The Library strives to collect as completely as is necessary to support the courses taught by the College, but does not strive for completeness for the sake of completeness.

 

The Library prefers to purchase well-made paperback books, when available, in order to reduce costs. Newly published books only available in hardcover will be purchased in hardcover, and requests that specific items be purchased in hardcover will be honored when possible.

Occasionally, we will purchase used copies to replace out-of-date titles and books that are beyond repair.

 

The Library does not collect textbooks. Individual exceptions will be considered if a textbook is the only or best authoritative source of information for a particular subject. Textbooks donated by faculty desiring their addition to the collection will also be considered on a case-by-case basis.

 

As a rule, the Library does not purchase duplicates of items currently available in the collection. However, certain circumstances may warrant the purchase of a duplicate copy. Examples include essential texts which experience heavy usage, resulting in no copies on the shelf at any time, thus hindering access, or extensive reserve assignments which would necessitate many students using the same copy of a text. (Library funds should not, however, be spent to allow students to avoid buying required course materials.)  Special materials in support of disabled students will be purchased on an as-needed basis.

Non-Print Materials

Faculty, student, and staff requests for non-print materials, including but not limited to videos, DVDs, sound recordings, and CD-ROMs, are evaluated on the same basis as are books, with consideration given to the ability of the Library/AV departments or requesting department to provide the appropriate technological support and equipment necessary to use the material.

Serials

While the Library would like to provide the same level of open-door service to serial publications as it provides to monographic materials, serials are a more difficult acquisitions issue. Serials require an on-going financial commitment instead of a one-time price, and so must be carefully considered before a subscription can be added to the Library. In addition, serials prices have risen astronomically in recent years, straining the Library’s periodicals budget, which has not increased proportionally. Faculty wishing to add a subscription to the Library are generally provided with a price and usage summary of discipline-specific titles, and asked to review the subscriptions in their subject discipline to identify a title that might be discontinued.

De-Selection

Weeding is done annually at the time of inventory to remove books that are no longer needed, e.g. duplicates.