Hilton M. Briggs Library Collection Development Statement   May 2004 revision

I.              Forward

 

This document brings together policy statements, staff memoranda, acquisitions guidelines, departmental policy and existing practice into a single comprehensive collection development policy for the Hilton M. Briggs Library.  It will serve as a guide in selecting, acquiring, and maintaining the library's collection.

 

            The authors reviewed the policies of several other university libraries in the creation of this document, most particularly those of the University of Kansas, Vanderbilt, University of Michigan, University of Nebraska, and the University of Cincinnati.  The statement prepared by Iowa State University, and modified for use elsewhere, served as a model.  Its organization, content, and in some instances its phraseology have been used with adjustments and additions to suit the local situation.

 

            Because collection development is a dynamic process, this policy will be reviewed and modified regularly.  Text updates will be issued as needed to reflect changing policy.

 

II.            Introduction

 

The South Dakota State University Library is both a collegiate library and a research library.  It is collegiate in its provision of books and other documentary records to support undergraduate programs of instruction and to encourage the habit of reading.  Like most college libraries, it provides materials for use by faculty members in the preparation of their courses and by the staff of the institution in the performance of their administrative and executive responsibilities.

 

            But as a land-grant university library, it does more.  It also provides materials to support a wide range of graduate offerings at the Master's and (to a lesser extent) the Ph.D. level, as well as advanced professional curricula in nursing, pharmacy, engineering, family and consumer sciences, and education, plus auxiliary programs such as the Agricultural Experiment Station, Engineering and Environmental Resource Center (EERC), and Cooperative Extension Service.

 

            As a university library, it supports not only programs of teaching but research as well.  Therefore, the library collects in depth in many subject areas.  Not only are basic treatises, primary source materials, and journals obtained, but the library also collects a substantial portion of relevant thought in those subject areas in which graduate degrees are offered.  The university community also expects the library to provide materials for recreational purposes and for pursuit of non-academic interests.

 

            In order for the library to respond appropriately, the administration must stay informed of forthcoming research and degree program changes.  Fortunately, South Dakota State University has long recognized this necessity and has provided for library representation on the Academic Senate, the Academic Affairs Committee, and the Graduate Council where curricular changes originate.  In addition, all class II and III curricular requests are submitted for library evaluation and comment before being referred to appropriate university committees.

 

III.           Policy assumptions

 

Any collection development policy must embrace certain basic principles.  First, library collection development reflects the long-range goals of the university.  This inevitably means that library collections must be built on historic strengths rather than weaknesses.  In the absence of unlimited financial resources, a disregard for this principle will result in a sacrifice of current strengths to establish new areas of research.  Any collection building in areas of weakness must proceed gradually.  If rapid building in these areas is called for to meet the needs of a new program, then additional general university funding will be needed.

 

Secondly, acquisitions policy must take into consideration the fact that Briggs Library is part of a national system of research libraries.  The total U.S. scholarly publishing output--to say nothing of the rest of the world--has reached such proportions that it is beyond the ambition of any, except the very largest research libraries, to approach completeness even in limited subject areas. Even the largest national and research libraries now depend on interlibrary loan systems for borrowing infrequently used materials that are not available locally.  The library of South Dakota State University will continue to rely on state, regional, and national interlibrary loan networks for little used or esoteric research materials.

 

 

IV.          Selection responsibility

 

Teaching faculty and librarians share the responsibility for selection of library materials. 

Historically, the library divides its allocable book funds between the academic departments and the library staff on a 75/25 basis.  That is, approximately three-fourths of uncommitted book funds are annually allocated to instructional faculty in the various academic units.  Faculty members then choose books they deem important and useful within their disciplines.

 

            The Library retains approximately one fourth of the book budget for adding works of general interest, highly recommended titles which may escape the faculty's attention, monumental sets, reference works, etc.  The Acquisitions Librarian holds primary responsibility for selection of materials which fall in the general category and the reference department selects materials for the reference collection.  Subject bibliographers assigned to each academic department hold responsibility for selection in that area. In addition, two persons specifically select titles included in the Essay and General Literature Index and in certain other anthologies.  All library faculty members are encouraged to participate in the book selection process in their particular area of expertise but due to the limited number of library staff some bibliographers are assigned to departments without expertise in that area.

 

            Over the years, Briggs Library has benefited greatly from the dedication of a number of true bibliophiles among the instructional faculty.  Indeed, some of the library's best collections have resulted from their devoted efforts.  While this sharing of book selection responsibility between the instructional faculty and the library faculty is desirable, the library staff carries the final responsibility for areas neglected by the faculty.  Librarians must seek to achieve a balanced collection and to coordinate the resource development of the library as a whole.  The ultimate responsibility for acquisition directions and policy decisions, including adequacy and quality of selections, rests with the Dean of Libraries.

 

V.           Bibliographic assignments

 

http://lib.sdstate.edu/Lib19/repbib.htm

 

 

The bibliographers select materials that departmental representatives neglect, striving to maintain a balanced collection in their respective subject areas.

 

VI.           Library obligations

 

The library’s responsibilities are outlined in the introduction; here they are enumerated more specifically. Within its financial capabilities, the library will endeavor to obtain learning materials (books, periodicals, microforms, newspapers, maps, pamphlets. Governments, etc.) required to meet the following four obligations:

 

1.            To procure or provide access to materials needed for all instruction and extension programs of the university

 

2.            To procure or provide access to materials required by students and faculty members in their research.

 

3.            To procure or provide access to library materials of general information in subject areas not covered by instructional, research and extension programs.

 

4.            To preserve important materials relating to the history and development of the university. This includes not only official records and reports of the university, but also materials on any subject authored or published at SDSU.

 

Finally, the library has an obligation to inform book selectors, both designated departmental library representatives and library bibliographers, of newly published materials in their areas of specialization, by acquiring and distributing various “current awareness” services (i.e., Choice cards, Blackwell Books Services Approval Slips, etc.)

 

VII.         Limitations

 

            Recognizing that it is not always possible, for financial reasons, to achieve fully above the objectives, the library observes the following general guidelines:

 

1.            English language publications will be given higher priority, except for materials acquired in support of foreign language instruction

 

2.            Current publications of lasting and scholarly value will be given priority over older and out-of-print materials.

 

3.            As an alternative to purchasing, consideration will be given to procuring infrequently used research materials on interlibrary loan.

 

4.            Materials will be acquired in another suitable format if originals are not available or are too expensive.

 

5.            If the Library owns the material in microform or provides access electronically, paper copy will not be purchased unless sufficient cause is shown.

 

6.            Duplicate copies will be purchased only by justification of heavy and continued demand.

 

7.            The library will not normally duplicate specialized research materials.

 

8.            Variant editions of a held title will be acquired only if they are “standard” editions or contain substantial changes and are needed for research purposes.

 

9.            The library will not purchase extensive in-depth materials for specific theses topics of graduate students or for short-term research projects of faculty unless the library’s acquisitions policy specifies intensive collection development in the area.

 

10.         The library will make no special effort to collect materials in non-English languages, even in the subject areas of comprehensive coverage, if there is no sizable number of researchers with facility in that language.

 

VIII.       Gifts

 

The library solicits and encourages gifts and donations of useful materials or money to purchase them provided they meet selection guidelines and provided there are no restrictions attached. The SDSU library has been greatly enriched by such gifts in past years.

 

            The library will not accept gifts with conditions as to their disposition or location except by express permission of the Dean of Libraries. Presidential and Regental approval is required for acceptance of large gift collections which may have significant space requirements.

 

            The library is free to dispose of any unneeded publications in compliance with state regulations, regardless of how the materials were acquired.

 

The staff may assist donors in estimating the value of materials donated to the library. Legally the library cannot appraise gifts for tax or inheritance purposes.  However, if a substantial collection is involved the library may help the donor procure a professional appraiser.

 

The acquisitions department is responsible for acceptance and processing of monographic materials; the serials department is responsible for gifts of journals; and the documents department has this responsible for government documents. The subject bibliographers may be called upon to assist in determining the suitability of individual items for permanent retention in accordance with the stated collection policy. 

 

IX.          Exchange

 

Exchanging publications among libraries is another means of acquiring library materials. The library will enter into exchange agreements with other institutions whenever the desired publications are available only on exchange and whenever such exchange of publications is advantageous to the library. Publications received on exchange will be added provided they meet selection guidelines. Exchange agreements will be established after consultation with the Acquisitions Librarian and approval of the Dean of Libraries.

 

            The library maintains exchange agreements with land-grant institutions in the following states for their Agricultural Experimentation Station publications:

 

California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.

 

            The library has also made arrangements for two copies of each SDSU Agricultural Experiment Station publication to be sent to the National Agricultural Library.

 

X.           Collection intensity levels

 

Requirements for library materials vary with discipline and subject area. The library has identified five levels to guide collection decisions.

 

Level 1: BASIC LEVEL­—Subject areas, which are outside the scope of the University’s curricula and in which there is little interest or activity. Collecting will be highly selective and will include only materials necessary to introduce and define the subject.

 

Level 2: INITIAL STUDY LEVEL—Subject areas which are part of the undergraduate curricula. Materials acquired at this level should include surveys of the subject, standard works, major journals, reference and bibliographic tools, and should support all undergraduate courses.

 

Level 3: ADVANCED STUDY LEVEL—Subject areas which are part of the masters level of curricula. In addition to the materials collected under level 2, an attempt will be made to acquire materials which support coursework and research at the masters level.

 

Level 4: RESEARCH LEVEL—Subject areas which are part of doctoral programs. Acquisitions in these areas will include a wide range if published material required for dissertation and independent research. All important reference works, a wide selection of specialized monographs and an extensive journal collection will be developed.

 

Level 5: COMPREHENSIVE LEVEL—All significant works in a particular field will be obtained. This level aims at exhaustiveness. An area so designated will most likely be a “special collection.”

 

XI.          List of subjects

 

In the Library of Congress and Dewey Decimal outlines below, subjects are coded as follows:

 

Level 1 - *

Level 2 - **

Level 3 - ***

Level 4 - ****

Level 5 - *****

 

A                     GENERAL WORKS

AC      **         Collections, Series, Collected Works.

AE       ***        Encyclopedias (General)

AG      ***        Dictionaries, other general reference works

AI        **         Indexes (General)

AM      *           Museums

AN      **         Newspapers

AP       **         Periodicals (General)

AS       *           Academies, Learned Societies

AY       **         Yearbooks, Almanacs, Directories

AZ       *           History of Scholarship and Learning

B                     PHILOSOPHY, PSYCHOLOGY, RELIGION

B         **         Philosophy

BC      **         Logic

BD      **         Speculative Philosophy

CJ       *           Numismatics

CN      *           Inscriptions, Epigraphy

CR      *           Heraldry

CS      *           Genealogy

CT       **         Biography

D                     HISTORY: GENERAL AND OLD WORLD

D         **         History (General)

DA      **         Great Britain

DB      **         Austria

DC      **         France

DD      **         Germany

DE      **         Mediterranean region

DF       **         Greece

DG      **         Italy

DH-DJ            *           Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg

DJK    **         Eastern Europe

DK      **         Russia, Poland, Finland

DL       **         Northern Europe, Scandinavia

DP      **         Spain, Portugal

DQ      *           Switzerland

DR      **         Eastern Europe, Balkan Peninsula, Turkey

DS      **         Asia

DT       *           Africa

DU      *           Oceania, Australia, New Zealand

DX      *           Gypsies

E & F              HISTORY: America

E   **               America (General)

      **               North America

      **               Indians of North America

      **               Discovery

      **               Negroes

      **               Colonial History

      **               Revolution

      **               Revolution to Civil War

      **               Civil War

      **               Late Nineteenth Century

      **               Twentieth Century

      **               United States Local History

      *****           South Dakota

 

F    **               Canada

      **               Mexico

      **               Latin America

      **               Central America

      **               West Indies

      **               South America

 

G                     GEOGRAPHY, ANTHROPOLOGY, RECREATION

G         ***        Geography (General)

GA      ***        Mathematical Geography, Cartography

GB      ***        Physical Geography

GC      **         Oceanography

GF       ***        Human Ecology

GN      **         Anthropology

GR      *           Folklore

GT       *           Manners and Customs (General)

GV      ***        Recreation

            **         Outdoor life

            ***        Physical Training

            ***        Sports

*           Games and Amusements

            **         Dancing

*           Circuses, spectacles, etc. (Including Rodeos)

 

H                     SOCIAL SCIENCES

H         **         Social Sciences (General)

HA      **         Statistics

HB      ***        Economics

HC      ***        Economic History and Conditions, National Production

HD      ***        Land, Agriculture, Industry

HE      **         Transportation and Communication

HF       **         Commerce

HG      **         Finance

HJ       **         Public Finance

HM      ****      Sociology

HN      ****      Social History, Social Problems, Social Reform

HQ      ***        Family, Marriage, Women

HS      *           Societies, Clubs

HT       ****      Communities, Classes, Races

                        Urban Sociology

                        Regional Planning

                        Rural Sociology

                        Social Classes

                        Races

 

HV      **         Social Pathology, Social Welfare, Criminology

HX      **         Socialism, Communism, Anarchism

J                      POLITICAL SCIENCE

J                      Official Documents (SEE GOVERNEMNT DOCUMENTS SECTION)

JA       **         Collections and General Works

JC       **         Political Theory

JF        **         Constitutional History and Administration

JK       **         United States

JL        **         British America, Latin America

JN       **         Europe

JQ       **         Asia, Africa, Australia, Oceania

JS       **         Local Government

JV       **         Colonies, Colonization, Emigration, Immigration

JX       **         International law. International relations

K                     LAW

K         **         Law (General)

KD      *           Law of England and Wales

KE       **         Law of Canada

KF       **         Law of the United States

            ***        South Dakota Law

L                      EDUCATION

LA       ***        History of Education

LB       ***        Theory and Practice of Education

LC       ***        Special Aspects of Education

LD       ***        United States

LE       ***        America, except United States

LF       **         Europe

LG       **         Asia, Africa, Oceania

LH       *           College and School magazines and papers

LJ        *           Student fraternities and societies, United States

LT        *           Textbooks (SEE TEXTBOOK SECTION)

M                     MUSIC

 

M         **         Instrumental Music

                        Vocal Music

                        Sacred Vocal Music

ML       **         Literature of Music

MT       **         Music Instruction and Study

N                     FINE ARTS

N         **         Visual Arts (General)

                        History of Art

NA      *           Architecture

NB      **         Sculpture

NC      **         Drawing, Design, Illustration

ND      **         Painting

NE      **         Print Media

NK      **         Decorative Arts

NX      **         Arts in General

                        Including works dealing with two or more of the fine arts

 

P                     LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

 

P         **         Philosophy and Linguistics (General)

 

PA       **         Classical Languages and Literature

                        Greek

                        Latin

 

PB       **         Modern European Languages

 

PC                  Romance Languages

            *           Italian

            **         French

            *           Catalan

            **         Spanish

*           Portuguese

 

PD      *           Germanic Languages

*           Scandinavian

 

PE       ***        English

 

PF       *           Dutch

*           Flemish

*           Friesian language and literature

**         German

 

PG      *           Slavic, Baltic, Albanian languages and literature

PH      *           Finno-Ugrian, Basque languages and literatures

PJ       *           Oriental languages and literatures

PK       *           Indo-Iranian

PL       *           Languages and literatures of Eastern Asia, Africa, Oceania

PM      *           American Indian Languages

PN      ***        Literature

PQ      **         Romance literatures

PR      ***        English Literature

PS       ***        American Literature

PT       **         Germanic Literature

PZ       **         Fiction and juvenile belles lettres

Q                     SCIENCE

Q         **         Science (General)

            **         Cybernetics, Information theory

QA      ***        Mathematics

QB      **         Astronomy

QC      **         Physics

QD      ****      Chemistry

QE      **         Geology

QH      **         Natural History (General)

QK      ***        Botany

QL       ***        Zoology

QM      **         Human Anatomy

QP      **         Physiology

QR      ***        Microbiology

R                     MEDICINE

RA      **         Public Aspects if Medicine

RB      *           Pathology

RC      *           Internal Medicine

            ***        Sports Medicine

RD      *           Surgery

RE      *           Ophthalmology

RF       *           Otorhinolarygology

RG      **         Gynecology and Obstetrics

RJ       **         Pediatrics

RK      *           Dentistry

RL       *           Dermatology

RM      ****      Therapeutics, Pharmacology

RS      ****      Pharmacy and materia medica

RT       ***        Nursing

RV      *           Botanic, Thompsonain, Eclectic Medicine

RX      *           Homeopathy

RZ       *           Other systems of medicine

            *           Chiropractic

*           Osteopathy

*           Mental Healing

S                     AGRICULTURE

S         ***        Agriculture (General)

SB       ****      Plant Culture

SD      **         Forestry

SF       ****      Animal Culture

SH      ***        Aquaculture, Fisheries, Angling

SK       **         Hunting

            ***        Wildlife Management, Game Protection

T                      TECHNOLOGY

T          **         Technology (General)

TA       ***        Engineering (General), Civil Engineering (General)

TC       **         Hydraulic Engineering

TD       **         Environmental Technology, Sanitary Engineering

TE       **         Highway Engineering

TF       *           Railroad Engineering

TG       **         Bridge Engineering

TH       *           Building Construction

TJ        ***        Mechanical Engineering and Machinery

TK       ***        Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Nuclear Engineering

TL        *           Motor Vehicles, Aeronautics, Astronautics

TN       *           Mining Engineering, Metallurgy

TP       **         Chemical Technology

TR       **         Photography

TS       **         Manufactures (Includes: textile industries, animal products)

TT        **         Handicrafts, Arts and crafts

            **         Clothing manufacture

            **         Decorative crafts

 

TX       ***        Home Economics

                        The House

                        Nutrition

                        Cookery

                        Hotels, Restaurants, Taverns, Food Science

U                     MILITARY SCIENCE

UA      *           Armies

UB      *           Military Administration

UC      *           Maintenance and Transportation

UD      *           Infantry

UE      *           Calvary

UF       *           Artillery

UG      *           Military Engineering

            *           Air Forces

 

UH      *           Other Services

V         *           NAVAL SCIENCES

Z                      BIBLIOGRAPHY, LIBRARY SCIENCE

 

Z          *           History of Books and Bookmaking

            *           Book Industries and Trade

            **         Libraries and Library Science

            **         Bibliography

 

000     GENERALITIES

 

004     **         Computer Science

010     **         Bibliography

020     **         Library and Information Sciences

030     **         General Encyclopedic Works

040

050     **         General Serials & Their Indexes

060     *           General Organizations & Museology

070     ***        News Media, Journalism, Publishing

080     *           General Collection

090     *           Manuscripts & Rare Books

 

100       PHILOSOPHY & PSYCHOLOGY

 

110     *           Metaphysics

120     *           Epistemology, Causation, Humankind

130     *           Paranormal Phenomena

140     *           Specific Philosophical Schools

150     **         Psychology  

160     *           Logic

170     *           Ethics (Moral Philosophy)

180     *           Ancient, Medieval, Oriental Philosophy

190     *           Modern Western Philosophy

 

200       RELIGION

 

210     *           Natural Theology

220     *           Bible

230     *           Christian Theology

240     *           Christian Moral & Devotional Theology

250     *           Christian Orders & Local Church

260     *           Christian Social Theology

270     *           Christian Church History

280     *           Christian Denominations & Sects

290     *           Other & Comparative Religions

 

300       SOCIAL SCIENCE

 

310     **         General Statistics

320     **         Political Science

330     ***        Economics

340     *           Law

350     **         Public Administration

360     ****      Social Services; Association

370     ***        Education

380     **         Commerce, Communications, Transport

390     *           Customs, Etiquette, Folklore

 

400       LANGUAGE

 

410     **         Linguistics

420     ***        English & Old English

430     **         Germanic Languages, German

440     **         Romance Languages, French

450     *           Italian, Romanian, Rhaeto-Romanic

460     **         Spanish & Portuguese Languages

470     *           Italic Languages, Latin

480     *           Hellenic Languages Classical Greek

490     *           Other Languages

 

500       NATURAL SCIENCES & MATHEMATICS

 

510     ***        Mathematics

520     *           Astronomy & Allied Sciences

530     **         Physics

540     ****      Chemistry & Allied Sciences

550     *           Earth Sciences

560     *           Paleontology, Paleozoology

570     **         Life Sciences

580     ***        Botanical Sciences

590     ***        Zoological Sciences

 

600       TECHNOLOGY (APPLIED SCIENCE)

 

610     ***        Medical Sciences (Medicine) Nursing

620     ***        Engineering & Allied Operations

630     ****      Agriculture

640     ***        Home Economics & Family Living

650     **         Management & Auxiliary Services

660     **         Chemical Engineering

670     **         Manufacturing

680     *           Manufacturing for Specific Uses

690     *           Buildings

 

700       THE ARTS

 

710     **         Civic & Landscape Art

720     *           Architecture

730     **         Plastic Arts, Sculpture

740     **         Drawing & Decorative Arts

750     **         Painting & Paintings

760     **         Graphic Arts, Printmaking & Prints

770     **         Photography & Photographs

780     **         Music

790     ***        Recreational & Performing Arts

 

800       LITERATURE & RHETORIC

 

810     ***        American Literature in English

820     ***        English & Old English Literatures

830     **         Literatures of Germanic Languages

840     **         Literatures of Romance Languages

850     *           Italian, Romanian, Rhaeto-Romanic Literatures

860     **         Spanish & Portuguese Literatures

870     *           Italic Literatures, Latin

880     *           Hellenic Literatures, Classical Greek

890     *           Literatures of Other Languages

 

900       GEOGRAPHY & HISTORY

 

910     ***        Geography & Travel

920     *           Biography, Genealogy, Insignia

930     **         History of Ancient World

940     **         General History of Europe

950     **         General History of Asia, Far East

960     **         General History of Africa

970     **         General History of North America

980     **         General History of South America

990     **         General History of Other Areas

 

XII.         Forms of Materials

 

The library collects primarily those books available in cloth binding. If a title is not available in cloth, paper will be purchased.  Audiovisual materials are purchased in a select number of areas, but their purchase is contingent upon money available, equipment necessary, and usefulness. Microcomputer software and microforms are addressed in other sections of this policy.

 

 

 

Hilton M. Briggs Library Reference Collection Development Statement

(4/1/2004 approved by Collections and Connections Committee, 5/27/2004 revision approved by Briggs Library Faculty)

 

XIII.       The Reference Collection

 

A.   Scope:

 

1.    Most information sources selected for inclusion in this collection will support the curriculum of the university.

 

2.    Sources are added in subjects not directly related to the curriculum if they are considered appropriate for general academic research or to provide for the basic information needs of faculty, staff, and students.

 

3.    The Reference Department attempts to collect appropriate information sources about South Dakota, and often the most recent editions of South Dakota publications are placed in the reference collection.

 

B.   Types of Materials:

 

1.    Almanacs and Yearbooks. Current editions of major publications for the United States and selected foreign countries.

 

2.    Bibliographies. General Bibliographies on broad topics, serial bibliographies relevant to the curriculum, and guides to the literature for subject areas supporting graduate programs. Narrow subject bibliographies are usually placed in the circulating collection.

 

3.    Biographical Sources. Comprehensive works dealing with professional, national, and international biography, both retrospective and current, are placed in the reference collection. In addition, indexes and bibliographies covering biographical sources, and collections of short biographical information that focus on selected fields, disciplines, and topics are often placed in the reference collection.

 

4.    Dictionaries. Major English language dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries for as many languages as possible, and major polyglot dictionaries are purchased for the reference collection.  Selected specialized dictionaries: those covering slang, historical aspects of language and specific subject areas are also appropriate for the reference collection.

 

5.    Directories. Current editions of major cross-disciplinary and selected subject-specific directories, covering both institutions and/or individuals are appropriate for the reference collection. Less essential directories may be collected less frequently; for example, every third edition.

 

6.    Encyclopedias. A major English-language general encyclopedia published within the latest two years should be held in paper format in the reference collection.  In addition, the library should provide access to at least one English-language general encyclopedia via the World Wide Web.  Foreign language encyclopedias supporting the curriculum of the foreign languages department, and authoritative encyclopedias in selected specialized subject areas should also be held.  Both single and multi volume encyclopedias are held in the reference collection.

 

7.    Geographical sources. Gazetteers and geographic dictionaries are shelved in the reference collection.  Atlases are shelved in the Atlas Area or Atlas Case of the reference collection.  Titles covering the United States, the world, major regions of the world, selected thematic topics, selected historical topics, and selected titles covering one country or one state or region of the United States are held in the reference collection, the atlas area, or the atlas case.  Atlases covering South Dakota or the Midwest are emphasized.

 

8.    Handbooks. Recent editions of selected authoritative titles in subject fields supporting the curriculum should be held in the reference collection.

 

9.    Indexing and Abstracting Services. Access to bibliographic indexing and abstracting services should be provided in as many fields as possible, with an emphasis on those that support graduate programs.  Electronic access is preferred for bibliographic indexing and abstracting services.  A strong collection of bibliographic indexing and abstracting databases must be maintained in order to ensure that SDSU students and researchers are able to identify relevant published materials in an efficient and timely way.  In order to compete in the global society, it is critical that the SDSU community has the resources to efficiently identify relevant published materials in all areas of the curriculum and areas known to be of interest to SDSU researchers.  Although journals and other published materials may be obtained via interlibrary loan, it is usually not possible to obtain bibliographic indexing and abstracting services via interlibrary loan.  Therefore, indexing and abstracting publications should not be considered when canceling periodicals subscriptions due to financial shortages unless it is absolutely necessary.  However, indexing and abstracting services should be reviewed by the Collection and Connections Committee annually to determine whether they continue to support the needs of our students and researchers.

 

10. Statistical Sources. Major sources for the United States, the world, and selected foreign countries are appropriate for the reference collection.  Electronic access to statistical sources is preferred. 

 

11. Style manuals. Recent editions of most major style manuals should be included in the reference collection.

 

12. Standards. Some industry and professional published standards, including those of ASTM (provided on CD-ROM), should be provided in the reference collection.

 

13. Other Collections.

 

a.    Telephone directories. Paper copies of South Dakota and selected cities in the region.

b.    Career Information. Books on job seeking and careers.

c.    Government Documents. Selected heavily used government directories, handbooks, and guides.

d.    Maps. Selected city, state, country and regional sheet maps.

e.    Selected college/university catalogs (South Dakota and Minnesota).

 

C.   Selection Guidelines

 

1.    Judged usefulness of the publication, considering existing collection.

2.    Strengths and weaknesses of existing collection, related to needs of university community.

3.    Favorable reviews or inclusion on basic reference collection guidelines.

4.    Reputation of author of publisher.

5.    Currency of publication.

6.    Price.

7.    Recommendations from the appropriate subject bibliographer and other librarians.

8.    Recommendations from appropriate non-library faculty members.

9.    Electronic access is preferred for bibliographic indexing and abstracting publications if possible. 

10. Electronic access to other types of reference materials should be decided on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration the following factors:

Ø  Does electronic access enhance the use of the information?

Ø  Is the available interface acceptable?

Ø  Is the information needed by off-campus users?

Ø  Is the price of the electronic access reasonable compared to the price of the paper publication?

Ø  The risk of losing access to publication backfiles in case the electronic subscription must be cancelled should always be considered when deciding on electronic subscriptions or purchases. 

 

D. Withdrawal of Reference Materials

 

Individual reference librarians select items to withdraw from the collection on an ongoing basis. Once an item is selected, the other reference librarians are consulted. The item then may be withdrawn or moved to the circulating collection, Special Collections, or storage. Old editions replaced by newer editions are transferred to the circulating collection if the reference librarians determine older editions are useful or of historic value.  During the weeding process titles that need updating with newer editions and titles that should be replaced with different, but more current, titles should be identified.  Orders for replacement titles or newer editions should be processed by the Reference Collection Development Committee. 

 

The following should be considered when making withdrawal decisions:

 

1.    Significance of publication and/or appropriateness to the collection.

2.    Age of publication; accuracy of contents.

3.    Availability of later and/or improved edition.

4.    Duplication of contents in other publications.

5.    Physical condition.

6.    Multiple copies.

7.    Multi-volume sets will be retained intact.

8.    Whether the information can be obtained easily via interlibrary loan.

9.    Anecdotal evidence regarding the use of the item.

10. Statistical data on the use of the item.

11. Recommendations from the appropriate subject bibliographer and other librarians.

12. Recommendations from appropriate non-library faculty members. 

 

 

 

 

E. Cancellation of Electronic Resources

 

 

The following should be considered when making cancellation decisions:

 

1.    Significance of resource and/or appropriateness to the collection.

2.    Duplication of contents in other publications/databases.

3.    Statistical data on the use of the electronic resource.

4.    Anecdotal evidence regarding the use of the database.

5.    Whether the information needed by off-campus users.

6.    The quality of the information provided by the resource.

7.    The quality of the interface.

8.    Whether the cancellation would cause the loss of backfiles.

9.    Whether the information can be obtained easily via interlibrary loan.

10. Significant and/or unexpected increase of subscription fees.

11. Recommendations from the appropriate subject bibliographer and/or other librarians.

12. Recommendations from appropriate non-library faculty members. 

 

 

 

 

XIII.       Archives and special collections  (http://lib.sdstate.edu/archives/policies.html#ua)

 

XIV.      Audio Visual Materials

 

The Library collects video recordings, DVDs, and other audiovisual materials for use in instruction.  With the limited funds available preference is given to items useful for more than one course. The library does not normally collect materials such as slides,  slide/tape kits,  16mm films or other teaching/learning packages.

 

 

XVI.     Government Documents

 

The library is a selective Federal documents depository and a complete depository for state documents. The documents librarian is responsible for selection of depository series from those available. Selection is made on the basis of the University’s instructional and research needs, but also with some regard for the general information needs of the residents of east central South Dakota under provisions of the Federal documents depository law. United States government publications are discarded in accordance with Federal depository regulations.  No longer useful state documents may be discarded after five years under South Dakota State documents depository regulations.

 

The library is not a depository for foreign or international government documents.  Publications of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, or other international agencies are acquired if needed to support the curricular and research needs of the University. Publications of foreign governments are acquired in the same way.

 

XVII.     Microforms

 

Microforms are acquired when necessary to preserve materials, to acquire back volumes of serials and other materials that are not readily available in hard copy, and to acquire current material that is not readily available on paper. Many Federal deposited documents are supplied on microfiche for cost and space-saving reasons.

 

 

XVIII.    Newspapers

 

The library maintains a selection of international, national, and state newspapers for patron use. Newspapers are selected to provide a geographic coverage and in an attempt to provide information about home to both international and American students. Most international newspapers are obtained in the language of country of origin. Newspapers are generally retained for only two months. Back files of a few, major U.S. and relevant South Dakota titles are retained in microform format.  Fulltext online access is provided when appropriate.

 

XIX.      Serials

 

Serials are the major source of current information in a number of disciplines. Serials serve to keep the collection up-to-date, provide material not available in books and otherwise supplement the print collections. The library establishes and maintains serial subscriptions with great care, since they are usually expensive long-term commitments.

 

Selection of serials is based on the same criteria established for books. In addition, the following criteria are considered before a journal is added or deselected.

 

Criteria for review of serials by librarians

 

1.    How often is the serial cited? Does the serial support a special collection? Has the serial started publication recently? Newer publications tend not to be cited as frequently.

 

2.    Is the publication indexed or abstracted in appropriate reference sources?

 

3.    How important is the serial to faculty/graduate research? This is determined through the rating of serials titles in a triennial department faculty review.

 

4.    What is the reputation of the publisher? Does a society or professional association publish the serial? Is the publisher commercial?

 

5.    Are articles peer reviewed? Statements indicating this are often in the instructions to authors of each serial.

 

6.    Does the serial’s general topic meet the institution’s goals and objectives?

 

7.    Will funds be available over the long term to continue with this serial?

 

Serials are divided into two arbitrary categories for purposes of administration. The Acquisitions Department orders standing orders for those publications that come out once a year, irregularly, or in monographic series. Periodicals, whether of a scholarly or popular nature, which are published more frequently than once a year are ordered and administered by the Serials Department.

 

Library funds, not departmental funds are normally used for the purchase of serials, so request for purchase is made to the Serials or Acquisitions department.

 

The library will conduct a triennial review of serial titles to determine whether or not the titles are supporting the needs of the university. A core collection will be identified. Any title in the core collection will continue. Titles that fall outside the core collection will be kept only as long as they are needed for curriculum and research.

 

XX.        Microcomputer software

 

Subject specific microcomputer software is not generally purchased, although an increasing number of monographs arrive with accompanying computer diskettes.

 

XXI.      Miscellaneous materials

 

Dissertations—The library acquires two copies of each Masters thesis and dissertation written for graduation at the University. Both are cataloged, one is placed in the circulating collection and one is placed in archives. The library does not acquire senior projects or research papers written by students. Dissertations and Masters theses written at other universities are acquired when they are considered important to a particular subject area. They are subject to the same acquisitions criteria as other purchased materials.

 

Rare books—The library does not purchase rare books or manuscripts. These formats will normally be acquired only as gifts. In special cases, the library may purchase rare materials if they pertain to the history of the State or University.

 

Textbooks—Normally, the library does not purchase textbooks. However, exceptions are made when experts in the field consider textbooks classics, when other kinds of monographic publications in a circular area are sparse, or when textbooks treat important areas not otherwise represented in the collection.

 

Curriculum collection—This collection of grades K through 12 textbooks and curriculum guides is acquired primarily by the faculty of the College of Education and Counseling as a support for the teacher education program. Only a representing sample of teaching materials, it is weeded jointly by the library and College of Education and Counseling faculties.

 

XXII.     Weeding and discarding policy

 

The library does not maintain a continuous or scheduled weeding program. When a particular section of the collection becomes overcrowded, the library will decide to weed that section.

 

The subject bibliographer will have primary responsibility for selecting those books for discard or storage. He/she will work with the teaching faculty in the particular subject areas to determine what should be withdrawn from the collection, what should be sent to storage and what should be retained in the active collection.

 

Guidelines for discarding:

 

1.    Multiple copies of older works.

2.    Earlier editions of standard works not qualified as “classics”—especially textbooks.

3.    Popular presentations of any subject no longer valid.

4.    Books of doubtful scholarship and/or little literary merit.

5.    Fragmentary runs of serials & isolated issues, unless they are important in their own right.

6.    Books in bad physical condition—those which cannot be replaced or repaired.

 

Guidelines for retention:

 

1.    Classics in the subject area, all editions.

2.    Any book by a South Dakota author.

3.    Any book relating to South Dakota or to the surrounding region.

4.    Books on unusual subjects, even if they are unscientific or less than scholarly.

5.    Examples of the unpopular or “losing” side of past controversies.

 

 

In selecting books for discard or storage, the selector should look at past circulation statistics of the book. If a book has been used consistently and it does not meet any of the criteria above for discard, it should be retained in the active collection. If, however, a book meets one of the criteria for retention, yet has not been used for a considerable period of time, it may be a prime candidate for storage.

 

Withdrawn items may be destroyed, sold, or given away. It has been recent practice for the library to destroy those items that are worn beyond use or that are undesirable as resale items. Those items that the library cannot use or no longer finds meet the guidelines of this policy are given to a local service club, which holds a used book sale on an annual basis.