Collection Development Policy
The purpose of this policy is to guide librarians and selectors and to inform the academic community about the principles upon which selection decisions are made.
The St. Catherine Libraries, Media Services and Archives exist to support the vision and mission of St. Catherine University. Through its services, personnel, facilities, collections and technology, the Libraries, Media Services and Archives support and enrich the curricula, programs and activities of the College.
This policy covers the selection of library collections. The collections reflect the nature of the college’s programs and curricula. As libraries supporting a Carnegie Classifications Master’s Colleges & Universities institution, in addition to managing collections serving the needs of undergraduates and their majors, the libraries must also support more extensive research collections for graduate and doctoral level work in the professional programs. The collections include a wide range of resources in print, electronic, visual and audio formats, located within the libraries or accessible through electronic retrieval systems.
The St. Catherine Libraries and Media Services Departments uphold and promote the American Library Association documents on intellectual freedom as set forth in the Library Bill of Rights, The Freedom to Read Statement and the Intellectual Freedom Statement. The Libraries support the individual's right to choose; therefore, an effort is made to represent various sides of controversial issues. Decisions to purchase are not made on the basis of any anticipated approval or disapproval but solely on the merits of the work in relation to the building of the collection and to serving the needs of patrons.
The Libraries and Media Services Departments’ first commitment is to select and acquire materials related to and in support of the curriculum. Secondary in importance are materials to support limited faculty research and special collections.
The Libraries and Media Services departments will collect and make easily available materials in all formats, which are of contemporary significance and of long lasting value. Using faculty, staff and student recommendations, librarians and selectors apply their professional judgment in developing the Libraries' collections. It is the responsibility of the librarians to see that the information needs of the college community are met equitably within the framework of the budget. Librarian liaisons will be responsible for assigned subject areas of the collection. They will work with academic departments to communicate library policies on selection.
The Library Director is responsible for allocating the materials budget in such a way as to fulfill the Libraries' collection development goals. A significant portion of the book budget is reserved for academic department requests. The remainder is reserved for reference, serials, periodicals, and interdisciplinary purchases.
The Libraries have a special interest in collecting materials relating to women. These are funded by the Catherine Pribyl Lupori Endowment.
The Library/Media Services personnel recognize the purposes and resources of the members of the CLIC Consortium, and of other libraries in the Twin Cities and will not duplicate unnecessarily.
As a matter of justice, the Libraries, Media Services and Archives adhere to the provisions of the Copyright Law, Title 17 of the United States Code. Staff accepts the responsibility to be informed of the law and its interpretations. The Libraries, Media Services and Archives attempt to inform the academic community about the law, but take no responsibility for infringement of the law.
All gifts are accepted with the understanding that the same standards of selection are applied to gifts as to materials acquired by purchase. The Libraries and Media Services Departments reserve the right to dispose of gifts not needed or unsuitable to our collection. Written acknowledgement of a gift is sent to donors. However, monetary evaluation of gifts is not provided. The libraries do not normally compile lists of donated materials for donors. However, under certain circumstances, the Libraries will collaborate with staff in Institutional Advancement regarding gifts-in-kind to the Libraries where values are known in advance and special recognition is required.
Library Endowments and other financial gifts may be restricted by the donor to support a particular collection or subject area and are used to purchase materials we could not otherwise afford to buy.
Duplication of materials among the libraries of St. Catherine University
Duplicate copies of titles are not normally purchased. Exceptions may be made, but will be reviewed carefully. Duplication of titles among the libraries will be reviewed to insure the best use of available resources. Duplication of resources between the St. Paul and Minneapolis libraries is most likely to occur in the Reference collections. Circulating materials will not be duplicated as a general rule. Exceptions will be reviewed carefully.
Specific criteria to be used in evaluating individual titles for selection include:
1. Reviews in reputable sources.
2. Strength in existing holdings and the title's ability to supplement and enhance coverage.
3. Audience for whom the title is written/produced.
4. Significance and reputation of the author/producer.
5. Reputation of the publisher/producer.
6 . Language of the title. Normally, titles will be acquired in English first, and others
only in the language in which academic programs are taught.
7. Currency of the information.
8. Cost and projected availability of funds.
9. Inclusion of the title in standard bibliographies and indexes.
10. Availability of the title in the market.
11. Availability in other CLIC libraries.
12. Stability of the URL to a resource.
The libraries do not collect textbooks. Exceptions are made, however, when textbooks are the best or only source of information on the topic. Some test preparation books are purchased in academic fields for which our students will pursue advanced studies. Other test preparation books will not be purchased.
The libraries strive to maintain the physical integrity of the collections. The condition of titles is systematically reviewed before shelving. Titles in need of repair are forwarded to Technical Services for repair, replacement, or discard decisions. These decisions are based on the frequency of circulation and the existence of additional copies of the work in the library, in addition to the selection criteria listed above.
Missing and lost materials are not automatically or immediately replaced. However, if a missing or lost item is needed for reserve or there is demand for a title, a replacement copy can be ordered.
In all other cases, if the item has not reappeared after one year from the missing date or been re-ordered, the title is withdrawn.
The Libraries and Media Services Departments conduct continuous, planned and systematic review of collections. Outdated, worn or unusable materials, will be removed, as necessary. Advice concerning withdrawal, retention or replacement of materials is sought from appropriate sources.
Weeding decisions are made on a number of criteria:
1. Strength of existing holdings and the title's ability to supplement and enhance coverage.
2. Significance and reputation of the author/producer.
3. Reputation of the publisher/producer.
4. Reviews in reputable sources.
5. Audience for whom the title is written.
6. Currency of the information.
7. Physical condition.
8. Multiple copies of editions no longer needed.
9. Language of the title.
10. Inclusion of the title in standard bibliographies and indexes.
11. Frequency of circulation.
12. Completeness of holdings.
13. Availability of the title in other libraries
Serials are defined as titles issued periodically and expected to continue indefinitely, often with numbered parts. The serials collection includes newspapers, journals, annuals and monographic series. Because the ongoing nature of serial publications requires long-term commitments of money (unlike monographs which are one-time purchases), space and maintenance, serial selection decisions are given close scrutiny. Titles are added very selectively, and serials are charged to special library-controlled budget lines.
Any member of the academic community may initiate recommendations for serial purchase. However, responsibility for serials collection development decisions rests with the Library Director, the Minneapolis Campus Librarian, and the Head of Technical Services, in consultation with Academic Departments.
Selection guidelines for Serials
The Libraries' general framework for building, preserving, maintaining and evaluating the collection is outlined in earlier sections of this document and forms the basis for these selection guidelines.
Specific guidelines for the selection of serials:
1. Relevance of the title to the curriculum.
2. Strength of existing subject coverage in the collection and a title's ability to add significantly
to the existing coverage.
3. Indexing availability. For most journals the Libraries acquire, there should be indexes
available in sources the Libraries own.
4. Cost and projected availability of funds.
5. Audience for whom the title is intended.
6. Reputation of editors or publisher.
7. Language of the title: normally, titles will be acquired only in those languages in which
academic programs are taught.
8. Currency of information.
9. Availability of the title in the other CLIC libraries, and the Twin Cities area.
10.Electronic format of journals is preferred to print journals.
11. Packages of electronic journals are preferred to single e-subscriptions.
Media Software is purchased by each campus Media Coordinator to support the faculty and courses offered on that campus. Faculty are encouraged to contact the media manager as early as possible with requests needed for the academic year. Part of the criteria used is cost, availability, and repeated need for the academic year.
The Libraries maintain subscriptions to electronic newspaper subscriptions and a small number of print newspapers.
Reconsideration of Controversial Materials
The Saint Catherine Libraries and Media Services Departments faculty and staff recognize that materials may be controversial and that any given item may offend some patrons. Therefore, the Libraries will reconsider any material in their collections upon written request of a patron. A copy of the procedure for reconsideration is available upon request.
Final responsibility for selection rests with the Library Director. The Director delegates to staff members the authority to interpret and guide the application of selection policy and procedures in making day-to-day decisions. Unusual problems and requests for reconsideration of library materials are referred to the Director.
This policy will be reviewed every three years.
10/30/94
5/21/04
9/17/06, cj
