Collection Development Policy

Anderson University Thrift Library

Collection Development Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this Collection Development Policy is to establish guidelines for Anderson University librarians and faculty members in developing and maintaining balanced collections relevant to a liberal arts education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Rising costs, increasing publisher output, new technologies, and expanding demands for information necessitate careful resource selection, based on an understanding of the mission and goals of Thrift Library and Anderson University and an understanding of the user population.

Resource Sharing

Thrift Library participates in consortia and other relevant partnerships and associations that result in benefits to the library and its constituency. Current memberships include PASCAL (Partnership among South Carolina Academic Libraries), Atla (American Theological Library Association), and the Christian Library Consortium (CLC).

Thrift Library’s collections are greatly enhanced by resource sharing and collaborative licensing of digital resources through its membership in the state’s academic library consortium, PASCAL. PASCAL provides broad access to more than 12 million items held by the 55 member libraries through a shared union catalog and FedEx service that enables delivery of physical books among the members within 2 to 3 days. State funding for PASCAL, combined with membership fees, also provides a core package of electronic resources, including databases and e-books, as well as opt-in licensing for more discipline and institution-specific resources - all at greatly reduced costs. Traditional Interlibrary Loan services enable the borrowing of infrequently-used or ephemeral items from non-PASCAL-member libraries.

Thrift Library is also a beneficiary of the digital resources provided by the South Carolina Virtual Library, Discus.

Thrift Library partners with the Anderson County Library System, whose main library is located just one mile from the Anderson University main campus. All Anderson University residential students are eligible for and encouraged to obtain and use a public library card to access the library’s 300,000+ physical and digital books, DVDs, audiobooks and music CDs, and over 2.75 million more items through the SCLENDS consortium.

Collection Development Responsibilities

The development of a library collection that meets instructional, institutional, and research needs is the joint responsibility of Anderson University’s librarians and teaching faculty. Faculty input is vital to the selection of items in Thrift Library’s collections, and any member of the Anderson University community may request that a resource be purchased. A librarian is assigned to each academic unit as a subject specialist to assist with collection development. Decisions in collection development are aided using selection tools such as reviews from professional library literature and standard bibliographies. With the aid and advice of faculty and library staff and within budgetary restrictions, the Library Director is ultimately responsible for the selection of all library resources. The Library Director makes such decisions within the framework of the University's purpose and mission.

Collection Development Priorities

Resources will be added to Thrift Library’s physical and digital collections according to the following priorities:

  1. Resources supporting the University’s curriculum   
  2. Resources required for accreditation and/or certification purposes
  3. Resources contributing to a balanced core collection
  4. Resources that support independent inquiry in areas not specific to degree programs
  5. Resources on topics of general interest

Allocation of Funds

The library’s fiscal year begins June 1 and ends on May 31. The University administration is responsible for setting the monetary amount allocated each year for the library budget.

Although the library does not allocate specific amounts to academic units, the library strives to provide adequate and relevant collections to support all academic programs. The library encourages each academic unit to submit requests throughout the year.

The library seeks to maximize its expenses by purchasing resources that reach the broadest number of students. All resources purchased with library funds become the property of Thrift Library, available for use by the entire Anderson University community.

The following criteria are considered when evaluating a new resource for purchase:

  • Available library funding
  • Collection development priorities
  • Availability via PASCAL
  • Number of students that would benefit from the acquisition
  • Cost
    • one-time purchase, which may include annual access fees
    • annual or multi-year subscriptions, which may include an annual increase in fees
    • consortia discounts
    • academic unit funding contributions
  • Licensing agreements
  • Licensing options and restrictions
  • Quality
  • Accessibility
  • Maintenance needs
  • Format

The library prioritizes the acquisition of new resources in the following formats:

  1. Digital resources
    • Databases
    • Ebooks
    • Other
  2. Physical books
    • Library binding
    • Trade hardcover
    • Paperback

The library does not acquire the following resources unless there is a special need that cannot be met via other means:

  • Textbooks
  • Digital resources that require the administration of individual user passwords
  • Duplicate copies of books (physical and/or electronic)
  • Fiction books for recreational reading
  • Physical media (DVD, CD, etc.)
  • Physical periodicals
  • Out-of-print items
  • Rare books
  • Sheet music
  • Games
  • Kits

Collection Maintenance

Periodic evaluation of the physical and digital collections ensures that resources remain current, authoritative, and appropriate for user needs.

The following criteria will be used when evaluating resources to be deselected from Thrift Library’s collections:

  • The resource no longer supports the curriculum and/or research needs of the University
  • The resource is no longer reliable or relevant due to outdated content
  • The resource is duplicated by another resource that provides more comprehensive coverage of a subject
  • Usage statistics do not support retention of the resource
  • Usage no longer justifies cost
  • A newer edition is available that supersedes the earlier edition
  • The resource is in poor physical condition
  • The format is obsolete
  • There are multiple copies of a title with low circulation numbers
  • Access to the resource is no longer available or maintained
  • Budget reductions force cancellation of a product
  • It is discovered that the resource violates copyright guidelines

Gifts Policy

Thrift Library greatly appreciates monetary gifts of any amount. The Anderson University “Ways to Give” page provides several giving options.

Due to space constraints, the cost of processing materials, and staffing limitations, the library is not able to accept donations of physical resources that do not directly relate to the history of Anderson University. Relevant historical donations must be pre-approved by the Research and Instruction Archivist. Donated items must be in good condition. Books with mold or mildew are rejected outright. The University becomes the owner of all donated items and, as such, reserves the right to determine their classification, housing, and circulation.

Unsolicited physical donations to Thrift Library will be discarded.

Gifts are subject to the same selection criteria as resources purchased for the collection.

Reconsideration Procedure

Thrift library selects resources to support the curricula of Anderson University at an appropriate level, consistent with the library’s mission and collection development policy. In the broad pursuit of knowledge, however, selections may include resources that allow for the free exploration of all sides of an idea or question, even though neither the University nor the library may agree with or endorse the philosophies or positions contained within all of those resources.

Thrift library opposes general censorship of library resources. The library does recognize the right of individuals to question the inclusion of resources in the collections if they have concerns about their validity or appropriateness, but objections based on moral, religious, political or other grounds will not automatically result in the exclusion of resources. Individuals that would like the library to reconsider the inclusion of one or more library resources in its collections should contact the Library Director.