Collection Development Policy
- Purposes and Goals of Collection Development Collection development refers to the process of building and maintaining the library’s collection. The collection development policy establishes the principles used by the Kenneth J. Shouldice Library of Lake Superior State University [or, LSSU Library], in the selection, acquisition, evaluation, and maintenance of information resources in electronic, print and non-print formats. The collection policy reflects the philosophies stated in the LSSU mission and the LSSU Library vision and communicates the guiding principles for the collection to faculty, students, staff, and other interested persons while providing guidance to those responsible for developing the collection. The primary goal of the LSSU Library’s collection development efforts is to build a collection that supports the needs of the undergraduate programs at LSSU. Because the library also recognizes its responsibility to respond to the research needs of the faculty and provide access to specialized information sources, the library participates in and encourages cooperative collection development and resource sharing agreements with other libraries.
- Responsibility for Library Collection Development Using qualitative and/or quantitative assessment measures, librarians are responsible for monitoring the strengths and weaknesses of the collections supporting academic programs in their liaison areas and for setting priorities for these collections. It is expected that faculty will work with LSSU librarians to recommend appropriate library materials and that academic departments will involve librarians in collection analysis and development for proposed new programs and for departmental program reviews. Ultimate responsibility for the library’s collection rests with the Library Director.
- Library Materials Funds The library’s materials budget is used to purchase research databases, serials and books in print or electronic format and audio, video, or other non-print materials. The university allocation is supplemented by funds from gifts and an account with the Alumni Foundation.
- Selection Policies Selection of materials is a continuous process affected by the changing curriculum as well as the availability of new materials. As with all library purchases, the primary criteria for selection is the extent to which the material is relevant to the curriculum, improves the overall library collection, and enhances access to information. The general policy for selection applies equally to all types of materials being considered for the library’s collection.
- Standards and Ethical and Legal Principles
- Standards The LSSU Library supports the statements on resources adopted by the American Library Association’s Association of College and Research Libraries and articulated in the Standards for Libraries in Higher Education.
- Intellectual Freedom and Censorship The LSSU Library recognizes that free access to ideas and full freedom of expression are fundamental to the educational process. Accordingly, the library purchases materials that represent a wide variety of viewpoints. To this end, the library subscribes to and complies with the Intellectual Freedom Statements and Policies of the American Library Association, including but not limited to the American Library Association Library Bill of Rights. The library does 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 may articulate their concerns in writing to the Library Director.
- Confidentiality The Code of Ethics of the American Library Association establish guidelines for the protection of library users’ privacy and confidentiality rights. Following these guidelines, information about library materials recommended by library users will not be shared with third parties.
- Copyright The LSSU Library complies fully with all of the provisions of the U.S. Copyright Law (17 U.S.C.) and its amendments. The library strongly supports the Fair Use section of the Copyright Law.
- Guidelines for Selection of All Materials
- Relevance to the curriculum and usefulness to the LSSU academic audience
- Timeliness and lasting value of content and format
- Reputation of the author, issuing body, and/or publisher
- Presentation and usability (style, clarity, intuitiveness, and organization)Aesthetic considerations: (1) literary, artistic, or social value; (2) appeal to the imagination, senses, or intellect
- Special features: (1) accurate, usable index; (2) bibliography; (3) footnotes; (4) pictorial representations
- Physical and technical quality: (1) paper, typography, and binding; (2) stability; (3) compatibility with other library systems
- Suitability of content to format
- Strength of present holdings on the same or similar subject
- Frequency of document delivery requests for material on the same or similar subject
- Price/relative cost of material in relation to the budget and other available or needed material
- Inclusion in subject specific and standard library reviewing sources
- Holdings of other libraries in appropriate resource-sharing networks
- Where materials have a geographical focus, materials relating to Sault Ste. Marie, MI, Chippewa County, Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and the State of Michigan and the Midwest are preferred.
- Current publications have priority over retrospective buying
- Considerations for Selection of Specific Types and Formats of Materials
- Works of fiction are selected based on choosing established literary works and new works of promise in the literary field, especially those works that support literature course offerings.
- Foreign-language materials are selected to support the curriculum in literature and language studies. Basic language tools such as foreign language dictionaries and phrase books are collected for general reference needs.
- Electronic resources are the preferred format for many library resources. These products include databases, abstracts and indexes, data files, journals and e-books.
- Maps are selected from the U.S. government through its depository library program with priority given to maps of Michigan and the Midwest.
- Duplicates are not selected unless warranted by heavy usage of copies already held by the library.
- Gifts are added to the collection based on the same selection criteria used for purchased materials.
- Textbooks and manuals are not purchased or added to the collection unless they have earned a reputation as classics in their fields or are the only or best sources of information on a particular topic.
- The library does not select materials in proprietary, nonstandard or obsolete formats.
- The library does not collect materials such as article reprints or preprints, equipment manuals, costumes, educational toys and games, medical instruments, models, specimens, laboratory equipment, or materials meant for consumption.
- Select titles in popular fiction are added to the collection on an infrequent basis.
- Gift policy – LSSU Library uses its gift policy when accepting any and all donations
- Specialized Collections
- Archives The purpose of the University Archives is to collect, organize, and preserve the historic documents of LSSU. The library has maintained a selective archive since the 1970s. Collected materials include: student newspapers, yearbooks, catalogs, student produced publications, pre-digital photographs, and board of trustees agendas and minutes. In 2016, the library initiated a digitization project that includes digitizing some archives materials. University Archives does not include personnel or student records and rules of confidentiality are observed for sensitive materials.
- Children’s Literature All books, fiction and nonfiction, with an intended audience of preschool through young adult are housed on the main floor. The purpose of the collection is to provide a sample of books written for children for use by students in education and other careers working with children. Special emphasis is placed on acquiring award-winning and special-merit books. Caldecott and Newbery award and honor winners are collected along with other notable children’s books.
- Reference The reference collection supports the research needs of LSSU students, faculty and staff. It contains such materials as abstracts and indexes, encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, directories, statistical compilations, and handbooks.
- Serials Serials are issued in print, microform, and electronic formats. Preference is given to electronic format, although all formats are considered in the library’s purchase and/or access decisions. Because serials require a continuing financial and maintenance commitment, the LSSU Library whenever possible works with the College/School/Departments to review serials and databases for cancellations and additions of serials subscriptions and review of appropriate media formats. Criteria for Selection of Serials
- Relevance to the curriculum and usefulness to the LSSU academic audience
- Cost of ownership compared to cost of access and availability of the material through document delivery services; factors to consider include price, cost of storage, delivery time, and demand
- Strength of present holdings on the same or similar subject
- Full-text availability through electronic means including the consideration of an embargo imposed by the publisher
- Professional reputation
- Indexing and abstracting in sources accessible to library users
- Government Documents
- State The library is not a depository for State of Michigan documents.
- Federal Documents The primary purpose of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) is to provide free, unimpeded access to government information and information services for both the primary users of the parent institution and the wider constituency of the congressional district or the geographical area that it serves. The LSSU Library meets the requirements for collection maintenance and public service set forth in the Federal Depository Library Handbook. Details on collection requirements for federal documents can be found at the Federal Depository Library Collection Development site. The LSSU Library participates in resource sharing and cooperative collection programs for federal documents and selects at a 24% level.
- Foreign National and International Documents The LSSU Library is not a depository for foreign national government documents or the documents of other international government organizations, such as the United Nations. However, the library does select core documents when they meet the selection criteria enumerated within this policy.
- Special Collections Criteria of selection
- Materials of local historical significance such as city directories and local weather data
- Rare books
- Books of local history
- Nautical books including materials on the great lakes.
- Native American books and artifacts
- Collection Maintenance
- Location of Materials Information resources purchased with library funds and gifts to the library become part of the library collection and the shelving location of these resources is determined by the librarians. Access to electronic information is in compliance with licensing agreements.
- De-selection De-selection of library materials, the process of removing items from the collection, is essential for the maintenance of an active, academically useful library collection. De-selection provides quality control for the collection by elimination of outdated, inaccurate, and worn-out materials. Librarians are responsible for conducting an ongoing de-selection effort in consultation with faculty and for maintaining the quality of the collection. The same guidelines used for selection of library materials provide the underlying principles for de-selection.
- Conservation, Preservation, and Replacement Library materials are expensive to purchase, process, and house. The LSSU Library acknowledges the necessity of preserving library materials and supports the American Library Association’s Preservation Policy. The Director in consultation with library personnel determines what action should be taken with damaged and worn materials. The library is developing a disaster plan which will designate procedures for the initiation of action should an emergency arise involving the library’s collection.
- Access/Ownership Statement The LSSU Library’s goal is to maintain a cost-effective combination of owning traditional collections and providing access to other materials, to best support the needs of the LSSU community. Integrating access as a part of the collection development policy offers advantages to the library as an information provider. The developments in electronic information systems have made it possible for libraries to collect and organize, and provide access to resources through cooperative collection development and resource sharing. When it is determined that access on demand is more economically feasible in terms of storage, projected use, and cost, this option enhances the library’s ability to expand the information base available to its primary users.
- Resource Sharing and Cooperative Collection Development The LSSU Library is committed to resource sharing and cooperative collection development as this will assure the broadest possible access to information for the international community of scholars. The LSSU Library is an active participant in local, state, regional, and international resource-sharing networks.
- Collection Development Policy Evaluation The Collection Development Policy is reviewed periodically by the Director and Librarians.
Developed and approved: May 4, 2017
