaining a balanced, useful library collection.
  2. Librarians are responsible for the continual evaluation of the collection based upon patron needs and to recommend purchases to strengthen the collection.
  3. Faculty are responsible for recommending the acquisition of materials lin their disciplines.
  4. Any member of the college community may recommend a title for inclusion into the collection.
2. Priorities - the Lakeland Community College library is a teaching library; therefore the priorities for purchases are those materials which:
  1. support the instructional needs of the college;
  2. build and maintain a strong, current reference collection;
  3. support new programs;
  4. assist faculty in preparation for teaching;
  5. support the programs undergoing program review;
  6. support faculty development/continuing education;
  7. assist faculty, administrators and staff in performance of their duties;
  8. build and maintain an inclusive collection, reflecting the diversity of the community and representing multiple viewpoints and diverse authorship;
  9. meet the cultural and recreational needs of the college community;
  10. provide community patrons access to resources.
3. Evaluation Criteria - Items for purchase will be evaluated (utilizing reviews whenever possible) using the following criteria:
  1. Content which supports curricula;
  2. Appropriate content level for projected audience and projected use;
  3. Source which provides current information;
  4. Source which provides an alternative viewpoint;
  5. Quality of writing;
  6. Expected longevity in the collection;
  7. Authority and reputation of the author and/or publisher;
  8. Accuracy of the information;
  9. Strength of the existing collection in that discipline;
  10. Inclusion in standard bibliographies and indexes;
  11. Availability at other libraries (OhioLINK, local libraries, etc.);
  12. Availability of comparable open access (OA) materials or open educational resources (OER) (OhioLINK Affordable Learning A-Z Course Materials, Open Textbook Network, etc.);
  13. Price.
4. Purchasing Guidelines
  1. The Library will select for purchase:
    1. materials which meet the needs of students with differing levels of ability and learning styles;
    2. subscriptions to selective local and national newspapers;
    3. juvenile literature and other materials to support the teaching/learning center and early childhood education program;
    4. government documents using the same selection criteria as stated;
    5. computer technologies using the same selection criteria as stated;
    6. paperbacks in lieu of hardcover unless heavy use is expected (i.e., reference collection);
    7. replacement for books lost, stolen, missing or damaged on a case-by-case basis;
    8. gifts/donations using the same selection criteria as stated. The donor will be advised that books which the library does not add to its collection will be returned to the donor upon request or disposed of by the library. A thank you letter will be sent to the donor listing the tal number of items but a monetary value will not be assessed.
  2. The library will usually not select for purchase:
    1. foreign language materials unless they support specific courses;
    2. multiple copies;
    3. out-of-print books;
    4. material for short-term projects - interlibrary loan will be used instead;
    5. research material inappropriate to an undergraduate, teaching library - interlibrary loan will be used instead;
    6. popular fiction or non-fiction unless these have an expected longevity in the collection;
    7. currently used textbooks or workbooks; although, faculty may put their personal copies on reserve. However, the library will not add complimentary textbooks received by faculty to the permanent collections or the library book sale.
Purchasing
1. Materials will be purchased by the acquisitions coordinator using the practices and procedures established by the college's Purchasing Department.
2. Jobbers will be used for both books and periodicals to obtain the maximum discounts and the best service and to handle the large volume of materials acquired.
3. Standing orders are used for sets, monographs, loose-leaf services, etc. which are published over an extended period of time or on a recurring basis (i.e., annually). Publishers often give discounts when material is purchased as a standing order.
Withdrawing (Weeding)
1. General
  1. In order to keep the collection viable and useful, an active and continuing program of weeding will be maintained. It is important to prevent the shelves from becoming cluttered with materials of questionable value. Weeding, or the removal of obsolete, damaged, unneeded materials is to be considered an integral part of the total organized effort to study and develop the collection. The weeding process is as important to the library collection as the acquisition process.
  2. Responsibility for selecting items for possible withdrawal from the collection lies with the entire college community. Faculty in academic areas are responsible for recommending the removal of materials in their disciplines. The library faculty will coordinate the weeding process in consultation with appropriate members of the classroom faculty.
2. Weeding Criteria
  1. Outdated or inaccurate information;
  2. Damage which cannot be repaired;
  3. Multiple copies of seldom-used titles;
  4. Newspapers and periodicals replaced by microform or electronic sources;
  5. Inappropriate material which is either too juvenile or too advanced for the student population (although some range is desirable for a diversified student body);
  6. Older editions which are superseded by the material in a newer edition;
  7. Books in the circulating collection which have not circulated in five years based on circulation statistics.
3. Weeding Policies
  1. Weeding will not be done solely on the basis of circulation statistics.
  2. An outdated, obsolete or rarely-used item may be transferred to the ohio regional book depository.
  3. The last copy of an item authored by a local faculty member will not be weeded.
  4. Older editions and translations which are "classics" will not be weeded except for multiple copies.
  5. Consideration will be given to the amount of material in that subject area in the library before weeding.
  6. Weeding shall not have the effect of biasing the collection in favor of one viewpoint.
  7. Cooperation with other libraries to insure the availability in the region of needed material is desirable.
  8. When in doubt the item in question will not be weeded.
  9. Although faculty may choose to weed an item based on their department's needs, librarians may elect to keep that item based on the needs of other departments.
  10. The library will hold a book sale to dispose of weeded books.
Collection Review
1. The formal procedure for periodic assessment of the collection in conjunction with the college's program review initiative. A copy of this procedure is available from the Library Department Chair.
Journal Selection
1. This separate procedure applies to journals, magazines, periodicals and many other subscriptions which are received on a regular basis and which are expected to continue indefinitely. It does not apply to standing orders (i.e., The World Almanac).
2. Rationale for separate procedure
  1. The higher costs for journals than for books;
  2. The higher inflation rate for journals than for books;
  3. The maintenance of a balanced collection of monographs and journals;
  4. The assurance that journals purchased will be used by the college community.
3. Submitting Requests
  1. Any person associated with the college may submit requests for new journals to the library for consideration.
  2. Requests will state the reasons for adding the journal(s) to the library collection and include the following:
    1. specific relationship and projected use in the instructional program;
    2. identify the particular gaps in the library's collection which this journal will address;
    3. demonstrated demand, if any (the library can supply interlibrary loan data);
    4. the journal should present an alternative viewpoint, provide additional information, or be of "better" quality than journals already used in that discipline;
    5. reviews in library selection aids (i.e., magazines for college libraries) or a faculty member's personal knowledge of the journal should that the title is of an appropriate nature and quality for students;
    6. a small percentage of journals will be purchased for faculty and staff development.
  3. Cancellation
    1. The library staff will review usage figures and budget constraints each summer to determine which journals become candidates for non-renewal in the next fiscal year. This proposed cancellation list will be shared and discussed with the departments affected.
    2. Each new journal will be maintained at least three years before it is eligible for cancellation.
  4. Budget
    1. A budget ratio range for journals/monographs will be established in order to maintain a balanced collection. Historically, the price of journals rises ten percent each year. This means that in order to add a new journal title, assuming that the library acquisitions budget remains relatively constant, a current title will be canceled.