Introduction
The
Collection Development Policy of the Sweet Briar College Libraries
establishes minimum selection standards and criteria in each area
for which the Library acquires material, both in terms of format
and usage.
The purpose
of this policy statement is to communicate these standards to all
areas of the College concerned with the Library, including library
staff, faculty, students and administrators. This will provide all
with a plan of the Library's acquisition policy so that all can
work toward our primary goals and objectives in their own particular
area.
A collection
development policy statement must be flexible to respond to the
long and short range objectives of the institution, the varying
circumstances and needs within the profession of librarianship,
the community, and the publishing industry. This policy acknowledges
the need to rely increasingly on cooperative resource sharing activities
because of the growing impossibility of building a totally comprehensive
collection. The Library professional staff is responsive to these
changes and seeks to keep the standards and criteria current with
the programmatic changes on campus and the entire informational
process.
The Collection
The subject
scope of the Sweet Briar College Libraries supports primarily the
teaching curriculum, since we acknowledge that the focus of the
College is on the teaching of undergraduate students and that this
focus will not change in the foreseeable future. The emphasis of
new acquisitions, therefore, will be on those materials likely to
be used by faculty in preparing their courses and by students in
doing research related to their studies.
Undergraduates
select from a wide variety of courses and therefore look for library
materials on a wide variety of subjects in order to meet course
requirements. The subject range of the Sweet Briar College Libraries
will be of sufficient comprehensiveness and depth so that, in general,
the undergraduate will have a single starting point from which to
find the basic information needed for papers, speeches, projects,
etc. More advanced needs of undergraduates will
be met by limited and closely
scrutinized acquisition of research materials, and supported by
interlibrary loan and cooperative lending agreements with other
institutions. Graduate program acquisitions shall be those that support
the graduate curriculum in a manner similar to acquisitions for
undergraduate support, selecting those works directly related to the
curriculum and providing advanced research support within the ability of
the overall acquisitions process.
The Libraries will provide not only the best materials of historical or
research value but also overviews of a subject, jargon-free explanations
of a field, and introductory material. Since many courses require large
numbers of students to read the same library materials, direct
curriculum support will be provided through reserve collections and
through purchase of works with high demand. Wherever possible seminal
and content rich works in a discipline will be acquired in preference to
textbooks. Textbooks will only be acquired in limited instances for
reserve use. Research reports, government documents and other items
restricted to a very narrow subject area are less frequently of interest
to and will be purchased very selectively.
Although teaching
is central to the mission of the College, faculty members are nonetheless
expected to engage in research as well as other professional activities.
The staff of the Sweet Briar College Libraries is committed to supporting
the teaching faculty in these endeavors by providing the basic materials
needed to carry on research to the degree possible within the limited
resources available, whether through permanent acquisition, through
interlibrary loan or other cooperative lending agreement.
The information
needs of undergraduates extend beyond the requirements of the curriculum.
Undergraduate students are vitally interested in current events
and in the current state of the world. The development of cultural,
career, and recreational interests is also an important part of
the life of an individual, and the undergraduate years are a time
for exploring the wide range of activities and opportunities available.
The library experience of undergraduates should encourage them to
seek materials in these areas. The collections of the Sweet Briar
College Libraries will therefore be developed to meet these needs,
since this is as important to undergraduate education and to the
mission of the College as is the support of formal classroom instruction.
Reference
The Sweet Briar
College Libraries' reference collections are designed to meet the
basic research, verification, location, and information needs of
the college community. The development of strong reference collections
is essential to the entire institution, both because the reference
collection is the basic tool of students and researchers and also
because it is comprised of those items which generally cannot be
borrowed from another library. An attempt is made to provide basic
reference works in subject areas contained in or overlapping the
curriculum areas, as well as those subject fields common to general
information requests. Verification and location tools are provided
at a level which will make the Library "resource capable", meaning
that the appropriate resources are provided to facilitate interlibrary
loan activities. The materials in the reference collections are reviewed regularly, and
outdated resources are removed or updated. Reference materials in print,
electronic, and non-print formats in the following categories are
collected:
- Almanacs
and Yearbooks: The Reference Department collects current editions
of major publications for the United States and selected foreign
countries.
- Bibliographies:
The reference collection should include a wide selection of general
and national bibliographies. Both general bibliographies providing
access to major subject areas and those of individual authors'
works or dealing with narrow subtopics are shelved in the reference
area. Bibliographies should be chosen not only on the basis of
their subject content and importance, but also with considerable
attention to the nature of the materials cited and the availability
of such materials.
- Biographies:
The Reference Department collects comprehensive works includingliterary,
professional, national and international biographical works, both
currentand retrospective in coverage.
- Concordances:
Only those for very important authors or works, e.g. Shakespearean
or Biblical, are included in the reference collection.
- Dictionaries:
Those ordered should include the best of English language dictionariesat
an adult or college level, a selection of major foreign language
dictionaries (both unilingual and bilingual), polyglot dictionaries,
and a wide array of subject area dictionaries. Also included in
this category are thesauri and synonym finders,including database
thesauri and usage guides. Dictionaries and thesauri should be
updated on a regular basis to provide access to current terminology.
- Directories:
The reference collection should include a selection of current
directories, both general (such as telephone directories, associations
directories) and subject oriented (professional organizations
directories, industry directories). Because of their current nature,
these directories should be kept as up-to-date as possible.
- Encyclopedias:
The reference collection should house the most recent editions
of encyclopedias appropriate for the college level. New editions
are ordered irregularly, depending on the degree to which the
content of a given set has become dated. Those encyclopedias selected
should include general college level works, major foreign language
encyclopedias and subject encyclopedias in disciplines relevant
to the curriculum. Both general and subject encyclopedias will
be provided for the Branch Libraries; a general juvenile encyclopedia
will be housed in the Kellogg Library.
- Geographical
sources: Gazeteers and selected atlases will be collected, including
current, historical, topographical, geographical and statistical
atlases.
- Guides:
The reference collection should include major reference guides
in subject areas as well as guides to English language usage and
paper writing techniques. Because of the nature of such subject
guides and the limited number available, anattempt is made to
provide as comprehensive a collection as possible. Language usage
and writing guides are selected on the basis of their appropriateness
for college level writing.
- Handbooks:
Current and authoritative handbooks in all major subject areas
are collected.
- Indexes
and Abstracts: The reference collection should house a collection
of indexes and abstracts designed to provide access to the Library's
periodical literature. Although initial selection is based on
the needs of the curriculum, an ongoing effort should be made
to align the index collection coverage to current journal selections
and vice versa. The online searching service of the Reference
Department largely supplements the collection of paper indexes
and abstracts.
- Statistical
sources: The reference collection should include a wide range
of statistical sources as well as related guides and indexes.
In addition to statistical compendiums or monographs, the collection
should also include the latest editions of statistical annuals
and recent editions of census publications.
Periodicals
The periodical collection should emphasize the titles covered by the
indexes and abstracts housed in the reference resources, as outlined
above. Because periodicals acquisitions represent a significant
commitment of annual funds and shelf space, new subscriptions are
carefully reviewed by faculty and the library staff. The Library will
attempt to procure subscriptions in electronic full text/full image
formats and only acquire print periodical backfiles when the
retrospective materials are essential for instructional program support
and not available in other formats. Due to limited shelf space in the
periodicals stacks and depending upon the kinds of information appearing
in specific journals, the Library prefers to acquire the current issues
in electronic formats over paper and replace these with ongoing online
access or microforms in lieu of binding whenever possible. Paper issues
superseded by microform will be offered to interested faculty members,
donated to area libraries, or discarded.
Audiovisual Materials
A truly integrated
collection recognizes that students learn best through a variety
of media formats. Innovative teaching practices necessitate that
audiovisual resources become an integral part of curriculum planning,
development and realization. The Sweet Briar College Libraries are
committed to providing and maintaining an audiovisual collection
that will meet both the educational and recreational needs of the
Sweet Briar community. Faculty members and librarians may select
audiovisual materials which will be purchased from departmental
or general funds. Proper storage and preservation of audiovisual
materials must be taken into consideration but must not be weighted
so heavily that it prevents purchasing of new media formats. In general, sound recordings of music in all formats directly related to
the music curriculum will be housed in the Music Library and all other
audiovisual materials will be housed in the Main Library. As new media
formats become feasible for library use, the Library will concentrate
its acquisition efforts on the most accessible formats in which
materials supporting the curriculum appear. Efforts will not be made to
continually replace owned materials of use in older formats with newer
formats simply due to availability. The primary concern will always be
curricular utility. Formats currently in the collections include:
- Audio cassettes
recordings
- Compact
discs
- Phonodiscs (LP vinyl)
- Video cassettes (VHS format only)
- Video discs - DVD and laser disk
* - Strict
limitations are placed on the selection of music recordings so that
only those materials which can be demonstrated to be of direct and
continual curricular support will be purchased.
Computer software
Faculty, staff
and librarians may recommend purchase of specific software packages
for the Library. Departmental, administrative and general library
funds may be used to purchase computer software. Given the licensing
requirements for software, only in rare cases will software be acquired.
A broad selection of public domain software and shareware is available
on the internet can often address needs and desires of patrons and
such software will not be collected. Recreational materials, such
as computer games, will not be purchased with Library funds. Wherever
purchases are made, the software to be acquired should function
on both Apple Macintosh and PC computers.
Kellogg Library
The juvenile
collection in the Kellogg Library is intended for prospective teachers,
other adults who are being trained to work with young people and
for the children of the Sweet Briar community. Materials will be
collected for the Kellogg Library in book, periodical, and audiovisual
formats. The collection will be selective, rather than comprehensive,
including representative books that might be found in good elementary
or junior high school libraries. Pedagogical texts will not be included,
as these will be found in the general collection. Juvenile books
will be collected in the following categories:
- Newbery
and Caldecott Award winners
- ALA Notable
Books
- Juvenile
fiction
- Non-fiction
(poetry, biography, science etc.)
- Transitional
books for young adults
- Books dealing
with issues, such as death, divorce, alternative life styles etc.
It is recognized
that the requirements for library materials vary in the different
subject areas. The Library will attempt to follow current and projected
academic programs in meeting the needs of the various academic departments.
The college catalog and/or long-range plans will be utilized to
document the five levels of collection development intensity as
follows:
- Minimal
Level: A subject area which is out of scope for the College's
mission, and in which few selections are made beyond very basic
reference tools.
- Basic Level:
A highly selective collection which serves to introduce and define
the subject and to indicate the varieties of information available
elsewhere. It includes major dictionaries and encyclopedias, selected
editions of important works, historical surveys, important bibliographies
and a few major periodicals in the field.
- Study Level:
A collection which is adequate for undergraduate or graduate course
work, or sustained independent study; that is, which is adequate
to maintain knowledge of a subject required for limited or generalized
purposes, of less than research intensity. It includes a wide
range of basic monographs, complete collections of the works of
more important writers, selections from the works of secondary
writers, a selection of representative journals, and the reference
tools and fundamental bibliographical apparatus pertaining to
the subject.
- Research
Level: A collection which includes the major source materials
required for dissertations and independent research, including
materials containing research reporting, new findings, scientific
experimental results, and other information useful to researchers.
It also includes all important reference works and a wide selection
of specialized monographs, as well as a very extensive collection
of journals and major indexing and abstracting services in the
field.
- Comprehensive
Level: A collection in which a library endeavors, so far as is
reasonably possible, to include all significant works of recorded
knowledge (publications, manuscripts, other forms), in all applicable
languages, for a necessarily defined and limited field. This level
of collecting intensity is that which maintains a "special collection";
the aim, if not the achievement, is exhaustiveness.
(from: American
Library Association. Resources and Technical Services Division.
Resources Section. Collection Development Committee. "Guidelines
for the formulation of collection development policies." Library
Resources and Technical Services, 21:42-43, Winter 1977.)
Electronic Archiving
Presently the library does not collect or archive
electronic records of the college, whether old versions of websites,
electronic presentations of faculty or any official electronic communications
or publications. Where communication exists in electronic form for
notices, announcements, etc., printed copies are archived as appropriate
within the college archives.
Responsibility for Acquisitions
Responsibility
for the selection of library materials lies with the entire college
community. Since faculty members are most directly involved with
the teaching programs of the College, it is appropriate that they
play a major role in selecting materials which directly support
the curriculum. Therefore, a substantial portion of the materials
budget will be allocated to purchase materials to support the courses
taught by the various academic departments with these funds to be
spent primarily upon faculty recommendation. Budget allocations
for library materials are made for all academic departments or programs,
using such factors as student credit hours, levels or programs taught,
numbers of FTE students or majors, costs of U.S. imprints, the number
of books actually published in the field, and current serial budgets.
Faculty are expected to recommend library purchases which will develop
all major areas of their discipline, though obviously the bulk of
their selection will focus on those portions of their discipline
represented most heavily in the College curriculum.
The Library
staff should encourage the interest and activity of individual faculty
members in selecting materials for the Library to assure the building
of a balanced collection. To this end, each professional librarian
serves as liaison to specific academic departments, based upon the
academic training and interests of the librarian. (See Table 3 for
specific liaison assignments.) In their assigned areas, librarians
work with faculty in making all collection development decisions.
The Library staff retains the right to order materials with departmental
book funds and to return for reconsideration any requests which
do not meet the criteria set forth in this Collection Development
Policy.
The Library
staff also assumes the responsibility for the acquisition of general
materials. General materials include those items which may be interdisciplinary
in nature, or of broad community interest and appeal, such as local
publications, best sellers, works by Sweet Briar College faculty
or alumnae, works by VCCA authors, or books on topics of current
controversy. The Library staff also selects materials in academic
and other areas not specifically represented in the curriculum,
such as in support of service and administrative programs. It is
the librarians' responsibility to prevent the collection from becoming
skewed in any particular direction. Because the librarians are in
the best position to observe the quality and balance of all subject
areas, and because they are ultimately responsible for developing
and maintaining the entire library collection, the professional
librarians, by systematically reviewing standard bibliographies
and other appropriate resources, may select and purchase materials
in any subject areas neglected by the faculty.
Students are
also encouraged to submit recommendations for items they would like
to see added to the collection. Requests from students will be given
serious consideration when the material requested meets the guidelines
of this policy statement. Moreover, any member of the staff of the
College may also submit suggestions for the purchase of library
materials.
Collection Maintenance
- Deacquisition
Materials are
withdrawn from the Library collection in order to maintain a current,
active and useful collection which reflects the mission of the Library.
This process is recommended in the ALA Standards for College Libraries
in the following section:
"Obsolete materials,
such as outmoded books, superseded editions, incomplete sets of
longer works, broken files of unindexed journals, superfluous duplicates,
and worn out or badly marked volumes, should be continuously weeded,
with the advice of faculty members concerned." Additional criteria
for the withdrawal of materials from the Sweet Briar College Libraries
include quantity and recency of past use, number of copies or editions
in the collection, language in which the material is written, appropriateness
of subject matter to the collection, or, in the case of serials,
existence and availability of indexes.
Replacements
Resources that
are missing, lost or withdrawn because of poor physical condition
will not automatically be replaced. The merit of the book, serial
or other material must be considered by the library staff before
replacement copies are authorized. Demand for the resource, its
value to the collection, and whether or not it has been superseded
by a new edition or newer material should be considered as criteria
in requesting replacements. In general, the Library will not attempt
to replace out-of-print titles. The exception will be the replacement
of lost or stolen titles which are standards in their fields and
are currently out-of-print. In this case, one jobber with an out-of-print
service will be selected and the order placed for a limited period
of time. Additionally, if such materials can be located as a gift
to the Library and are deemed important to the collection, they
will be gratefully received.
Binding
Decisions will
be made continuously on how to handle worn books, whether to bind,
re-bind or withdraw them from the collection. The decision to bind
a book is based on several criteria: physical condition of the book,
i.e. adequate margins, brittleness of the paper, missing pages,
excessive markings; number of copies in the collection; current
validity of its contents; availability of the title for reorder;
and the cost of binding versus the cost of replacement. Books returned
to the Circulation Department in poor physical condition or discovered
during inventory should be routed immediately to Technical Services
for evaluation. Paperbound titles expected to have heavy circulation
will be bound before circulation to withstand library use.
Revision
5
Adopted by the Sweet Briar College Libraries on April 25, 1988.
Adopted by the Faculty Advisory Board on May 3, 1988.
Reaffirmed 5 April 1990
Revised and Updated May 1, 2005 |
