COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY - 1996
Approved by Library Committee: 11/28/95
Approved by Faculty Senate: 2/22/96
MISSION STATEMENT Peterson Memorial Library is a learning environment that responds to the traditional values of the College and to the realities of modern technology. Therefore, the Library fosters the pursuit of knowledge, intellectual and ethical integrity, excellence in teaching and learning, respect for inquiry and diverse points of view, and dedication to service. The Library collects books, periodicals, multimedia, electronic and other resources. It also provides connections to global information networks to enhance the curriculum and assist research. As a locus where information is gathered, organized, and prepared for redistribution, the Library provides members of the College community a place for interaction, consultation, study, instruction, and reflection. Librarians and staff are dedicated to serving the information needs of students and faculty on the main campus, at satellite campuses, and at remote locations.
Library service is essential to the College's educational mission of encouraging the intellectual development of faculty and students. Librarians and staff support the College in this mission by:
- creating and providing the tools that provide access to universal knowledge
- teaching library research skills and the critical evaluation and synthesis of information
- developing, organizing, and maintaining a collection of resources supporting the curriculum of the college, intellectual freedom, and cultural exploration
- offering the College expertise on changing patterns in the creation, organization, and distribution of knowledge.
- cooperating with other area libraries in providing information resources to the Walla Walla valley and Pacific Northwest.
I. LIBRARY GOALS The primary purpose of every library of higher education is to provide its services in such a way that the objective of the parent institution can be realized. The collection of a Seventh-day Adventist college must reflect its Christian aims and purposes. Thus, source materials, the varied interpretations which illuminate the past, and various points of view on issues which clarify the present, must be included in its library collection. PRIMARY COLLECTION/SERVICE GOAL In harmony with this philosophy, the primary goal of Peterson, with regard to the development and maintenance of the collection, is to acquire and make available those information resources which support undergraduate, graduate and professional programs appropriate to each level of instruction offered by the college. Collection levels are based on the College's programs and maintained as described in Section Four.
Additional goals are as follows:
COLLECTION GOALS are to acquire, preserve, and make available:
- library materials for general information in subject areas not included in the curriculum of the college
- a core collection of Adventiana
- important materials related to the history and development of Walla Walla College
recreational reading materials for students - materials of local interest, on local (Pacific Northwest) history, or produced by local presses
SERVICE GOALS are to:
- take an active part in the college program as it strives to meet the needs of students, faculty and staff in their academic and research programs as well as providing materials for their leisure and general reading needs.
- work in cooperation with other libraries in borrowing and lending materials for use on interlibrary loan.
- work with faculty in selecting and using all types of library materials which contribute to their teaching programs.
- Participate with teachers and administrators in programs for continuing professional and cultural growth of the college staff.
- provide an atmosphere where students and faculty alike will feel free to seek help of librarians and staff in obtaining information either from our own collection or from other sources.
II. PERIODICALS Because periodical subscriptions require an on-going commitment of funds over time, a separate collection development policy covers their acquisition and termination. III. RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELECTION Responsibility for the development of the collections at Peterson Memorial Library is jointly shared by librarians and the teaching faculty.
The collection can be custom-designed for Walla Walla College's distinctive needs only if all contributors understand the broader picture, not just the courses they teach. This collection development partnership between librarians and faculty on a small college campus is vital. Librarians are in a unique position to know what patrons are asking for in conjunction with their class assignments and research projects. Their needs do not always correspond exactly to the curriculum. Faculty bring to the selection process the in-depth subject expertise needed to build a quality collection.
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A. Department Chairs and Teaching Faculty
Departments are responsible for taking an active role in recommending the purchase of library materials. Departmental faculty should be encouraged to participate in the selection process since they also have a responsibility for selecting and recommending library materials. Items requested for purchase by faculty within a department must be approved by the department chair.
B. Library Faculty
Each purchase requested by faculty should be made within the framework of this document.
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In addition to monitoring faculty requests to ensure a balanced collection, librarians are specifically responsible for developing the reference collection and selecting materials not covered by an academic department.
IV. COLLECTION LEVELS
This Collection Development Policy establishes minimum selection standards and criteria for each area in which the Library acquires material, both in terms of format and usage. These standards are to be followed by college personnel responsible for selecting library materials. This policy will also serve to inform others, such as students, administrators, college staff, and community members, of the standards used in selecting library materials. A common understanding of selection criteria will allow both librarians and faculty to work toward achieving a well balanced collection. Policy development has included input from librarians, Library Committee members, and academic departments.
A collection depth is assigned to each subject area of Peterson's collection. It reflects the reference and research demands made upon its resources by students and faculty. Collection levels and acquisition commitments are assigned using indicators defined by the Pacific Northwest Collection Assessment Manual. See Appendix I for current collection levels.
In 1991, the base year for collection levels, resources at Peterson collectively ranked at the Intermediate Instructional Support (undergraduate) Level (3b). However, because WWC is a comprehensive college with strong professional and graduate programs, collection depth in Peterson will be maintained at the levels described below.
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS: Subject areas in which undergraduate programs are offered will be developed and maintained at the Intermediate Study or Instructional Support Level (3b), which "provides resources adequate for imparting and maintaining knowledge about the primary and secondary topics of a subject area. The collection includes a broad range of basic works in appropriate formats, classic retrospective materials, seminal works on secondary topics, access to appropriate machine-readable data files, appropriate reference tools, and the fundamental bibliographic apparatus pertaining to the subject. This subdivision of level 3 supports undergraduate courses, including advanced undergraduate and independent study needs. It is not adequate to support master's degree programs."
GRADUATE PROGRAMS: Subject areas in which graduate programs are offered will be developed and maintained at the Advanced Study or Instructional Support Level (3c) which "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; a significant number of retrospective materials, a substantial collection of works by secondary figures; works that provide more in-depth discussions of research, techniques, and evaluation; access to appropriate machine-readable data files; reference tools; and the fundamental bibliographic apparatus pertaining to the subject. This level supports all courses of undergraduate study and master's degree programs."
CURRICULUM SUPPORT AREAS: Subject areas in which no undergraduate or graduate programs are offered but which support general research done by students or cover general knowledge and current affairs will be collected at the Study or Instructional Support Level (3) "A collection that is adequate to impart and maintain knowledge about a subject in a systematic way but at a level of less than research intensity. The collection includes a wide range of basic works in appropriate formats, a significant number of classic retrospective materials, complete collections of the works of more important writers, selections from the works of secondary writers, access to appropriate machine-readable data files, appropriate reference tools, and the fundamental bibliographical apparatus pertaining to the subject."
OTHER: subject areas not included above will be assigned a collection level appropriate to their place in the curriculum and mission of the college and library. Normally, subject fields in which courses are not offered will be maintained at a minimum level.
The collection will be reassessed at least every 10 years. If an integrated, on-line library system is installed before 2002, assessment will be done on a yearly basis.
V. GENERAL CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
The library director, working with the technical services librarian, reference librarian, and the academic department chairs, shall maintain a balance in the purchase of library materials and keep within the budget. The following specific criteria will be used in the selection process:
- consideration will be given to the completeness of current holdings and collection level in each area (see section J and Appendix I)
- each purchase will be considered in view of the library as a system
- selection of additional materials in subject areas of strong student interest or of a contemporary nature within a given discipline should also be considered
- use patterns (circulation and ILL statistics, etc.) should be studied to determine areas of great demand or areas in which the collection is weak.
- library personnel will engage in resource sharing, including interlibrary loan, cooperative collection development, and document delivery, with local and regional libraries
- when scarce resources limit acquisitions, current publications of lasting and scholarly value will be given priority over older and out-of-print materials
- publications in the English language will be given priority over non-English publications, except for the acquisition of materials for the Modern Languages Department when materials are available in both paper and hard back, priority will be given to paper
- the relative importance of all formats of materials for each department or library will be considered but priority will be given to purchases of monograph materials over non-print; only 10% of an academic department's annual book budget may be spent on non-print resources
- duplicate copies, except for Adventiana, will be purchased only on justification of heavy and continued use
- standing orders from selected publishers or for series or sets will be considered when appropriate
- textbooks used in classes taught on the College Place campus will not normally be added to the collection either by purchase or as a gift acquisition
- graduate students and faculty needing in-depth materials for specific theses or dissertations will be encouraged to utilize interlibrary loan services instead of requesting Peterson to acquire them
- strengths and weaknesses of local library collections will be considered in the selection of areas for intensive collection development at Peterson
- books in a particular subject area will ordinarily be purchased from funds allocated to that subject
- priority will be given to works receiving a positive review or evaluation in one or more of the accepted reviewing media and/or citations of the material in specialized bibliographies or indexes.
- the credibility and reputation of the author will be considered
- purchases will be made from reputable publishers
- cost will be considered; if the price is over $100 and the monograph is owned by an area library, a determination must be made of the desirability of acquiring the resource
- materials of student interest or covering contemporary issues will be given priority
- materials necessary for interlibrary loan verification, selection or other support function will be purchased
- works authored by a Walla Walla College faculty member, administrator, , etc., will be given priority
- priority will be given to books completing a set or series already held by the library
- consideration will be given to whether the work is a new edition with revised information not merely a reprint
- either reputation of illustrator or quality of reproduction, for illustrated volumes, will be considered
VI. GIFT MATERIALS
The library accepts gifts of books and other materials as well as funds designated for the purchase of such materials. Gifts are reviewed utilizing these criteria:
- publications will be reviewed by the same standards as applied to new materials
- gift materials must be of such a nature that they can be integrated into the collection and not require special facilities or control unless the gift includes an endowment to provide for those needs.
- normally, the library will not accept additional copies of materials already in the collection. However, such materials may be used to replace worn or missing items.
- the value of the gift should be weighed against space limitations and the cost of processing the materials
- the library has a right to retain or dispose of any gift materials at the discretion of the librarians
- normally materials may not be brought in for promotional or similar purposes, by organizations or individuals not part of the college, for the purpose of leaving them in the building for others to read.
- librarians will not appraise gift materials. They will provide a bibliography of gift titles upon request of the donor.
The library will abide by the regulations concerning gifts as outlined by the Committee on Manuscripts Collections of the Association of College and Research Libraries. 1973. [See appendix 8 in Academic Library Policies].
VII. REPLACEMENTS
Resources that are missing, lost, or withdrawn because of wear will not automatically be replaced. The merit of the book, serial, compact disc, or audio-visual must be considered by the librarian before replacement copies are authorized. Demand for the resource, its value to the collection, and whether or not it has been superseded by a new edition or newer material should be considered as criteria in requesting replacements.
The library will not normally try to replace or purchase out-of-print materials. However, if such materials are given to the library or are deemed important to the collection, they will be accepted. Lost or stolen titles which are standards in their fields, and are currently in print, can be considered for replacement.
VIII. COMPACT DISC (CD) PRODUCTS/NETWORK USE
Because of the equipment and site licensing costs involved, CD products must meet the following criteria to be eligible for addition to the CD-ROM network. CD-products:
- must have a broad application to the college curriculum
- must not be purchased with book budget funds
- purchased by subscription must come from budgets (library or departmental) that can sustain the cost from year-to-year
- must have software that can be networked easily
- must have no or at least a low site licensing cost
In addition:
- hardware to operate such products must be compatible with equipment currently owned
- if additional hardware (CD drives, file servers, ports, etc.) is needed, it must be included in the initial purchase price
IX. COMMERCIALLY SPONSORED MATERIALS
Privately or commercially sponsored books, pamphlets, and audio-visual materials will be acceptable for the Library if they fulfill the following criteria:
- materials supplement or enrich the collection
- materials meet the same standards for selection as applied to purchases
- amount of corporate advertising is kept to a minimum and is tastefully presented.
X. RARE MATERIALS It is not the policy of the library to expend large amounts of money for rare materials. The library, however, may under certain circumstances purchase such materials if their use and presence will justify the cost. XI. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS <dir>
A. SDA Materials
Because of WWC's uniquely Seventh-day Adventist heritage and mission, the library will collect readily available materials by and about Seventh-day Adventists to support the curriculum and meet the recreational and research needs of patrons. Readily available resources, including compilations, by and about Ellen G. White will be acquired. In addition, Peterson will provide selective materials of historical and research value by and about Seventh-day Adventists. Peterson will also acquire a collection of materials by and about Seventh-day Adventists in the Pacific Northwest.
One copy of currently published resources will typically be available in the open stacks. Two copies of significant, potentially high use, and/or popular items will be acquired; one item to reside in the open stacks and one in Special Collections.
Because of the additional expertise, personnel, and appropriate storage necessary for proper handling of unpublished materials, Peterson will not collect such items. Donors will be encouraged to give unpublished and/or rare materials to one of the major SDA research collections (i.e. Andrews or Loma Linda Universities). However, Peterson will not refuse a gift if a donor is unwilling to consider another library.
B. Local Materials
WWC: Peterson will also acquire and house in Special Collections a comprehensive collection containing at least one copy of each master's thesis produced by WWC graduate students. Faculty theses and dissertations will be acquired as possible.
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Pacific Northwest: Materials covering Northwest history and culture will be acquired on a selective basis.
XII. ARCHIVES
The college archives will be housed in Peterson Library. Materials, in all formats, directly relating to WWC's history, actions, and progress will be collected on a comprehensive basis.
XIII. MATERIALS BUDGETS
<dir> A. ANNUAL ACADEMIC BOOK ALLOCATION The Director of Libraries and Library Committee submit separate requests to the Vice President of Academic Administration an amount for the current year's academic book budget. In most cases, the two will have agreed upon a figure both requests will name. The Vice President for Academic Administration then takes this amount, or an amount they deem feasible, into consideration when they present to Cabinet academic/academic support capital needs during the annual capital budget allocation sessions. The Vice President then informs the Library Director the final outcome in the form of the year's book budget. Then, Librarians allocate the budget among the various academic departments, schools, professional, and library entities. Library Committee then provides advice to librarians and endorses the departmental allocations (as per Governance Handbook provisions).
Criteria used in making the allocations include, but are not limited to, the following: total funds available, student credit hours, Pacific Northwest Collection Assessment collection levels (Appendix I), type of program, number of FTE students or majors, average price of books in the subject area, the number of books actually published in the field, library materials essential for the instructional needs of each department, number of faculty in each area, number and level of courses taught (graduate and undergraduate), new courses offered, and deficiencies in the existing collection.
Academic book budget allocations typically occur at the mid-point of the fiscal year: January-February. To facilitate collection development, one third of the budget should be spent by May, the second third by September, and the final third by January.
While most of the responsibility for book selection rests upon the faculty in the individual departments, several mechanisms enable librarians to ensure development of a balanced collection. Librarians have the right to:
1) return for reconsideration any requests that do not meet the criteria set forth in this Collection Development Policy.
2) spend up to 10% of each department's book budget. (Librarians will consult with individual departments during this process). When some funds are spent in the discipline each year, the collection is, to a certain extent, kept up-to-date.
3) spend in their entirety, in consultation with the department, book funds from departments which have spent less than one half of their entire book budget by the time of the next allocation. Such funds will be used to purchase materials in subject areas for which they were originally intended.
Department chairs have the option of requesting that departmental book funds be accumulated from over several years for specific projects. Requests should be made, in writing, to the Director of Libraries.
Actual funds reserved for use by the academic departments are not transferred from the library budget to the budgets of individual departments. They are merely reserved by the library for the purchase of materials requested by the academic departments and remain, at all times, a part of the library's budget.
Materials purchased with funds allocated to the library become library property, available for the use of the entire campus community. It is inappropriate to use library funds to acquire materials for the exclusive use of any group or individual. Personal office collections should be bought with the funds of the person using them.
B. TRANSFERS FROM OPERATING BUDGET
Additional budget allocations are assigned to reference, serials, microforms, abstracts/indexes, CD-ROM products, Library Tools, and binding. They are provided for out of the operating budget and received at the beginning of the fiscal year. Therefore, they do not impact the academic book budget.
C. GIFT, GRANT, AND ENDOWMENT FUNDS
All materials purchased with gift, grant or endowment funds will be subject to the standards and criteria outlined in this collection development policy. They will become library property, and housed in the appropriate library.
</dir> XVI. LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS Peterson Memorial Library affirms the freedom endowed in man by the Creator "to think and to do" (Education, 17). In selecting materials which will aid in the study and pursuit of truth, faculty and librarians are guided by the principles expressed in the Library Bill of Rights (Appendix II). XVII. LIAISON PROGRAM Several of Peterson's librarians have liaison responsibilities with the academic departments They direct appropriate collection development information to faculty and screen book requests for adherence to the Collection Development Policy. XVIII. INTERLIBRARY LOAN Because the library cannot collect all materials needed by its patrons, an interlibrary loan service is operated to procure materials not held at Peterson from other libraries or document delivery services. The interlibrary loan policy outlines the service and is available at the Reference Office. XIX. CHILDREN'S USE OF COLLECTION The library's facilities are open to the public. However, anyone bringing their children to the library is responsible for guiding their use of materials. Library personnel do not act in loco parentis. APPENDIX I
Collection Assessment
During 1991 a collection assessment was completed in conjunction with the college's re-accreditation self-study. At that time, collection holdings supporting undergraduate and graduate programs were compared to Books for College Libraries 3rd ed., using the Pacific Northwest Assessment method. Peterson ranked at the Intermediate Instructional Support (3b) Level at that time for most undergraduate and graduate programs. The following table reflects the collections strengths and weaknesses.
COLLECTION ASSESSMENT
| Collection Level | Number of Disciplines | DISCIPLINE AREAS | Percentage of Disciplines at Collection Level |
| 2 | Germanic & Scandinavian lang./Slavic lang. & lit. | 3.8% out of collection area | |
| 1b | 2 | Other Asian & Oceanic lang. & lit./ African lang. & lit. | |
| 2a | 3 | Modern European languages: general works/romance languages./Japanese & Chinese | 5.8% at or under 2a |
| 2b | 0 | None | |
| 3a | 17 | Fine arts/West Germanic lang./French lit/Gen. Am. hist./HPER/economics/political science/US politics/International law/astronomy/botany/bacteriology microbiology/medicine/ agriculture | 33% at 3a |
| 3b | 23 | Gen. works/philosophy/music/gen.lang. & lit./classical lang.. & lit./gen & comparative lit./Spanish lit./English lit./American lit./aux. sci. hist./ gen. hist./European hist./soc. sci. stats/sociology/political theory of the state/constitutional hist./education/gen. sci./math/physics/natural hist. & bio/zoology/human anatomy/physiology | 44% at 3b |
| 3c | 3 | religion/psychology | 5.8% at or over 3c |
| 4 | 2 | English language/U.S. history | 3.8 at 4 |
Definitions
Audio-visual materials
Non-book materials such as phonograph records, audio-tapes, slides, transparencies, films, filmstrips, video recordings, compact discs, etc. which require apparatus to render them usable.
Book
A book is a single or multi-volume, dealing systematically and in detail with one subject or class of subjects. This definition includes monographic series (series of monographs with a collective title, often issued by a university or society) and reference sources such as encyclopedias, almanacs, and biographical sources. Books are selected for the Library's collection primarily to serve the curricular and research needs of the college community.
Document Delivery
Purchase of journal articles or microforms when an article or other resource is not available from another library or the number of interlibrary loan requests from a journal title has exceeded fair use of copyright (i.e. five articles).
Periodical
A publication with a distinctive title which appears at stated or regular intervals, without prior decision as to when the last issue should appear. Includes magazines, journals, and newspapers.
Serial
Any publication issued in successive parts, appearing at intervals, usually regular ones, and intended to be continued indefinitely. The term includes periodicals, newspapers, annuals, numbered monographic series and the proceedings, transactions and memoirs of societies.
Series
Volumes usually related to each other in subject matter, issued successively and generally by the same publisher, in a uniform style, and usually bearing a collective "series title."
Standing Orders/Continuations
An order to supply each succeeding issue of a an annual or serials publication, or subsequent volumes of a work published in a number of volumes issued intermittently.