Collections Policies

Collection Development Policy

The Casper College Goodstein Foundation Library offers an active and dynamic circulating collection of books, movies, magazines and newspapers for our patrons in support of the academic mission of Casper College. We collect both traditional and emerging information formats in order to meet the needs of a diverse population of patrons. Our collection emphasizes quality and currency whenever appropriate instead of following a historical preservation model.

Objective

This collection development policy offers guidelines for the selection of library materials as well as the criteria for withdrawal of materials from the collection.

Responsibility for Acquisition

Selection and deselection is the responsibility of the librarians at the Casper College Library, with the delegation of subject areas to the appropriate subject librarian. Recommendations for the addition of new material to the collection may come from any library patron, however, the Library makes all final decisions on any purchases.

Acquisition Criteria in Order of Priority

Accreditation needs or new course development
Faculty recommendations for a course that they currently teach
Continued course support or subject development
General book purchase requests

Selection Criteria for Inclusion in Collection

The following criteria are provided to assist Casper College Library staff, faculty, and administrators in selecting material to be added to the Library’s collection. These guidelines apply to material added to all library collections, in addition to any special collection criteria as outlined below.

General Selection Criteria for All Material

Relevance to curriculum-based needs of students
Relevance to instructional needs of CC and UW-C faculty
Contribution to breadth or depth of collection, as appropriate
Appropriate academic level for subject content
Intellectual content and scholarly worth
Value/cost/quality
Timeliness/currency of information
Depth of coverage and appropriateness of scope
Authority and accuracy
Paperback preferred over hardcover for portability & lesser cost
Appropriateness of format
Duplication of content
Physical space requirements
Maintenance costs

Special Collections

Special collections are those collections which necessitate additional parameters in addition to those of the general collection. The following policies dictate any special guidelines or procedures for these collections.

Reference Collection

A reference book is often defined as “a book designed by the arrangement and treatment of its subject matter to be consulted for definite items of information rather than to be read consecutively” (ALA Glossary… 1998).

The Goodstein Foundation Library Reference Collection exists primarily as an instructional tool for Casper College librarians for use at the Reference Desk and in library instruction sessions. It is a small, yet well-used and effective set of reference material designated as non-circulating and is subject to the library’s non-circulating usage tracking. The collection is secondarily used by patrons needing quick informational sources. Generally speaking, subject-specific reference material is located in the main collection unless it meets one or several of the following criteria.

Material included in the reference collection is:

Actively and frequently used by CC librarians in instruction sessions or at the reference desk
Used by CC librarians in support of current research assignments
Classic informational reference texts that are highly-used by patrons (i.e. general dictionaries and encyclopedias, citation manuals, and test prep guides)

Due to budget and space limitations the library generally does not maintain duplicate copies, formats, or resources (i.e. if available in electronic, print is not maintained). In certain instances a print edition may be retained alongside an electronic version for these reasons:

To serve as a pointer to the electronic version.
If the subject librarian believes it is of unusual importance to mission areas and likely to have high use in both print and electronic forms.

Juvenile Collection

The Library purchases children’s books in support of Children’s Literature courses, and Early Childhood programs. The Juvenile Collection is open to use by all Casper College patrons, including CC staff. Material is added to the Juvenile Collection as dictated by the following criteria:

As requested by CC faculty in support of curricula
As requested by CC students in support of assignments
Award winning titles
- Annual Newbery Medal
- Annual Caldecott Medal
- Local Wyoming awarded titles
- Other award winners, as appropriate
Material representing diverse perspectives and narratives

Textbook Collection

The library generally does not purchase current textbooks. However, a Textbook Pilot Program will launch in Fall 2018 which is intended to remove fiscal barriers to student success. The library will identify the five highest enrolled on-campus courses and provide one copy of each textbook for use within the library. Textbooks will be available in the Reserves Collection. The library does not guarantee the purchase of specific textbooks.

Young Adult Collection

A Young Adult Collection typically includes materials suitable for ages 12 to 18 (grades 6 to 12) reading audience; however, the broadening themes in current YA literature and increased readership by adults make them more suitable for a collection separate from the Juvenile collection (Yoder, Kathy & Tilton, Kellie, 2013; Benedetti, Angelina, 2011). The Young Adult section is intended to be a highly dynamic, relevant, diverse and current collection of high-traffic items. YA titles are chosen for their artistic, literary, cultural or educational value, or for the perspective that they bring to the reader. Literature is chosen primarily from among recent young adult book award-winners. All genres of fiction are selected to ensure the collection consciously reflects a comprehensive and balanced worldview in the range of backgrounds and ideologies of the authors represented.

Items purchased will:

Support classroom needs
Represent the many cultural, religious, and ethnic groups that contribute to the diversity of our community
Reflect a variety of viewpoints
Provide information on various sides of sensitive issues
Exemplify a range of genres and literary styles
Offer materials spanning a wide scope of reading levels and maturity levels

Deselection is an ongoing process that helps maintain the quality of our library. The Young Adult section is evaluated once per year. Due to limited space the YA section is not intended to be a comprehensive collection- this includes not obtaining the literary canon of an author, nor completing full sets of book series. Therefore, titles will be evaluated for deselection individually and not as part of a series. The primary measurement for inclusion in collection is curriculum support, then circulation numbers (with greater leniency for those titles which provide diverse and underrepresented perspectives–as determined by the subject librarians). Items that have not circulated in 3 years will be considered for withdrawal.

Benedetti, A. (2011). “Not just for teens: with more and more adults reading YA books, it’s time to get to know the literature and promote it to grown-ups of all ages.” Library Journal 136(11), 40-43.

Yoder, K. & Tilton, K. (2013) Young Adult Literature in the Academic Library. Journal of Library Innovation, 4(2), 122-133.

DVD Collection

The Casper College Library does not actively purchase dvds nor cds for our general collection. Dvds or cds which are requested by faculty to support specific curricular needs of active courses are purchased on a case-by-case basis. Whenever possible, online streaming access will be provided as an alternative to physical format according to availability and at the discretion of the subject librarians.

In the event that comparable streaming content is not available via the library’s subscription databases, the library may opt to update outdated video formats to a streaming format. The replacement purchase must not be cost prohibitive and must generally support the learning objectives of the respective academic program. When streaming content is not available for purchase the library can, on behalf of the instructor, seek permission from the publisher to make a streaming copy of the outdated format (VHS or DVD). Seeking permission from the publisher is a time-intensive process that is offered at the discretion of the Library Director. Once the outdated format is copied to a streaming format, the content becomes the responsibility of the instructor to manage through the campus learning management system (LMS).

Periodicals

The Casper College Library maintains a small collection of magazines, newspapers and scholarly journals. This collection supplements our nearly 1,200 electronic journals.

Magazines & Newspapers

The library subscribes to a small selection of print newspapers and magazines. This collection emphasizes titles of general interest, regional interest and current events.

Scholarly Journals

The library selects print journals based on the following criteria:

Availability of online access
- Ability of current online access to support educational objectives
Faculty requirements for current CC and UW-C courses/assignments
Current, documented accreditation requirements
Availability via ILL or direct article purchase for low-usage material
Journal quality, authority, and ease-of-use
Positive reviews of the journal from reliable sources

Deselection

A small collection of well-chosen, relevant items is preferable to a collection of historical record within the context of a primarily two-year undergraduate academic library. As such, the Library removes material in order to maintain a quality and current circulating collection that best meets the needs of the Casper College community. Deselection (sometimes referred to as “weeding”) occurs at the time of circulation if material condition is critical and in obvious need of withdrawal. Other material are evaluated at multiple points of contact including shelf reading, inventory, periodic review of particular areas of the collection, or during any holistic evaluation of the Library’s collections.

Casper College librarians are responsible for the ongoing improvement and updating of the Library’s collection through periodic deselection of material. All deselection is performed at the discretion of the librarians, however, librarians may review portions of the collection in consultation with teaching faculty in a relevant discipline where appropriate. Some areas with higher-than-average traffic may be subject to more frequent deselection in order to counteract the degradation of material.

Deselection Guidelines

The following are guidelines that may be applied to the deselection process both generally and within each subject area. Subject specialist librarians may provide more specific guidelines in their areas as need indicates. These general guidelines are valid for print and electronic materials:

Editions – In most cases, a later edition will replace an earlier edition of a work unless there is a demonstrated need for an older edition. When newer editions are received, older editions should be examined closely and weeded if appropriate.

Discontinued Programs or Courses Materials – Material that supports programs or courses that are no longer offered are examined for general relevance and removed when necessary.

Patterns of Use – Materials that have not circulated within 5 years are considered for withdrawal.

Annuals, Yearbooks, etc. – When newer editions of annuals are received, the older editions may be withdrawn. Generally, these are reference materials, and if the librarians determine that the need exists, the older editions may be placed in the circulating collection.

Aged Materials and Obsolescence – Materials with content that is older than 5 years is evaluated for potentially erroneous information and considered for withdrawal or replacement. Some areas of the humanities and social sciences present valuable historical content as an exception to this guideline, at the discretion of the subject librarian.

Physical Condition – Materials that have been damaged and/or are missing some part are repaired, replaced or withdrawn.
Maintenance Cost – The maintenance costs of certain material may outweigh their value added to the collection. Applies particularly to electronic materials.

In alignment with College policy, the Library cannot sell or give away withdrawn items for any use. Material removed from the Library’s collection falls under the College’s Asset Management and Disposal Policy, Sections 7.5.1-7.5.6. This policy stipulates that disposal of college assets must be through public sale, auction, bid, or by Board approval. Similarly, it notes that the Physical Plant determines if the asset should be sold, stored for future use, used as parts, or disposed of.

References

Dewan, P. (2010). Why Your Academic Library Needs a Popular Reading Collection Now More Than Ever. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 17(1), 44-64.

Hackman, T., Corlett-Rivera, K., & Larson, E. (2014). Evidence for Development and Enhancement of a Popular Reading Collection in an Academic Library. Evidence Based Library & Information Practice, 9(4), 82-85.

Hallyburton, A. W. (2004). Serving the whole person: Popular materials in academic libraries. Collection Building, 30(2), 109; 109-112; 112.