Purpose of the Collection Development Policy
Chipola College Library Mission
Responsibility for Collection Development
Types and Formats of Materials Collected
Cooperative Collection Development
PURPOSE OF THE COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY
This policy is designed to guide the systematic growth and management of the Chipola College Library’s collection of print, audio visual and electronic materials. Rising information costs, increased demand for a variety of dissemination formats and budgetary constraints require careful materials selection based on a thorough knowledge of the missions of both the Library and Chipola College.
This policy is intended to provide guidelines for the following areas:
- To assist librarians in selecting current, diverse, balanced collections of materials to support the instructional and institutional needs of students, faculty and staff.
- To provide a basis for the consideration and incorporation of faculty suggestions as part of collection development.
- To supply integrated access to collections of materials in all appropriate formats in the most cost-effective manner.
- To assist in both long and short range fiscal planning.
Chipola College Library Mission Statement
The Chipola College Library, in support of the college mission, serves as a foundational part of the college’s instructional program. The Chipola Library provides print and non-print materials to support the course offerings of the college and to support the professional and personal growth of the faculty, staff, administration, and students. The library provides instruction which enables students and staff to become effective users of the library’s resources. This training helps promote independent lifelong learning.
Responsibility for Collection Development
Materials are selected by the Library Director from recommendations by Library staff, faculty, administration, students and other members of the Chipola community. Library staff use standard reviewing journals and other professional selection tools in print and on-line to facilitate the selection process. Faculty recommendations within their academic disciplines are actively solicited. Selection materials are disseminated in print, on-line and by telephone to best meet the needs of the faculty. Faculty Request forms are available on-line and in print to encourage faculty input. All suggestions are reviewed and evaluated by the library staff. Budgetary constraints may require further input from department chairs. Purchases are made if the items are consistent with the collection development guidelines and funds are available.
Selection Guidelines
Materials should be appropriate for college use. Other considerations include:
- Relevance of subject matter to the curriculum
- Authority
- Timeliness of subject matter
- Reputation of the author and/or publisher
- Presentation of material
- Physical characteristics of the material
- Special features
- Current holdings in the subject area
- Circulation of other materials in the same subject area
- Cost (projected use)
- Usage expectations
- Accessibility in online formats
Types and Formats of Materials Collected
Printed books are collected in clothbound editions unless cost is significantly higher than a paper edition. Books that should be frequently updated (nursing/medical texts, computer manuals, test preparation materials) are purchased in paper formats when available.
Electronic books are considered when they provide the most current and/or cost-effective format, or to support distance education courses and programs. Cooperative lease/purchase of electronic books via CCLA, SOLINET and other cooperatives are pursued as a cost-effective method of providing access to book collections. Duplication is considered for electronic books provided by such cooperative lease/purchase. In addition to general selection criteria and online resources/Internet-based materials selection criteria, consideration is given to the availability of an archival copy of electronic texts purchased in perpetuity.
Popular fiction having short-term interest among readers is not purchased. Established literary works and new works receiving critical acclaim in the literary field are considered, especially those works that support literature course offerings. Literary prizewinners are purchased when funds permit. Popular fiction is provided for Chipola patrons through the rental McNaughton Leisure collection.
Textbooks are not selected unless recommended by faculty as exceptional resources. Exceptions are those that have earned a reputation as "classics" in their fields, or which are the only or best sources of information on a particular topic, or for a particular user group. Their high cost, frequent revision, and generally poor bindings make most textbooks a poor investment for the libraries' permanent collections.
Faculty research in pursuit of advance degrees is not supported by the book collection. Interlibrary loan is regularly provided in a timely manner to meet faculty and administrative research requirements for books.
Reference materials support the research needs of Chipola College students, faculty, and staff. The reference collection contains, but is not limited to, encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, directories, indexes, bibliographies, statistical compilations, handbooks and Internet resources. Though items selected for this collection primarily support the academic programs offered at Chipola, core academic reference works published in other subject areas are also selected when they provide fundamental bibliographic access to, or an introductory overview of, an academic discipline. Items in the reference collection normally do not circulate. The reference collection is reviewed by the librarians annually to insure currency and accuracy. Reference materials are collected in print, electronic, and online formats.
Serials/periodicals/journals/newspapers are publications issued in successive parts bearing numeric or chronological designations and intended to be continued indefinitely. Serials are issued in print, microform, and electronic formats. All formats will be considered in the libraries' purchase and/or access decisions. Serials are acquired via subscription. Individual issues or reprints will rarely be purchased.
The selection of serials requires a continuing commitment to the cost of the title, including maintenance, viewing and reproduction equipment, and storage space. The escalating cost of serials subscriptions demands that requests for serials subscriptions be carefully reviewed before they are purchased for the collection and that an ongoing evaluation of current subscriptions be conducted.
Since it is often becoming more cost-efficient to purchase electronic access or document delivery services for serials instead of acquisition through print subscription, this delivery method will be chosen when fiscally prudent. Cooperative acquisition (regional and statewide) of electronic serials databases is actively pursued. Electronic serials subscriptions licensing contracts may limit access to currently enrolled students, faculty and staff. The professional library staff reviews local serials collections and accessibility of online titles annually.
The serials collection supports the research needs of the Chipola College curriculum. No attempt is made to support research needs of faculty pursuing advanced degrees. Interlibrary loan is regularly provided in a timely manner to meet faculty and administrative research requirements. Factors to be considered in the acquisition of serials are:
- support of academic programs
- college libraries
- Suitability for intended audience
- Uniqueness of subject coverage for the Cost, including rate of price increases, cost of storage, and/or access costs
- Professional reputation
- Usage or projected usage
- Indexing and abstracting in sources accessible to library users
- Demand for title in interlibrary loan or document delivery requests
- Accessibility within resource sharing groups, consortia, and/or through document delivery or courier services
- Full-text availability via electronic access
- Cost, including rate of price increases, cost of storage, and/or access costs
Audio-visual materials, including videotapes, audiotapes, compact disks and DVDs, are collected and housed in the Chipola Library. Limited budgets support only the narrow purpose of providing audiovisual materials for classroom support. No attempt is made to augment general collections with audiovisual selections. Limited copies of telecourse videotapes are available for short-term loan to students at all locations.
Electronic materials will be collected when that format is most effective in support of teaching and research, and when cost effective. CD-ROM and floppy disk formats are supported at all campus libraries.
Online Resources/Internet-based materials will be considered when they provide the most current and/or cost-effective resources. The following online resources will be actively selected:
Licensed commercial, fee-based resources and databases will be selected when they provide cost-effective means of providing resources for the three campus libraries. These resources may include electronic books; citation, abstracting and full-text databases covering journals, magazines, newspapers or reference materials; and databases providing information portals for specific subject areas. In additional to general selection criteria, the following criteria will be used:
- The product has broad appeal to a large number of Chipola Library users or will serve the special needs of a user group
- The product compares favorably with similar products
- Multiple user access is preferred
- The interface is user-friendly
- Appropriate online help is available
- Good technical support is available
- The availability of usage statistics is highly desirable
- The vendor allows a trial of the actual product
- The libraries are not required to subscribe to both print and electronic versions of the product, unless this is desired
- The license agreement allows normal rights and privileges accorded libraries under copyright law
- The license agreement gives the libraries indemnification against third party copyright infringement
- Products available via LINCCWeb are preferred
The libraries will attempt to balance print, electronic and online resources without unnecessary duplication. Print, audiovisual, or electronic resources may be duplicated with fee-based online resources when:
- The resource has significant historical value
- One format is unstable
- A cost benefit for purchasing multiple formats exists
- Multiple formats meet the different needs of user groups
- Usage justifies additional copies
In addition to resources located via Internet directories and search engines, several sources are consulted for current reviews of Internet resources. These sources of selection include Choice, CRL News, American Libraries, and Library Journal. Several high-quality subject indexes are also regularly consulted, such as the Internet Public Library and The WWW Virtual Library. Duplication of print resources is acceptable for free Internet resources since it provides an additional point of use.
All library materials will be collected primarily in the English language, with the exception of foreign language materials supporting introductory language courses.
Out-of-Print Materials are rarely purchased. Most selections are current publications. The library recognizes the need for some out-of print purchases, primarily for replacement of heavily used items which are lost or withdrawn due to poor physical condition. However, in view of the difficulty and expense in obtaining rare, out-of-print, and reprinted material, it is most important to spend funds for current publications of long-term worth.
Gifts and Donations
The libraries use the same guidelines for inclusion of donated materials that are used for purchased materials. The works of local authors are not accepted unless they meet guidelines such as relevance to the curriculum, are critically acclaimed, or make a substantial, documented contribution to local history. Periodical donations are usually not accepted, unless they are not available electronically, and provide a complete run of bound volumes in an area requiring a high level of curriculum support.
Donated materials must be in good physical condition with no writing or highlighting inside. There should be no stains, mildew, or brittle pages, and bindings should be in good repair. Donations which meet collection development guidelines will be integrated into the main collection. The Director of Library Services will not provide any estimation of value for any donated item, but will provide a letter of acknowledgment describing any donation which is accepted if the donor requests such a letter.
The weeding of library materials (the process of removing items from the collection) is essential for the maintenance of a current, academically useful library collection. Weeding provides quality control for the collection by elimination of outdated, inaccurate, and worn-out materials. Librarians are responsible for conducting an ongoing weeding effort. Faculty members are regularly consulted when specific items are recommended for weeding.
Print and Audio-Visual Resources Weeding
- Superseded editions are routinely deselected from the collection.
- Materials that cannot be repaired or rebound or for which the cost of preservation exceeds the usefulness of the information contained are deselected.
- Because currency of information is extremely important in some fields such as health sciences, technology, and business, older materials must be regularly deselected so that outdated or inaccurate information is eliminated.
- Materials that do not support the current curriculum may be deselected.
- Material that has not been used based on circulation and browsing statistics may be deselected after five to ten years of inactivity. However, some library materials such as items considered classic works in their field have long-term value and should be kept in the collection despite lack of use.
- The title may be retained if it is included in a standard list or bibliography such as Books for College Libraries or if the author has a reputation for being an authority on the topic.
- Deselected items may be disposed of according to the following guidelines:
- Immediately, where severely damaged or containing material so outdated as to be grossly inaccurate or dangerous
- After being offered at no cost to library patrons where of little or no intrinsic or historical value
- After being offered to another library or collecting institution where unsuitable for the Chipola College collection but thought to be of significant intrinsic or historical value
Serials Weeding
- Incomplete and short runs of a title may be withdrawn, particularly when the title is not received currently.
- Titles that do not contain substantial amounts information supporting the current curriculum
- Items where information currency is of the essence such as newsletters and trade magazines have predetermined holding limits such as "Library retains one year only"
- Annuals, biennials, and regularly updated editions of guidebooks, handbooks, almanacs, and directories have a deselection schedule established depending on the value of the information contained in earlier editions. Often one or two older editions are retained in the reference and/or circulating collections Due to lack of space, issues that are replaced by microfilm are routinely discarded.
- Deselected serials may be disposed of according to the guidelines listed under print and audiovisual materials.
Replacement of Materials
Decisions are made regarding the replacement of lost, damaged, missing, or worn-out items, based on the following criteria:
- The item meets the general library collection policy.
- The frequency of use justifies replacement
- Is the same item available in another format that would better meet the needs of users or is the content better covered by another title?
- Is an electronic version available that would provide remote access for users?
Lost Materials
- A lost materials list will be maintained for five (5) years. The list will be updated at the beginning of the calendar year to reflect the five year limit.
- Item costs will not be deleted from the borrower’s library account.
- A $10.00 processing fee will be added for each lost item.
Standards
The Chipola College Library supports the statements on collection development contained within the “Standards for Community, Junior, and Technical College Learning Resource Programs" adopted by the American Library Association's Association of College and Research Libraries.
Intellectual Freedom
The Chipola College Library support the American Library Association's Bill of Rights, Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries, Freedom to Read Statement and Access to Electronic Information, Services, and Networks: an Interpretation of the LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS. The libraries acquire materials that represent differing opinions and without censorship in regard to controversial issues. The libraries do not add or withdraw, at the request of any individual or group, material which has been chosen or excluded on the basis of stated selection criteria.
An individual or group questioning the appropriateness of material within the collection will be referred to the Director of Library Services. An individual may register a complaint concerning material that he or she considers objectionable by using the "Request for Reconsideration of Library Resources" form. The Library Director is responsible for reviewing the material in question following current collection development objectives and selection criteria. The Director may consult book reviews, other commentaries, and outside advice. The complainant will receive a reply from the Director indicating the library's position and action planned or taken.
Copyright
Chipola College Library complies fully with all of the provisions of the U.S. Copyright Law (17 U.S.C.) and its amendments. The libraries support 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.
Cooperative Collection Development
Due to the libraries' limited budgets and diminishing ability to physically collect even a small percentage of the world's information, access rather than ownership has become the reality of collection development. Increasing numbers of information resources are available only in online electronic formats. The worldwide development of electronic information systems such as online library catalogs, abstracting and full-text databases have made it possible for libraries to direct users to vast quantities of information resources. While the libraries cannot keep all of the material relevant to the users in their collections, they can provide access to the vast amount of information available for use in other collections. This type of access requires that libraries engage in cooperative collection development, resource sharing, and document delivery systems. When it is determined that access on demand is more economically feasible in terms of storage, projected use, and cost, this option can enhance the libraries' abilities to expand the information base available to their primary users.
Every possible effort will be made to cooperate with regional and statewide organizations, particularly the Central Florida Library Cooperative, the College Center for Library Automation, and the Florida State Community College Library Standing Committee to share resources and engage in cooperative acquisitions projects.
More Information
Learn more about collection development and intellectual freedom from the American Library Association:
Access Chipola Library's Request for Reconsideration of Library Resources form.