Collection Development
The collection of Hester Memorial Library has been developed to serve the research and informational needs of the total campus population and certain special community services. The following client groups have been identified and ranked according to the priority of service. Materials purchased from funds in the operating budget must meet a specific need of at least one of the following groups.
The teaching faculty is asked to work in conjunction with the professional Librarians in evaluating and developing various subject areas. The nature of the institution will have a certain formative influence on the nature of the collection. In keeping with the purpose of the University as a liberal arts institution, the collection will provide basic, general sources in a broad spectrum of subject matter, supplemented with more advanced materials in subject areas where more advanced studies are offered. In short, the scope of the collection shall be determined by the nature of the curriculum being offered.
SELECTION CRITERIA
General Criteria:
- The material supports Christian and Southern Baptist beliefs, or the material updates, supplements or balances the collection in some significant way.
- The material is clearly related to the current curriculum.
- The material provides a basic information source supportive of the unique needs of the University’s student population.
- The material provides general interest and/or current issues awareness for the campus community.
- The material supports one of the following special collections:
- Institutional Archives Collection
- Miller Bible Collection
- The material provides subject awareness in a discipline of major interest to a faculty member.
Format Specific Criteria:
Books (There is no distinction between an ebook and a print book. Electronic resources are preferred.)
- Books and ebooks selected will contribute to the building of a collection based upon the following principles:
- A wide range of basic monographs.
- The complete collections of more important authors and selections from secondary writers.
- Selected editions of important works.
- Fundamental bibliographic apparatus in subject fields.
- Broad general reference materials and selected subject references.
- Other selected materials to support special programs, curricula or collections.
- Books selected should provide current basic information and general support of the curriculum.
- Books selected should present controversial material in an objective and scholarly fashion.
- Books selected should contribute to a balance in the collection between alternative viewpoints.
- Books selected should be authored by persons who are knowledgeable and respected scholars in their disciplines.
Periodicals
- Print periodicals selected shall not be duplicates of periodicals that are already available through the library’s electronic resources.
- Periodicals selected shall provide current basic information and general support for the curriculum.
- Periodicals selected shall contribute to the building of a collection based upon the following principles:
- A wide range of basic information
- A strong emphasis on current topics and literary materials
- The basic reviewing media in selected fields
- Other selected materials to support special programs, curricula or collections.
- Periodicals selected shall promote a balanced collection both in terms of intellectual level and ideological stance.
Recordings
- Recordings selected shall provide course-related listening and general support for the curriculum.
- Recordings selected shall not be duplicates of recordings that are already available through the library’s electronic resources.
- Recordings selected shall be in compact disc format if a streaming license is not available.
- Recordings selected shall contribute to the building of a collection based upon the following principles:
- A wide range of basic musical selections
- The complete collections of the more important composers and selections from secondary composers
- Other selected musical and spoken recordings of major importance to support special programs, curricula, or collections
Videos
- Videos selected shall provide basic information and general support for the curriculum.
- Videos selected shall be in DVD format if a streaming license is not available and shall not be duplicates of videos already available through the library’s electronic resources.
- Videos selected shall contribute to the building of a collection based upon the following principles:
- A wide range of basic subject material in a visual format
- Selected works of the most important artists and composers in a visual format
- Other selected audio-visuals to support special programs, curricula, or collections
- Audio-visuals selected should present controversial material in an objective and scholarly manner.
Selection Policies
The following policies are designed to insure the quality of the collections by regulating the selection of certain types of material.
- Only materials, which are currently in print in some original edition, will be purchased unless it is work of monumental importance, which is available only reprint. Other out of- print and reprint materials may be borrowed through interlibrary loan if needed.
- Materials will be purchased in the English language only except for those needed to support the foreign language curriculum.
- The Library will not acquire textbooks except where no other suitable college-level material of general survey nature is available.
- Rare books will not be acquired with the use of general operating funds.
- Current fiction and nonfiction best-sellers will be acquired on a highly selective basis.
- Multiple copies will be purchased only when the need for such is clearly demonstrated by use.
- Electronic editions will be purchased unless the price for an electronic edition is prohibitive or material is available only in print or is of a transitory nature.
- Weekly, biweekly, and certain other selected periodicals may be purchased electronic form unless the price for an electronic subscription is prohibitive or the periodical is available only in print.
- Backfiles of periodicals will be purchased in electronic form only.
BUDGET ALLOCATIONS FOR MATERIALS
The Library’s budget monies for books and A-V materials are derived from general budget lines representing the two areas. Materials are purchased based on a subject area’s development needs. All purchases must meet the established criteria for inclusion in the collection. Currently, in order to insure a distribution of funds that better supports the growing institution, the Dean annually allocates monies from the general fund to support each individual division’s collection area. Budget allocations are derived by using a formula based on some or all of the following variables:
- Circulation
- Number of Student Contact Hours
- Number of Faculty
- Usage of available funds during the previous year
- Average cost per title for subject matter
- Coverage of the subject area in the library's current professionally curated academic databases
Requests for Materials
The teaching faculty members are encouraged to work with the Library faculty in developing the Library’s collection within their areas of subject expertise. The teaching faculty will make requests for materials by filling out a Material Request form, providing a bibliographic list of requests, or sending clearly marked catalogs to the Library Dean or Acquisitions department. The Library staff will verify bibliographic information and check for duplication. If the title is presently in the collection, the person making the request will be notified. Otherwise, the title will be ordered if it meets the established criteria and funds are available. If the title is rejected due to failure in meeting the criteria, the person making the request will be notified of the reason for rejection and can request a re-evaluation of the title. When funds are not available for the purchase, the request will be held until such time as funds are available.
Guidelines for De-selection
Maintaining the quality of the collections requires the prudent and systematic process of de-selection. The selection criteria outlined above should be the starting point in the determination of what materials will be discarded from the collection. The following guidelines have been established to regulate this process.
- Responsibility for de-selection belongs to the professional librarians with the understanding that faculty input may be sought when appropriate.
- The following variables will be considered when making decision to discard material:
- Material which is outdated or otherwise obsolete.
- Material which is unsolicited and unneeded.
- Duplications of the item of material.
- Editions which have been superseded.
- Material of an inappropriate intellectual level.
- Material which is damaged or badly worn
- Material seeing little or no use in the past.
- Lost material, which need not be replaced.
