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Collection Development Specific Selection Policies
The following principles shall guide the development of the collection
of the Corriher-Linn-Black Library:
- Primary attention in the selection process shall be given to
materials that support the curricular offerings of an undergraduate
college. Materials primarily of interest to advanced undergraduates
and graduate students will be selected to support curricular offerings
of the Master of Education degree program.
- In selecting materials, the major considerations shall be the
factual accuracy of the topic treated, the authoritativeness of
the author or editor, the reputation of publisher, cost, suitability
of format to content, and strength of current holdings in the same
or related subject areas.
- The Library collects materials in a variety of formats, both
print and nonprint. All materials must meet the same evaluative
criteria for selection. Nonprint materials must be compatible with
the hardware and software owned by the Library.
Within this basic framework, the following guidelines apply for
specific categories of materials:
- Textbooks
- Textbooks are generally
not purchased or added as gifts. However, textbooks may be added at
the request of individual faculty members selecting materials for
their academic disciplines. The Library makes no attempt to purchase
current editions of textbooks adopted for classes.
- Foreign Language Materials
- Foreign language materials
are selected by the faculty in the foreign language department to
supplement their course offerings. The Library does not seek to build
an extensive collection of reference and circulating materials in
foreign languages.
- Rare books, manuscripts, fine editions
- The Library does not
routinely collect rare books, manuscripts, or fine editions. Gifts
of such materials may be accepted at the discretion of the Director
of Library Services. The only special collections are archival materials
pertaining to the College and the United Church of Christ and its
predecessors.
- Newspapers
- The Library selects major
newspapers published within the state, those representing selected
major UnitedStates metropolitan areas, and selected foreign published
titles where interest or the curriculum warrants. Newspapers will be
discarded when microform replacement is received. Backfiles of
newspapers with no microform replacement will be held approximately
six months. Several newspapers are available online and in CD-ROM
format.
- Multiple Copies
- The Library does not
acquire multiple copies of a given item. Generally one copy of a work
is sufficient, since the Library seeks to provide a wide range of
materials on many subjects. Extra copies of materials that will be
in high demand, especially those on contemporary social issues, may
be purchased at the discretion of the professional library staff.
The faculty may request extra copies of materials if they feel that
demand will be high.
- Annuals and Editions
- With the exception of
annuals, the Library will in most cases retain the current edition
only of works updated on a continuing basis. If totally new material
appears in each edition, all editions will be kept. For each annual
title, the library will retain a backfile containing a specified
number of years.
- Bestsellers
- The Library will acquire
a representative sampling of the new fiction and nonfiction bestsellers
listed in the Sunday editions of the New York Times. Best-selling
fiction and nonfiction titles will be displayed in a special area
until they have circulated. When a bestseller is returned, it will
be shelved in the stacks.
- Award-Winning Children's Books
- The Library will acquire
children's and young adult books that have been awarded the Caldecott
and Newbery Medals. These books will provide supplementary reading
for courses focusing on children's literature.
- Cancelled Serial Titles
- The Library will not
maintain files of serial titles, including periodicals and
continuations, which were cancelled during an annual review or were
purchased for only a brief period. These volumes will be offered for
exchange.
- Duplication of Formats
- The Library will not
acquire or maintain the same periodical title in both bound and
microform formats. In general, the Library will not maintain over
twenty years of a particular periodical title in print. Volumes older
than twenty years will be replaced by microfilm.
- Binding/Microforms
- In general the Library
will not bind periodicals with a frequency less than monthly. Backfiles
of such periodicals will be maintained in microfilm format only.
- Special Formats
-
Some of the following formats have proven to be very popular
with both students and faculty. With the use of special input and
output devices, these formats also facilitate learning for those
students who are physically or visually challenged.
The Library routinely acquires materials in the following special
formats: CD-ROMs (data and sound), Videotapes, Music Scores,
Computer Software, Online Databases, Maps/Atlases, Microforms,
Phonodiscs.
Because the Library does not have adequate and appropriate storage
facilities, library materials in the following special formats will
not generally be purchased: Cassettes, Charts, Filmloops, Filmstrips,
Films (35 or 16 mm), Games, Kits, Models, Posters, Slides,
Transparencies.