Procedure III.3002.A.a, Library Collection Development

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Associated Policy

Policy III.3002.A, Library Collection Development

Procedures

The Library Mission

The mission of the library is to work in concert with the faculty to help educate students so that they may effectively locate, evaluate, and use the information they need in their academic studies and as lifelong learners.

In support of the overarching goal of teaching information literacy, the library will build and maintain a quality collection of both current and relevant print and on-line resources, continue to support the accessibility needs of students, provide training and equitable access for distance learning students either at extension centers or at more remote locations, and support the professional needs of College employees, both faculty and staff.

Collection Goal

The goal of the library collection policy is to develop, with faculty assistance, a collection that serves each discipline taught on the campuses. The quality of this collection can deteriorate when either new material is not added in a discipline or unneeded material is retained. The goal is to select books, periodicals, and electronic resources that are most likely to be used by students in the current academic and technical programs.

The library will also purchase general reference works and other resources necessary to meet the library’s overall purpose. The library staff attempts to reflect in the collection conflicting viewpoints of political and social matters and the cultural diversity of the student body, recognizing that it is impossible to represent every point of view. The library’s goal is to develop a quality collection that meets the needs of the College and establish guidelines for selection.

General Considerations

Currency

Emphasis should be on the collection of current materials. This does not preclude acquiring materials of historical interest relevant to the curriculum and filling in with older materials in new areas of emphasis in the curriculum.

Completeness

The library strives to complete collections needed to support academic programs, but does not seek completeness for its own sake. For example, the library does not purchase seldom used periodical volumes from prior years.

Duplication

The library discourages the purchase of duplicates. The following circumstances may justify limited duplication:

1. When multiple demand and heavy use is anticipated (Without additional copies, students would not have reasonable access).
2. Reserve Collection is used extensively on all campuses.

Cooperative Development

Library staff make collection management decisions in the context of cooperation and the library resources available in the other campus libraries. The goal is to build complementary collections in order to expand resources available to the San Jacinto College community of students.

Preservation

The library takes measures to preserve materials needed for use.  In accordance with policy, the library does not attempt to preserve materials unlikely to be used. The library staff systematically removes from the collection material that is not relevant to current or anticipated programs. The library may offer this material to other libraries or dispose of it as necessary.

Language

Since English is the language of instruction, all materials possible will be bought in English. The exception will be materials needed to support foreign language curricula, materials where the primary interest is not the text, and materials essential to a subject that is not available in English.

Censorship

The Library Bill of Rights statement of the American Library Association is considered part of this library collection development policy.

Gifts

The library solicits gifts of useful material that meet the collection criteria and to which the provider does not attach restrictions regarding their arrangement or disposition. Gifts provide many valuable additions to the collection. Note the following conditions:

1. Gift Selection
   The library will add gift material under the same criteria that apply to purchased materials. The library will not add gift items simply because they are available or because the College does not own them.
2. Gifts – Special Collections
   The library will not accept gifts with conditions as to the disposition except by permission of the Library Director.
3. Gift Disposition
   The library reserves the right to dispose of unneeded gifts.
4. Gift Duplication
   The library will only add duplicate copies as gifts if the circulation demand of the existing copy warrants adding to the collection.
5. Gift Appraisal
   The library does not appraise gift donations. The library will provide donors a letter indicating either the titles or the number of volumes received.

Types of Materials

Textbooks

The library will not normally add textbooks to the collection unless the textbooks contribute significantly to the subject area or unless they are held on Reserve.

Editions

Variant editions of a title will be added only if “standard” editions exist or if the different edition contains substantial changes. This does not apply to updated editions in science and other fields in which currency is critical.

Rare Books

The library does not purchase rare materials, including first editions and autographed copies. The library may purchase special materials for the Texana collection with gift or grant funds.

Periodicals

The management of the serial collection requires a higher degree of selectivity than that of books because of their increasing costs. The library staff and faculty share the responsibility for selecting print periodicals.  The library staff coordinates periodic review of serials, usually in conjunction with the departmental program review process. Decisions on selecting periodicals need to take into account faculty judgment, holdings available on the other campuses, and interlibrary loan access.

Electronic Resources

The College provides student and faculty access to the Internet, online periodical indexes, and full-text services available in the library. The library staff carefully selects these resources based on their relevance and support of the curriculum. The College libraries have a standing Shared Services Evaluation Committee, with a representative from each campus library and the Systems Librarian for the selection of databases that best serve the entire San Jacinto College community.

Public Challenges of Library Materials

1. Anyone wishing to make public challenge against any library materials must submit the challenge in writing to the Library Director using the Request for Reconsideration form, which is available at the campus libraries.  
2. Library staff will review the challenged material using available literature reviews, taking into consideration how the material is viewed across the nation.
3. Using this information, the Library Director will make a decision and meet with the patron to discuss the challenge. After the meeting, the Library Director will send a letter explaining the library’s view to the complainant. The Director will also send a copy of the letter to the Provost.
4. The public submitting the challenge will have the right to appeal to the Provost.