PURPOSE
The purpose of the Collection Development Policy is to define the principles and guidelines that govern the selection and maintenance of the Monsignor William Barry Memorial Library collections.
MISSION STATEMENT
In keeping with the mission of Barry University, the library provides services and resources in support of quality education and the development of learning, teaching, and research.
COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY STATEMENT
The basic philosophy of the Monsignor William Barry Memorial Library is to acquire, organize and disseminate materials needed to support and enhance the instructional programs and educational goals of the University. Materials are chosen for the interest, information, education and enlightenment of the Barry University community. The Library strives to collect materials to present all points of view. No material is to be prescribed or removed from library collections due to partisan or doctrinal disapproval. Materials will not be excluded because of the race, nationality, ethnicity, political, religious, or sexual orientation of the author. The library subscribes to the following American Library Association statements:
I. SELECTION RESPONSIBILITY
The process of selecting materials for the library is a cooperative one involving the librarians, faculty, and input from the students. By virtue of their subject area expertise, faculty members are expected to select library materials which support the courses they teach, and which supplement the general library collections appropriate to their respective disciplines. Upon request, the professional librarians are to provide faculty members with subject bibliographies, recommended lists, catalogs, or other supporting documents to assist with the fulfillment of these responsibilities.Each academic department is assigned a Professional Librarian to serve as its Collection Development Liaison. Librarians will participate in faculty and Division meetings, both on campus and at off-campus sites, fostering close cooperation and collaboration to ensure the viability and strength of library collections.
It is the responsibility of the Electronic Resources Coordinator to work with the faculty, the librarians, the Library Advisory Council, and the Library Director to select electronic databases in all areas, providing a wide range of professional and academic resources. Strong emphasis is placed on electronic databases to provide off-campus students adequate access to resources.
II. ALLOCATION OF FUNDS
The Library Director is responsible for the expenditure of all library funds. Allocation of monies by academic divisions is made annually by the Library Director with the advice of the Assistant Director for Technical Services, taking into account student enrollment and program levels. The formula used for the allocation of funds is as follows:
Total School Allocation = Student Factor + Faculty Factor ÷ 2
Key:
Faculty Factor = (School's) % of all full-time faculty
Student Factor = (School's) % of all students, where graduate students count as 1.5, and an additional 10% is added if the school has a PhD program.
III. CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
The following criteria are used for selecting materials for the Monsignor William Barry Memorial Library collection:
- Materials must support the Universitys educational goals and curriculum.
- Materials must meet high standards of quality in factual content and presentation.
- Materials must be appropriate for the subject area and content must be applicable to program level: Undergraduate, Graduate or PhD.
- Physical format and appearance of material must be suitable for the intended purpose.
- Materials on controversial topics will attempt to maintain a balanced collection representing various views on the subject.
- Authoritativeness of the author, editor or publisher is required for factual information.
- Materials from authoritative academic bibliographies, indexes, and recommended lists are considered.
- Literary merit, overall value, timeliness, accuracy, price and scarcity of material on the topic may all be used when selecting materials.
The following specific considerations will also be made in selecting materials for the library:
Textbooks: The library does not purchase textbooks. However, faculty members may place their own copies on Course Reserves.
Duplicate Copies: Duplicate copies will only be purchased at the discretion of the subject specialist.
Publication Date: Publication date of the materials purchased will reflect the needs of the academic disciplines.
Databases and Journals: Databases and journals must support the University’s curriculum. Retention of databases and journals is based upon their cost-effectiveness.
Reference Collection: Subject librarians are responsible for selecting and maintaining the reference collection. The preferred format for reference materials is electronic.
Faculty Library Materials Requests: The Library encourages faculty collaboration in collection development to support the University’s curriculum. To place a request, faculty must use the Book Request Form.
IV. CRITERIA FOR DESELECTING
Continuous evaluation of the collection is essential to ensure that the collection remains current and relevant. Librarians and faculty are encouraged to continually review the collection and identify materials that should be removed due to condition, age, suitability or other reasons.
Criteria for withdrawing materials may vary by discipline. Factors that may be considered during the deselecting process include:
- The material has been superseded.
- The physical condition of the material is beyond repair.
- Duplicate copies that are no longer deemed necessary for the academic program.
V. GIFTS POLICY
Gifts Policy Statement
Materials donated to the library become the property of the library and will be handled as the library deems most appropriate. Donated materials may be added to the collection, recycled, offered to other institutions, sold or discarded at the library’s discretion.
- The library acknowledges materials purchased through financial donations.
- The library reserves the right to select materials purchased with donated funds.
- It is the responsibility of the donor to bring gift donations to the library.
- The library does not assign value to donated items for tax purposes.
Policy updated April, 2015