84 · Representative Documents: Collection Management Strategies
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
Collection Development Policy
http://www.library.umass.edu/about-the-libraries/library-policies-procedures-and-guidelines/
collection-development-policy/
UMass Amherst Site Search
About the Libraries » Library Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines » Collection Development Policy
Collection Development Policy
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Collection Development Policy
I. Our Research Mission
The UMass Amherst Libraries mission is to support the teaching and research efforts of the university. Communication between library liaisons and faculty to identify
materials to support research and programmatic needs is central to acquiring resources that faculty and students need.
This policy provides a framework for the underlying principles and guidelines in the selection, acquisition, evaluation, and maintenance of library resources. It also helps
to communicate the Libraries’ policies concerning goals and methods to faculty, students, staff and users. As academic programs, information needs, and technology
change, the Libraries remain committed to meeting new information demands.
II. Balancing the Collections
Until the last decade of the twentieth century, academic library collections primarily comprised print materials. The advent of electronic resources and the rising demand
for access to them has shifted the focus of library collections. However, the basic goal remains: to provide the UMass Amherst community with the resources it needs to
pursue academic excellence. The Libraries’ collection development program has always strived to provide information in the most appropriate formats. When scholarly
materials are available in multiple formats, the Libraries will normally acquire the material in only one format to efficiently steward the University’s resources. There are
instances, however, when having resources available in more than one format allows us to make the material accessible to library users when and where they need it.
III. Access Versus Ownership
Understanding that no one library can acquire materials to satisfy all of the needs of its users, the UMass Amherst Libraries are committed to providing access to
materials we do not own through resource sharing and cooperative collection development agreements with other libraries. Integrating access to resources that are not
part of the Libraries’ collection is a necessity and provides the university community with access to a wider range of materials than the Libraries could ever hope to
provide within our materials budget.
The UMass Amherst Libraries goal is to continue to integrate an approach to materials that includes a balance of traditional, locally owned materials along with access to
materials that are not owned. Cost-efficient and best practice models will be incorporated into the decision-making process regarding access to information in all
formats.
IV. Collection Development Guideline
The Libraries adhere to the guidelines below:
Develop high quality, relevant and balanced collections to support and strengthen teaching and research.
Implement collection management policies to build and maintain print, electronic, and media resources to support information needs of the University.
Provide leadership in a team-based environment to plan, manage, and formulate policies, and to prioritize resources to develop balanced collections that meet
new demands and evolving technologies.
Communicate with faculty to build on existing collection strengths where those align with current research and curricular needs and to develop awareness of new
and evolving areas of scholarship.
Expand access to information through resource sharing and other cooperative agreements with libraries locally, regionally, nationally, and worldwide.
Share with faculty how they can make a difference with new scholarly communication models.
V. General Criteria
The following criteria apply to all materials. Particular criterion may assume greater or lesser importance depending on the type of materials under consideration or the
subject matter covered.
Curriculum and research need.
Scope and content – comprehensiveness and depth of coverage.
Scholarly value.
Currency and timeliness.
Computer books, especially computer manuals, published 4 years or before are not selected or purchased.
Selection of older editions would only occur with valid reasons.
Relevance to existing collections.
Physical quality and/or special features.
Availability of materials through Interlibrary Loan or document delivery.
Inclusion in major indexing and abstracting tools or professional organization indexes.
User-friendly search interface.
Suitable for use on available hardware and platforms.
Consistently reliable response time and overall technical performance.
Cost – the purchase price as well as any on-going expense of maintaining access. Excessive cost may limit access.
Mode of access available from the vendor (e.g., Internet, LAN, single workstation)
Size of the potential audience
Services About the Libraries Research Collections Search Tools
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
Collection Development Policy
http://www.library.umass.edu/about-the-libraries/library-policies-procedures-and-guidelines/
collection-development-policy/
UMass Amherst Site Search
About the Libraries » Library Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines » Collection Development Policy
Collection Development Policy
University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Collection Development Policy
I. Our Research Mission
The UMass Amherst Libraries mission is to support the teaching and research efforts of the university. Communication between library liaisons and faculty to identify
materials to support research and programmatic needs is central to acquiring resources that faculty and students need.
This policy provides a framework for the underlying principles and guidelines in the selection, acquisition, evaluation, and maintenance of library resources. It also helps
to communicate the Libraries’ policies concerning goals and methods to faculty, students, staff and users. As academic programs, information needs, and technology
change, the Libraries remain committed to meeting new information demands.
II. Balancing the Collections
Until the last decade of the twentieth century, academic library collections primarily comprised print materials. The advent of electronic resources and the rising demand
for access to them has shifted the focus of library collections. However, the basic goal remains: to provide the UMass Amherst community with the resources it needs to
pursue academic excellence. The Libraries’ collection development program has always strived to provide information in the most appropriate formats. When scholarly
materials are available in multiple formats, the Libraries will normally acquire the material in only one format to efficiently steward the University’s resources. There are
instances, however, when having resources available in more than one format allows us to make the material accessible to library users when and where they need it.
III. Access Versus Ownership
Understanding that no one library can acquire materials to satisfy all of the needs of its users, the UMass Amherst Libraries are committed to providing access to
materials we do not own through resource sharing and cooperative collection development agreements with other libraries. Integrating access to resources that are not
part of the Libraries’ collection is a necessity and provides the university community with access to a wider range of materials than the Libraries could ever hope to
provide within our materials budget.
The UMass Amherst Libraries goal is to continue to integrate an approach to materials that includes a balance of traditional, locally owned materials along with access to
materials that are not owned. Cost-efficient and best practice models will be incorporated into the decision-making process regarding access to information in all
formats.
IV. Collection Development Guideline
The Libraries adhere to the guidelines below:
Develop high quality, relevant and balanced collections to support and strengthen teaching and research.
Implement collection management policies to build and maintain print, electronic, and media resources to support information needs of the University.
Provide leadership in a team-based environment to plan, manage, and formulate policies, and to prioritize resources to develop balanced collections that meet
new demands and evolving technologies.
Communicate with faculty to build on existing collection strengths where those align with current research and curricular needs and to develop awareness of new
and evolving areas of scholarship.
Expand access to information through resource sharing and other cooperative agreements with libraries locally, regionally, nationally, and worldwide.
Share with faculty how they can make a difference with new scholarly communication models.
V. General Criteria
The following criteria apply to all materials. Particular criterion may assume greater or lesser importance depending on the type of materials under consideration or the
subject matter covered.
Curriculum and research need.
Scope and content – comprehensiveness and depth of coverage.
Scholarly value.
Currency and timeliness.
Computer books, especially computer manuals, published 4 years or before are not selected or purchased.
Selection of older editions would only occur with valid reasons.
Relevance to existing collections.
Physical quality and/or special features.
Availability of materials through Interlibrary Loan or document delivery.
Inclusion in major indexing and abstracting tools or professional organization indexes.
User-friendly search interface.
Suitable for use on available hardware and platforms.
Consistently reliable response time and overall technical performance.
Cost – the purchase price as well as any on-going expense of maintaining access. Excessive cost may limit access.
Mode of access available from the vendor (e.g., Internet, LAN, single workstation)
Size of the potential audience
Services About the Libraries Research Collections Search Tools
