Selection of Materials
All materials acquired with library funds are University property available for use by the entire campus community. Librarians will consult with the faculty and departments in the selection of specific information services and resources. The faculty has the expertise and knows the information requirements of their respective areas of instruction. Therefore, they are encouraged to recommend materials for inclusion in the collection. Ultimate responsibility for the selection, development, and maintenance of the collection rests with the librarians, who are aware of selection tools, use patterns, collection imbalances, and the specific informational needs of library users.
All requests for materials are reviewed and compared to selection guidelines. Student and staff requests are welcomed and will be reviewed by the same standard as requests from other sources. Any member of the academic community, faculty, staff, or students may initiate recommendations for the purchase of library materials. Faculty should communicate the implementation of new academic programs to the library so that needed resources may be ordered.
Selection Levels
It is recognized that the requirements for library materials may vary in different subject areas. The library catalog and the mission statement will be consulted to aid in establishing the selections.
Minimal Level. A subject area in which few selections are made beyond very basic works and reference sources.
Basic Information Level. A collection of up-to-date general materials that serve to introduce and define a subject and to indicate the varieties of information available elsewhere. A basic information collection is not sufficient to support any advanced undergraduate course or independent study in the areas involved.
Instructional Support Level. A collection that supports undergraduate and graduate instruction and research. A collection adequate to maintain knowledge of a subject required for limited or generalized purpose. It includes a wide range of basic monographs, complete collections of the works of more important writers, selections from the works of secondary writers, a selection of representative journals, access to appropriate non-bibliographic databases, and reference tools about the subject.
Research Level. A collection that includes the major published source materials required for dissertations and independent research including materials containing research reporting, new findings, scientific experimental results, and other information useful to researchers. Older material is retained for historical research.
Comprehensive Level. A collection in which a library endeavors, so far as is reasonably possible, to include all significant works, and recorded knowledge (publications, manuscripts, other forms) in all applicable languages, for a necessarily defined and limited field. This selection level seeks to maintain a "special collection". The aim, if not the achievement, is exhaustiveness.