Collection Management Policy
Introduction | Community and user groups defined | General Priorities, Limitations and Acquisition Policies | Collection Maintenance Policy : Preservation, Conservation, and De-selection | Collecting Levels | Policy Implementation, Evaluation, and Revision
Mission Statement
McQuade Library stands in the center of the campus as a focal point
for the educational mission of Merrimack College. The Library interacts
with the college community to strengthen and enhance the quality
of education provided to our students. As a core academic service,
McQuade Library strives for excellence as it provides access to
information that is useful to the college community through print
and electronic resources; supports the curriculum; and teaches
information retrieval skills.
McQuade Library is an integral part of the learning environment and seeks to be the center of knowledge for the college community. The Library is committed to empowering students in the information age through the use of technology and electronic resources, and through a trained and dedicated staff to instruct and assist in the access and retrieval of information.
The Library, as an active participant in the intellectual life of the whole community, strives to make each individual aware of its role as a quality service center for lifelong learning, innovation, and diversity.
Audiences and purposes of the policy
This policy sets forth the general guidelines by which the McQuade
Library acquires and maintains its collection of materials, while
making the best use of the funds allocated to it. This policy addresses
library materials in all formats, including print, media, and electronic.
The library collection must be systematically shaped and developed,
in keeping with the goals of the larger institution and the community
it serves. Every three years - or as needed - the policy will be
reviewed by the Library’s professional staff in collaboration
with the Library Advisory Committee. The first review is scheduled
for 2004.
The primary audience of the policy is the professional library staff. Secondary audiences include faculty members (especially those with book selection responsibility), campus administrators and staff, and NOBLE consortium librarians.
Community and user groups defined
Community
The McQuade Library serves the college community, which consists
of approximately 2500 undergraduate students, 130 full time faculty
members, 65 adjunct faculty members, 180 staff members, 150 administrators
and 17,000 alumni. Secondary users are members of the NOBLE consortium
community, which includes 17 public, 9 college and 1 special libraries.
Groups
McQuade Library's primary user groups are the students and the
faculty. They use the collection to conduct research and complete
their coursework. An important occasional user group is college
administrators. In collection management decisions, the needs of
these three groups are considered, with those of the students taking
priority.
Description of the types of programs or patrons' needs
The major responsibility of the library collection is to support
the undergraduate curriculum of Merrimack College as well as the
Masters of Education Program. The library’s strategic plan,
incorporated into the broader Academic Strategic Plan, addresses
the need for a variety of materials, which will prepare our students
for life and work in a global, increasingly diverse, society (amended
2/18/04). Other purposes of the McQuade Library collection are
to provide higher education materials that support the operation
of this College, and to support the development of cultural, career,
and non-curricular interests of undergraduates.
Brief general description of collections and information resources
The serials and electronic resource collections are stable and
adequate. Ninety percent of the book budget is committed to periodicals
and standing orders, which also includes electronic databases.
The book collection is small compared to 21 comparable libraries.
Most of the book collection was published between 1960 and 1989.
Over the past five years, the library budget has remained a consistent
2 % of the college’s total expenditures. With an annual increase
in the cost of periodical subscriptions of 10-13 %, the amount
remaining for library books decreased. With decreased book funds,
the collection has become weak in some areas, inadequately supporting
the curriculum. To remedy this, the Library budget will be reviewed
so that while current spending remains constant, a funding plan
for weak areas of the collection will be established.
Cooperative or collaborative collection management
issues
McQuade Library adheres to the North of Boston Library Exchange
(NOBLE) Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Code, which states, in part:
“Interlibrary loan service is essential to the vitality of libraries of all types and sizes as a means of greatly expanding the range of materials available to users. Lending between libraries is in the public interest and should be encouraged. …Interlibrary loan should serve as an adjunct to, not a substitute for, collection development. When resources within the region have been exhausted, loan requests to more distant libraries should then conform to the provisions of the National Interlibrary Loan Code.”
Interlibrary Loan, Internet access and patron direct access to other collections have affected the collection management of McQuade Library. Through membership in NOBLE, Merrimack College students, faculty and staff/administration have direct access to the collections of NOBLE’s 27 other academic, public, and special libraries, providing access to information and resources in subject areas that McQuade Library does not typically collect.
Internet access has greatly impacted collection management. Access
via the Internet to many types of information (e.g., government
statistics, directory information, and other “ready
reference” facts) enable us to reconsider print titles (i.e.,
some standing orders) and perhaps reallocate funds to areas not
as well-served online. The Internet has also enabled us to explore
new formats; numerous electronic databases and online journals
now supplement and often replace indexes and journals previously
owned in print or CD-ROM format.
In addition to our NOBLE membership, McQuade Library also participates in other consortial arrangements, including the Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System (NMRLS) and Nelinet/OCLC (Online Computer Library Center). Such memberships facilitate Interlibrary Loan activity, which also impacts collection management. ILL statistics can be a useful tool in identifying collection areas that need special attention. Multiple requests for a particular title or subject area suggest a need to purchase such items. ILL and direct patron access to area resources can also help address the more specialized needs of McQuade Library users. For example, to meet the limited need for certain law resources, librarians refer users to the Massachusetts Trial Court Law Library or the New England School of Law Library, rather than purchase these materials for the McQuade Library collection. In such cases, where demand is minimal, and the needed resources are available locally, McQuade Library may choose to provide access rather than ownership.
GENERAL PRIORITIES, LIMITATIONS AND ACQUISITION POLICIES
Chronological and Retrospective Holdings
Materials chosen for McQuade Library should support courses taught at this college with the emphasis on current publications of contemporary significance for undergraduate academic work and the graduate education program.
The collection in the humanities emphasizes primary works of permanent value and quality secondary sources.
The collection in the sciences emphasizes publications representing current research and includes standard works important to understanding historical developments in the field.
The collection in engineering emphasizes publications representing current research and includes standard works important to understanding historical developments in the field.
The collection in the social sciences emphasizes current works
and includes standard primary works of historical value and standard
secondary works important to an understanding of the field.
The collection in business emphasizes current works and includes standard primary works of historical value and standard secondary works important to an understanding of the field.
The determination of important standard works will be guided by authoritative bibliographies and review sources of academic titles.
Assessment of the collection may indicate the need for retrospective purchase of works of permanent value not presently owned. Retrospective purchase of materials may also be necessary to replace missing titles or titles in poor condition.
Out-of-print materials are costly and difficult to obtain. If an out-of-print selection is requested, every effort will be made to acquire an appropriate substitute.
Because of the significance of St. Augustine and the Augustinian order to the mission of Merrimack College, the collection of Augustinian materials will emphasize all aspects of research sources. The Center for Augustinian Study and Legacy will collaborate with the library in development of this special collection.
Duplication, Binding Options, Nonprint Formats and Special Considerations
McQuade Library will, under certain circumstances, acquire duplicate materials. Duplicates will sometimes be the same content, but different formats (e.g., acquiring a journal in print and electronic format). Multiple formats will be maintained if there is a question of continuity with one format, generally electronic. Titles in high demand may be acquired as exact duplicates (same title and same format). Subject redundancy (similar level, topic and coverage, but different titles) may occur for subject areas with heavy use. Generally, we will acquire exact duplicates and/or subject redundancy when usage levels warrant.
McQuade Library will strive to collect resources in a wide variety of formats, including print, audiovisual, and electronic. A variety of formats addresses the individual needs of numerous learning styles, and also encourages users to become proficient in accessing information in multiple ways.
In general, McQuade Library will acquire books in hardbound, not paper binding, for preservation reasons. Exceptions to this might include materials that are not available in hardcover, or materials that quickly become obsolete, such as an annual directory.
McQuade Library does not, as a rule, acquire textbooks. Textbooks required in the curriculum change frequently and become outdated rapidly. Access to current textbooks can be made available as reserve reading, if the professor so chooses.
Electronic access to information has affected our collection management practices. Print titles (both serial and monographic) may be eliminated from the local collection when there is a stable, equivalent online alternative. There are special issues regarding electronic formats that need to be considered, such as making sure that an electronic title is an exact duplicate or a suitable equivalent before the print is eliminated. Also, the stability of an electronic resource must be investigated: is the material archived? Will archived materials be maintained in a readable format when current technologies become obsolete? McQuade Library will continue to explore new technologies as they develop, and strive to achieve an appropriate balance of formats within the collection.
Funding Considerations
The College administration annually funds the budget for the library,
including the materials budget based on the recommendations of
the Library Director and the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
It is the Library Director’s responsibility to allocate the
materials budget in such a way as to fulfill the library’s
collection development goals.
The funds available for materials are divided among faculty departments,
general collection, reference collection, and library operation
materials. Allocation of funds is first given to periodicals
and electronic database subscriptions, and standing orders. Remaining
funds are then allocated to monographs.
The amount allocated to each subject area is based upon the following factors:
- Funds available
- The number of courses and the number of sections taught in the subject area
- Deficiencies in a subject area as revealed in collection assessment
- The average cost of materials in the field
- Accreditation requirements
Funds to supplement the College budget are also available from grants and endowments (of which the interest income is used to purchase materials) and from the McQuade Library Book Fund, a source of gift money from individual donors. The Collection Development Librarian is charged with coordinating the selection of materials in accordance with any terms of these funds.
Selection Responsibilities and Processes
The ultimate responsibility for the contents of the library and access to remotely located materials rests with the Director.
The practical responsibility for contents and access rests with the Collection Development Librarian in collaboration with the Electronic Services and Cataloging Librarians. Responsibility for the contents of the Media Center is held by the Media Center Director. Subject-level responsibilities are shared among the professional librarians in their capacities as Department Liaisons.
Criteria for selection include:
- lasting value of the content
- appropriateness of the level of treatment
- strength of present holdings in same or similar subject area
- cost
- reliability of author and/or reputation of publisher
- use in one or more disciplines
- physical durability of material
- accessibility/availability of material
Faculty members and librarians make preliminary selections for individual subject areas. Subject specialists and Department Liaisons review selections, and the Collection Development Librarian makes the final ordering decisions.
Orders are placed with large, main-stream book vendors first, for efficiency and speed of service. Subsequently smaller companies and/or out-of-print specialists may be used.
Gifts
The McQuade Library welcomes and encourages any gift, which may contribute to the development of its collection in support of the curriculum. Gifts must conform to the general selection guidelines previously mentioned in the collection development policy.
Those wishing to make arrangements to donate materials should contact the Collection Development Librarian. The Office of Institutional Advancement is notified of any gifts accepted by the Library, so that accurate donor records may be kept. Similarly, the Office of Institutional Advancement notifies the Library of any Library gifts that are initially handled by the Office of Institutional Advancement.
Guidelines and Process for Accepting Gifts
- The Collection Development Librarian shall determine the acceptance of gifts.
- The donor must provide a description of any gift before it can be considered. The library reserves the right to decline donations without prior consent. All gifts are final. The donor relinquishes all rights to ownership and dispensation.
- If a gift is not suitable for the collection, the library reserves the right to dispose of the gift in an appropriate manner. The Collection Development Librarian will acknowledge gifts and donations in writing.
- At the donor's request, appropriate recognition will be given to gifts retained by the library by affixing book plates or labels showing the donor's name and/or the name of the person in whose honor the gift was made. The library cannot maintain separate named collections.
- The library will not accept restrictions on usage of gifts, which are contrary to general library policy.
- The library cannot appraise gift materials for tax purposes. Donors will be referred to appropriate catalogs, book dealers and indices if they wish to determine the value themselves.
- The library accepts cash donations to be used for the purchase of library materials, equipment or services and will honor the donor's wishes regarding the nature of materials or services to be purchased, provided such purchases meet the needs of the library.
- Reproductions or photocopies of copyrighted works will not be accepted unless compliance with the copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) is proven.
Gifts will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Support of the curriculum
- Support of collection development priorities
- Relevance of subject matter
- Physical condition
The Collection Development Librarian will be responsible for the evaluation of all potential gifts.
Collection Development Liaisons may be consulted for evaluating gifts accepted in their particular subject area.
Library staff may consult with members of the faculty or others with appropriate expertise when specialized knowledge is required in order to evaluate a gift.
Collection Maintenance Policy : Preservation, Conservation, and De-selection
Preservation refers to the retention of the intellectual content of material found at the McQuade Library. The McQuade Library’s policy is to maintain and preserve the library collections in original or in reproduction format in order to provide access to information for our users and to protect unique materials. Priorities will be determined by our collection policy and the availability of resources.
Conservation refers to the effort to conserve or save the physical entity or artifact in its original condition. The Library strives to maintain a physical environment most beneficial to the maintenance of the collection and the comfort of its users within the limitations set by budgetary and building constraints.
De-selection constitutes the removal of outdated, superseded, damaged or duplicated material from the collection. Materials removed from the reference collection may be placed in circulation if considered of lasting value. The McQuade Library withdraws books and other materials from its general and special collections to maintain the usefulness of these collections and to make most effective use of available space. The same judgement and discretion used in building the collection are required in determining which materials should be removed. Principal reasons for the removal of materials are irreparable condition, obsolescence of contents, and reduced demand requiring fewer copies of a work than when originally purchased. The Collection Development Librarian is authorized to remove materials of minimum or modest value. When it seems appropriate to remove items of greater value, final approval is obtained from the Library Director. Materials of little or no value may be destroyed. Those that may still be useful elsewhere are made available to schools, libraries, and other appropriate non-profit institutions.
Censorship and Intellectual Freedom
McQuade Library supports the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights, its Intellectual Freedom Statement, and its statement on Challenged Materials. (See Appendices) The library attempts to purchase materials which represent differing opinions on controversial matters. Selections are made without partisanship regarding matters of race, sex, religion or moral philosophy.
The McQuade Library collects within each discipline at levels that support its academic programs. Collection levels provide guidance in determining the collection strength based on current needs, and identifies the collecting intensity to which the library aspires to build its collection. The American Library Association Collection Level Indicators used at the McQuade Library have been set by the professional Library staff in consultation with the academic department chairs. The Library professional staff makes the final decision in assigning collection levels. Below are the American Library Association Collection Level Indicators:
Level 0: Out of Scope
The library does not collect in this area.
Level 1: Minimal
A collection for which few selections are made beyond introductory/very
basic material.
Level 1a: Minimal with Uneven Coverage
Few selections are made and there is uneven representation of
a subject.
Level 1b: Minimal with Even Coverage
Few selections are made, but key authors, some core works, or
a spectrum of views are represented.
Level 2: Basic Information
A collection of up-to-date materials which serves to introduce and define a subject and to indicate the varieties of information available elsewhere. It may include dictionaries, encyclopaedias, access to appropriate bibliographic databases, standard and significant works, handbooks, manuals, films, sound recordings and a few popular or major serials. A basic information collection can support general inquiries, school and some undergraduate instruction, and information at a popular level, but is not sufficiently intensive to support advanced undergraduate courses.
Level 2a: Basic Information: Introductory
The emphasis at this level is on providing resources which introduce and define a subject. A collection at this level includes basic reference sources and explanatory works, such as textbooks; historical descriptions of the subject's development; general works devoted to major topics and figures in the field; and selective major periodicals. This level is sufficient to support clients attempting to locate general information about a subject or students enrolled in introductory level courses.
Level 2b: Basic Information: Augmented
At this level, basic information about a subject is provided
on a wider range of topics and with more depth. There is a broader
selection of basic explanatory works, historical descriptions,
reference sources and periodicals that serve to introduce and
define a subject. This level is sufficient to support students
in basic courses as well as supporting the basic information
needs of clients in public and special libraries.
Level 3: Intermediate
A collection containing a broad range of resources adequate to
support undergraduate and most graduate instruction, sustained
independent study, work based interests or specialized inquiries;
that is, adequate to impart and maintain a knowledge of a subject
in a systematic way at less than research intensity. It includes
a wide range of basic works in appropriate formats, the fundamental
reference sources and bibliographical works, a significant number
of classic retrospective materials, complete collections of the
works of more important authors, selections from the works of secondary
writers, a selection of representative journals and access to appropriate
databases.
Level 3a: Intermediate: Introductory
A collection at this level provides resources adequate for imparting
and maintaining knowledge about the primary topics of a subject
area. It includes a broad range of basic works in appropriate
formats, classic retrospective materials, all key journals on
primary topics, selected journals and seminal works on secondary
topics, the fundamental reference sources and bibliographical
works and access to appropriate databases. The collection is
adequate to support undergraduate instruction, as well as most
independent study and work-based needs of the clientele of public
and special libraries; it is not adequate to support postgraduate
courses.
Level 3b: Intermediate: Augmented
A collection at this level provides resources adequate for imparting
and maintaining knowledge about the primary and secondary topics
of a subject area. The collection includes a significant number
of seminal works and journals on the primary and secondary topics
in the field; a significant number of retrospective materials;
a substantial collection of works by secondary figures; works
that provide more in depth coverage of a subject area.
Level 4: Research
A collection containing both current and retrospective resources, with historical material retained. Such a collection supports postgraduate and independent research and includes the major required published source materials. It includes all important reference works, a wide selection of specialized monographs, a very extensive collection of journals and immediate access to bibliographies, abstracting and indexing services in the field, materials containing research findings and non-bibliographic databases. The collection will provide materials in all appropriate formats and languages, including original materials and ephemera.
Level 5: Comprehensive
A collection that includes, as far as is reasonably possible,
all significant works of recorded knowledge (publications, manuscripts,
other forms) in all applicable languages, for a necessarily defined
and limited field.
This level of collecting intensity is one that maintains a special
collection; the aim, if not the achievement, is exhaustiveness.
POLICY IMPLEMENTATION, EVALUATION, AND REVISION
Every three years beginning in 2004 the policy shall be reviewed by the Library’s professional staff in collaboration with the Library Advisory Committee. Final approval of the policy shall be granted by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.