Collection Management Policy

Collection Management | Library Policies

A collection management policy defines the Library’s collection objectives and establishes a framework for the systematic, equitable coordination of expenditures that permit use of available funds in the best possible way, in support of the mission of the Library and Nazareth University.

The goal of the Library collection is quality, not quantity. The collection may be said to have quality to the degree that it is relevant and appropriate in quantity to each discipline taught, accreditation requirements, and to the number of faculty and students that use it.

The Library seeks to maintain a collection of materials that furthers the purpose and mission of the institution as a whole in meeting the needs of Nazareth University students, faculty, and staff. Emphasis is placed on materials likely to be used by Nazareth University students, faculty, and staff in preparing for their courses or doing research related to their studies. While the library welcomes recommendations for additions to its collection from all members of the Nazareth community, final decisions about additions are made by professional librarians.

General Considerations

Quality. The focus of acquisition will be on scholarly works likely to have lasting benefits.

Currency. The greatest emphasis is on acquiring current materials. Nevertheless, some materials of historical interest may be purchased and retained.

Completeness. We will attempt to fill in collections needed to support our academic programs, but we will not seek completeness for its own sake.

Duplication. Duplication will occur only when librarians determine there is a specific need to do so.

Preservation. Any materials purchased to support academic programs will be handled with preservation in mind. However, it is not part of our mission to preserve materials unlikely to be used here.

Language. Emphasis is placed on acquiring materials in English. Exceptions are materials needed to support world language and cultural studies.

Censorship. The Library Bill of Rights statement of the American Library Association is considered to be part of this collection development document.

Gifts. The Library accepts gifts of useful materials, provided they meet our collection management criteria and are offered without restrictions. Please refer to the Gift Policy for more information.

Gift materials will be added according to the same criteria that apply to purchased materials. We will not add gift items simply because they are available to us or because we do not already hold them.
The Library will not accept gifts with conditions as to their disposition or location except by express permission of the Library Director.
The Library reserves the right to dispose of unneeded gifts in whatever manner it sees fit.
Duplicate copies received as gifts will be added only if the circulation record of the existing copy suggests a single copy is not sufficient to meet the demand. This does not preclude the exchange of a gift copy in good condition for a worn or mutilated existing copy.
The Library cannot legally appraise gifts for tax or inheritance purposes.

Physical Materials

Books, Scores, and other Physical Items
1. Collection Development
  Books and scores are acquired for appropriate disciplines. Paperbound is the preferred format for print materials. Individual e-books are purchased when electronic format is preferred.
  
  Selection Criteria
  1. Materials that support the university’s curriculum and DEI initiatives will be given first priority in collection development. Library users are encouraged to utilize Interlibrary Loan to obtain materials the Library does not have.
  2. The Library will not add textbooks to the collection unless requested by a faculty member or department for course reserves.
  3. Alternate editions of a title may replace the current title if they contain substantial changes, or are requested by a faculty member.
  4. Special collections materials are added on a case-by-case basis.
  5. The Library will not order items until they have been released by a publisher.
  6. The Library tracks book purchases by department. If a department is approaching their annual book budget limit, they will be contacted by the Library Director to discuss options.
2. Collection Management
  
  Evaluation
  Superseded editions of general collection titles are reviewed for possible withdrawal when new editions are ordered. Decisions to withdraw are made on a title-by-title basis by professional librarians.
  
  Deselection
  The Library maintains an ongoing deselection process. The entire collection is reviewed every five years. The decision to withdraw materials is based on the following guidelines:
  1. Content of the item does not support current academic programs
  2. The information in the item is out-of-date
  3. The item contains culturally insensitive, biased or discriminatory terminology or views that hold no historical value
  4. The item has not circulated in the past 10 years
  5. The Library owns multiple copies
  6. A more recent edition is available
  7. The Library has more current titles on the same subject
  8. The item has not won any awards, and is not considered a seminal work by faculty.
  9. The item is in poor physical condition
Print Serials
1. Collection Development
  
  Serial publications are the primary source of current information in a number of disciplines. Serials provide information not always available in books and serve to keep the collection up-to-date. Since serial subscriptions represent a significant and continuing expense, recommendations for new titles are reviewed with more scrutiny than is the case with requests for books. Pending available funding and to enhance user access, the Library will add e-journal subscriptions. Print subscriptions are only added when this format is preferred (e.g. fine arts journals) or the publication is not available electronically via site license.
  
  Selection Criteria
  1. Demonstrated need
  2. Scholarly reputation
  3. Price
  4. Previous interlibrary loan requests
  5. Holdings in aggregate databases
  Requests for new serial subscriptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. When an academic department determines that a new journal subscription is required, it is necessary to suggest another current subscription in the discipline for cancellation in order to cover this expense.
2. Collection Management
  
  Evaluation
  Journal subscriptions are reviewed on an annual basis. The Library staff determines if the existing holdings of the title should be retained, canceled or withdrawn utilizing the deselection criteria.
  
  Deselection
  Criteria for deselecting serials:
  1. Completeness of Library holdings of the journal
  2. Frequency of patron use and/or
  3. Degree to which the journal is indexed in the Library’s collection of indexes, abstracts, and databases
  4. Availability of the journal’s full-text content in electronic format
  5. Relevance to the current educational and research needs of the community
  6. Storage space considerations
  7. Holdings in WorldCat
  8. Frequency of ILL use
  9. Physical condition
Microforms
The Library does not collect microfilm or microfiche.
Other Materials
Physical audio and video materials may be added to support the university’s curriculum, however electronic formats are given first priority within budgetary constraints, licensing requirements and accessibility considerations.

Electronic Resources

Collection Parameters

For the purposes of this policy, “Electronic Resources” are defined using the Resource Description and Access (RDA) definition for machine-readable data files: “Material (data and/or program(s)) encoded for manipulation by a computerized device.”

The Library facilitates the evaluation of resources by acting as a liaison to the providers of Electronic Resources, setting up trials and demos, helping to gather basic product information, managing the resources in the collection from ordering through the electronic resource life cycle (acquisition, provision of access, administration, provision of support, and monitoring and evaluation), and managing the proxy configuration.

The Library Director is the lead staff person in contract and license negotiations. The Library Director makes final purchase decisions, participates in all aspects of planning and determines the budget for Electronic Resources, including evaluation and selection.

Collection Access

Electronic Resources are delivered through a locally customized research portal, alphabetically and by subject. Some resources are not compatible with Primo, but are available through direct access. Upon request, an electronic resource will be considered for inclusion.

Electronic resources covered by this policy fall into the following categories:

Selection Parameters

The same criteria apply to the selection of Electronic Resources as those outlined in the general collection development policy. Additional criteria for Electronic Resources include access, functionality/usability, interoperability, stability, archiving, documentation, customer support, format appropriateness for the content. All Electronic Resources acquired by the Library must be accessible on the Nazareth campus and, except when technically or contractually prohibited, also be remotely accessible through the Library’s electronic systems (Primo and/or the Library web services).
General Selection Criteria:
1. Enhancements: The item offers value-added enhancement(s) that make it preferable over other print or non-print equivalents. The convenience of online access is itself an enhancement, as is the greater flexibility of searching Electronic Resources.
2. Content: In addition to meeting the criteria outlined in the general collection development policy for content, full-text/sound/numeric/image resources are preferable to bibliographic-only resources.
3. Equivalent information: Electronic versions of resources published in other formats should minimally contain equivalent content, including such things as illustrations, charts, tables, figures, etc. as appropriate.
4. Currency: Content should be updated often enough to be useful.
5. Access/Technical Preferences:
6. Archival Access Preferences
7. Interface Preferences:
8. Vendor Support Preferences:
9. Cost & Support Guidelines:

E-Books
1. Collection Development
  
  In subject areas where currency of information is paramount, e-books may be preferred. When appropriate, the Library provides duplicate access to books in electronic and print format. Consideration is given to the degree of importance for permanent access to the information.
  
  Electronic versions of books that accompany the purchase of the print version are generally not added to the collection, and are not added if they require password access.
  
  Selection Criteria
  When considering a title on a new platform, the Library Director will determine if the initial plus ongoing costs to maintain access merit its purchase. The acquisition of items with complex purchasing models involving ongoing costs, cost-based obligations, or other multiple factors will only be considered as a last resort and will be subject to approval by the Library Director.
  
  Freely Available Online Resources
  
  Freely available online e-books and e-journals are judiciously added to the collection with consideration given to how stable they are and how much maintenance they require across time.
2. Collection Management
  
  Identification, evaluation, selection and collection of e-books are ongoing.
  
  Deselection
  
  Criteria for deselection consideration:
  1. Significant price increases
  2. Low use
  3. Availability of alternative resources which better meet selection criteria
  4. Unfavorable changes in format interface and/or content
  5. Changes which impact access
  6. Availability of newer editions
  Removal
  Cancellation of an e-book results in suppression/removal of the bibliographic record associated with the resource. Relevant information such as cancellation date, cancellation initiate, and other pertinent information are recorded on the suppressed bibliographic record for future reference.
Streaming Videos
1. Collection Development
  
  The Library maintains a collection of video content used primarily to support courses at Nazareth University. Faculty requests for video content in support of teaching are filled whenever possible.
  
  The Library collects video materials in DVD and streaming format. When streaming access is available at a reasonable price from commonly used vendors, streaming is the preferred format. If streaming is not available or is prohibitively expensive, DVD is the preferred format.
  
  Selection Criteria
  1. Curricular support. Videos that support teaching are given the highest priority.
  2. Cost of licensing or purchase is reasonable, and funds are available.
  3. Streaming titles are accessible to all authorized Nazareth University users with unlimited concurrent users.
  4. Streaming videos are hosted by vendors.
  5. Streaming video player is reliable, compatible with most browsers, and allows for embed/link into Moodle, Primo and Libguides.
  6. Streaming video is accessible off campus: proxy configuration and title level persistent links are reliable.
  7. Streaming video platform allows for instructor playlist and clip making capability.
  8. Streaming vendors provide high quality MARC records.
  9. Streaming video platform allows for transcribed text search.
  10. Streaming videos are captioned.
  11. Streaming video platform provides access to administrative tools measuring, at a minimum, title-level usage and COUNTER compliant statistics.
2. Collection Management
  
  Streaming video licenses are typically time-limited to one year. Faculty requesters will be contacted about renewal when the streaming license for a requested title is due to expire.
Databases and E-Journals

The Library’s databases and e-journals support teaching and research at Nazareth University.

The Library defines databases as abstracting and indexing services with or without aggregated full-text, aggregated e-journal collections, aggregated e-book collections, aggregated streaming video and aggregated streaming audio collections. The Library offers multi-disciplinary, general purpose, and highly specialized research databases.

The Library defines e-journals as individually subscribed titles, aggregated collections from a single publisher, aggregated collections from multiple publishers, journals included in indexing and abstracting databases, and open access journals.
1. Collection Development
  
  All new database and e-journal subscriptions must be approved by the Library Director. The requester may be asked to identify current subscriptions for cancellation to make up for the cost of the new subscription.
2. Collection Management
  
  Evaluation Considerations:
  1. Usage statistics provide an important tool in evaluating the costs and benefits of databases and e-journals.
  2. Feedback from faculty and staff
  3. Interlibrary loan data
  4. Department and program reviews, including accreditation
  Deselection
  Criteria for cancellation (or non-renewal):
  1. Usage statistics showing low use or poor ROI
  2. Duplication
  3. Significant cost increases
  4. Library budget changes
  5. Changes in the Nazareth University curriculum
  6. A consistent pattern of problems with access
  Once a title has been identified for possible cancellation, input will be sought from faculty impacted by the cancellation. A summary of the information will be provided, showing why the resource has been identified for potential non-renewal, and faculty will be given the opportunity to comment.
  
  The Library Director will make the final determination regarding cancellation/non-renewal. The Nazareth University Library does not guarantee perpetual access rights to canceled e-journal subscriptions.
  
  This policy applies to only those Electronic Resources subscribed to directly by the Library. Consortial subscriptions, or those provided by New York state, undergo a different analysis and often the decision to continue or cancel is out of the Library’s control.

Legal Considerations

Intellectual Freedom
The Nazareth University Library subscribes to the tenets expressed in the American Library Association’s “Library Bill of Rights” and complies with New York State CPLR 4509 which sets forth state law in regard to the confidentiality of library records.
Requests for Reconsideration
Questions or concerns about this policy or about the holdings of the Lorette Wilmot Library should be addressed to the Library Director.
Copyright
The Nazareth University Library complies fully with all provisions on the U.S. Copyright Law and its amendments. The Library strongly supports the Fair Use section of the Copyright Law (17 U.S. C 107), which permits and protects citizens’ rights to reproduce and make other uses of copyrighted works for the purposes of teaching, scholarship, and research.

Approval and Review of Policy

This policy and all related policies are reviewed and revised as appropriate on a periodic basis, and subject to approval by the Library Director.