The purpose of the Norwich University Library (NUL) Collection Development Policy is to provide guidance in the selection of materials for the Kreitzberg Library. The collection is created through traditional acquisitions methods: selected by faculty and librarians, standing orders, lease agreements for electronic resources and gifts from alumni and friends of the university. This policy also outlines the allocation of library funds to the University's academic divisions, librarian selector responsibilities, and various collection management policies and guidelines. This policy is intended to be a working document, to be reviewed in a timely manner in order to accommodate changes in the university's curriculum and the rapidly changing technologies, which impact libraries.
The mission of the Kreitzberg Library is to develop and provide the information resources, services and environment that support Norwich University's academic and administrative goals. As a federal depository library, Kreitzberg library provides US federal government information to congressional constituents.
The primary purpose of collection development at Norwich is to build a collection supporting the undergraduate and graduate programs at Norwich. The collection development policy reinforces the University and NUL missions. The NUL also recognizes the more specialized research needs of student and faculty conducting independent and advanced research. The NUL is committed to these needs through access services including electronic database searching, interlibrary loan, and other electronic delivery methods.
In addition to curriculum support, the NUL is committed to providing a balanced collection with general information sources in subject areas not covered by classroom instruction. The NUL encourages lifelong learning and literacy with recreational reading materials.
In creating a balanced collection in support of the university curriculum, the library adheres to the principles expressed in the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights and Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries. (See the appendices for copies of these documents.)
Books are collected. Course textbooks, workbooks, and study guides are purchased only as exceptions. Book orders are reviewed by librarian divisional liaisons before ordering.
Criteria for selection includes: immediate relevance to the curriculum; appropriateness for our user population; timeliness; lasting value; reputation of the author or publisher; strength of the current holdings in the subject area, user demand including interlibrary loan requests; and cost in relation to the amount of funds available and other available material.
Journals are generally purchased only by subscription. Since journals require an ongoing, long-term commitment in cost, storage, and maintenance, their selection requires significantly more consideration than an individual book purchase. Recent inflation rates in the 10-12% range also impact journal selection. It is for these reasons that the Library Director is responsible for the journal budget, which is not part of the divisional allotments for materials. Library users requesting a journal subscription are asked to complete a Journal Request Form describing the value of the title to the university (see appendices).
The criteria used to select a new subscription are fairly rigorous and include: demonstrated, direct support for the curriculum; strength of the existing collection in the subject area; cost vs. the availability of funds; personal recommendations by university faculty, staff, and students; indexed in an available index or abstracting service; demonstrated use that course assignments will be made directly with the journal; electronic accessibility; interlibrary loan statistics supporting requests for the journal title. Requests for back files of new subscriptions will be examined on a case-by-case basis as the budget allows.
There is very limited acquisition of recreational magazines, which do not support the curriculum.
Standing orders for monographic series are generally purchased for the reference collection. Some divisional related titles are purchased and charged to a divisional allocation budgets. These divisional titles are subject to the same review process as journals since they also require an ongoing commitment.
Newspapers are selected to support the educational needs of the university community. Several national, regional, and local newspapers are collected. No attempt is made to collect students' hometown newspapers.
Microforms are generally collected to conserve space. Daily newspapers and weekly journals are generally retained on microfilm. Microforms are also selected when their original format is cost prohibitive or when they are no longer available in their original format.
The NUL collects 7.5-minute U.S.G.S. topographic maps for the New England states and New York. The collection also contains selected demographic and political maps received through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP). National Geographic maps are also collected. USGS Miscellaneous Investigations Maps, USGS Geological Quadrangle Maps, and maps associated with the USGS Professional Papers, Bulletins, and Circulars are received as part of the FDLP and are housed in the Geology Library.
Audio materials are collected on a very limited basis since the NUL does not have a multimedia department. "Books on tape," foreign language tapes, and other spoken word cassettes are collected on a limited basis, mostly as gifts. No music audio materials are collected.
Video materials are collected in two distinct ways. Most videos are purchased out of divisional allocations and are in direct support of the curriculum. Limited recreational videos of a classic, lasting value are collected to support recreational and cultural interests on campus. VHS and DVD are the formats collected by the NUL.
Electronic Materials are defined for the purposes of this policy as materials requiring the use of a computer. Many of these products are purchased by subscription or lease. They include CD-ROMs, machine-readable data files delivered over the Internet, e-journals, and other electronic formats.
Student Papers collected are those which either support the curriculum or are outstanding because of significant research or creative writing. In some cases two or more copies may be collected for both archival and circulating purposes. The papers will include but are not limited to the following: Graduate programs, divisional honors papers, nursing award papers, technical and professional writing series papers, architectural theses, and prize winning papers for contests sponsored by FONUL, the Faculty Library Committee or other University bodies (e.g. Library Prize for best research paper, NU history essay contest).
Each year the Library Director allocates a portion of the total materials budget to the academic divisions. The remaining funds for materials are expended on books, serials, microforms, reference materials, maps, videos, replacements, bindery, electronic resources, and other library materials.
Ultimate responsibility for the development and maintenance of library collections at Norwich University rests with the Library Director. The director will assign selection responsibilities to librarians who service as liaison to academic divisions. Budget allocations are provided to each division to foster a cooperative library materials selection arrangement between faculty and librarian divisional liaisons. Faculty members are encouraged to monitor their professional literature for appropriate library acquisitions and to inform the librarians of materials most useful for course requirements and for student research needs. Librarians will provide assistance with review media (Choice cards, bibliographies of best "books" recommendations based on reference desk questions from students, and other reviewing media). Any member of the Norwich community can recommend materials for purchase. Recommendations are reviewed using the same standards as are applied to all other selection requests.
The purpose of the reference collection is to support the academic disciplines
which comprise the curriculum at the University and to support the mission of
the University. A limited number of materials are acquired to support general
reference needs of the Norwich community. Reference materials are non-circulating
to ensure constant availability. Librarians strive to provide remote access
to electronic resources when possible.
Resources are collected in both print and electronic format (CD-ROMs, online
databases, Internet resources etc.). Guidelines used by librarians in selection
include: current user needs; usefulness of the publication, considering the
existing collection, currency of the topic and material, date of publication,
cost, authority, and favorable reviews.
Sources used for selection include standard reference guides (i.e. Guide to
Reference Books; Reference Resources for Small and Medium Sized Libraries),
professional literature, book review sources, publisher's catalogs, and annual
lists of reference books.
All reference librarians participate in the selection of reference materials.
A consideration file is maintained and reviewed by reference librarians for
comments. All selections are submitted to the Coordinator for Public Services
for approval and then forwarded to the Acquisitions Department to be ordered.
Major purchases are discussed with the Council of Librarians and/or the Director
of Libraries. Shelf reading and stack maintenance is done on an ongoing basis.
Weeding projects are undertaken periodically to maintain relevancy, usability,
currency and accuracy of the collection.
Special Collections consists of two major components. The Archives is a repository for non-current official University records, papers, and related archival and published materials. The Archives exists to collect, arrange, preserve and make available these materials which document the history of Norwich University, its students, faculty, and alumni. The Archives also attempts to collect, preserve and make available a wide range of papers, manuscripts, documents, photographs, and recordings, especially as the pertain to Norwich University and Vermont College, to local history, to the military, and to those alumni who have demonstrated leadership in civilian and military pursuits.
The second component, the Rare Books Library, considers for inclusion those books:
Special Collections Storage: The main area for library storage is the basement of the library, which is not a desirable environment for storage of materials. Storage space and quality continue to be critical issues. Other presidential papers, documents, records, artifacts, artwork, and portraits are currently stored in various areas around the library and in other buildings on campus. Plans and proposals for storage have been made in the past. These should be reviewed and a plan implemented to house archival and library materials in a safe and accessible environment.
The Kreitzberg Library is a selective Federal Depository Library (since 1908) and is required to have a separate collection development policy (see appendices). The documents collection also contains selected Vermont State publications lists (Vermont does not have a state depository system).
The Juvenile Collection is collected in support of children's literature and related academic courses. Books eligible for purchase in this collection include children's books and books for young adults.
The library does not generally purchase duplicate copies of materials; however, additional copies will be added if warranted by heavy use of existing copies or if needed to support programs.
The Norwich University Library is pleased to accept material gifts or monetary donations. The donor will receive an acknowledgement of the gift, and the donor's name will be included in a list of donors published annually in the Friends of Norwich University Library Newsletter. Materials added to the collection will contain a bookplate with the donor's name and/or the name of a person being honored or memorialized. Norwich University does not perform monetary appraisals for tax or other purposes.
Material gifts are welcomed with the understanding that the Library becomes the owner upon receipt and as such reserves the right to determine the disposition of such gifts. The Coordinator of Technical Services, in consultation with the appropriate faculty, will determine which material gifts will be added to the collection. Gifts to Special collections may be negotiated directly with the Special Collections Librarian. Gifts will be evaluated according to the same selection criteria as purchased materials. That is, they will be considered in terms of their support of academic programs and research, their usefulness to the administration and management of the university and its components, their enhancement of resources concerning Norwich history and traditions, and their physical condition. Donations of collections, particularly those with any restrictions placed on housing or handling, will be reviewed more vigorously. It should be noted that shelving these donated collections or single works with books on the same subject in the Library's collection increases availability and ease of use for patrons. Unwanted duplicates and materials that do not meet the preceding criteria will be discarded, sold, or donated to another library. Gifts will be returned to the donor if he/she has indicated that they be returned if not added to the Library collection. The Library cannot accept material with mold or mildew as it may contaminate the entire collection.
The Friends of Norwich University Library (FONUL) has a fund to which monetary donations in support of library collections, services or programming may be made. The Library Director, in consultation with the FONUL Board, will determine the use of these funds.
* This policy applies to gifts of books, rare books and books on tape. Videotapes, unless they are for curriculum-related use or for resale, are not accepted as gifts. Gifts of manuscripts, photographs and other archival materials, as well as gifts of tangible personal property other than books, are governed by other policies.
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Library materials that have been lost or damaged are replaced based on the advice of the librarian liaisons for the given subject area. The decision to replace is based on several criteria including: continued value of the material, patron demand, existing coverage in the collection, availability of newer or better material, and cost.
The most critical element in the preservation of a collection is a stable environment, ideally 65 degrees, 40%RH. Collection maintenance includes proper housing of materials, where they can be kept clean, free from light, dirt, gases and acidity, and physical damage (slumps and tears). Proper housing of archival materials is in acid-free folders, covers, and boxes. Preservation/conservation priorities for individual items/collections is decided by two factors: use and value. Attempts will be made to implement treatment, conservation and reformatting of materials on the basis of these factors annually.
Some materials including long runs of annual reference materials which still have historic value and are not candidates for weeding are designated as storage items and are housed in the Kreitzberg Library basement that is not open to the public. These items are designated as "storage" in the online catalog and can be requested at the circulation or reference desks. Other items that are in storage include pre-1920 runs of journals, some student papers, and other materials.
Deselecting of library materials is important for the maintenance of a current and usable library collection. It improves the collection by eliminating outdated, inaccurate, and worn out materials. Librarian liaisons are responsible for deselecting in their subject areas and may choose to involve faculty in the process. In cases of controversy, the final arbiter in the deselection process is the Library Director.
Criteria for weeding include: