Collection Management Policy
Introduction
The purpose of this document is to explain the general
guidelines used by Rentschler Library staff in making collection
management decisions. Every effort is made to build and maintain
a collection that supports the mission of the library as stated
below.
Library Mission Statement
Rentschler Library contributes to the intellectual and cultural
development of the students, faculty, staff, and community users
at Miami University Hamilton by supporting the teaching and
research needs of the campus and promoting personal growth and
success through lifelong learning.
Goals
The primary function of Rentschler Library is to support the
undergraduate academic programs of Miami University Hamilton.
Materials are selected to meet the needs of the students, faculty
and staff in their educational pursuits. In their efforts to
carry this out, library staff will:
1. Strive for a systematic approach to collection management
where all subjects are equally considered and purchasing decisions
are made purposefully with the needs of the campus community
in mind. This will lead to a balanced and well-rounded collection
and will prevent random, uneven coverage.
2. Develop a functional collection that is useful to the majority
of the users of Rentschler Library. The intention will be to
actively support the undergraduate curriculum taught on the
Miami University Hamilton campus, while still providing adequate
coverage in other areas. All subjects will be considered and
developed to the appropriate level.
3. Provide the best possible coverage in each subject area.
Efforts will be made to:
A. Maintain currency by continually adding and updating materials
and withdrawing outdated sources that are no longer useful.
B. Maintain quality by selecting the best materials available
in the most cost effective way.
C. Maintain the physical condition by weeding, repairing, or
replacing damaged books and implementing preventative maintenance.
4. Encourage student and faculty use of the library by building
a usable collection that is relevant for student coursework
and is an integral part of the campus curriculum.
Responsibility for Selection
The professional librarians at Rentschler Library are responsible
for selection in assigned subject areas of the collection. Each
selector will also be responsible for weeding and maintaining
these assigned areas. In order to provide complete coverage
for the collection, these responsibilities are assigned in the
following two ways:
First, assignments are made according to the Library of Congress
classification system, with each librarian taking primary responsibility
for specific classes. For example, one librarian manages the
E class (American History), while another librarian handles
the L class (Education). This ensures that someone is responsible
for each part of the collection and will prevent inadequate
coverage in a subject area that may not have specific coursework
on campus.
Secondly, responsibilities are assigned based on the curriculum
taught at the Hamilton campus. These assignments will correspond
as closely as possible to the first division described above.
For example, the botany classes on campus will be covered by
the librarian who is responsible for the Q classification (Science).
Therefore, each department on campus will have a specific contact
person in the library. The faculty will communicate their needs
and make purchase recommendations to their assigned library
liaison.
Faculty Involvement
The most important thing that individual faculty members can
do is to communicate frequently with the library liaison assigned
to their discipline. Faculty can facilitate this in the following
ways:
1. Submit course syllabi and specific assignments that require
library research.
2. Participate in collection analysis projects. This involves
evaluating the books or other materials in their discipline.
Decisions are made to retain, discard, update, or send an item
to the university’s remote storage facility. The procedure
and criteria for this are described in a separate document,
Collection Analysis Guidelines.
3. Complete the collection development survey form found at
http://www.ham.muohio.edu/library/policies/collectionsurvey.pdf
(12kb). This survey will help the librarians identify broad
subject areas, as well as more specific topics that should be
considered when making selections.
4. Recommend specific titles by completing the Suggest
an Item for Purchase form.
5. Seek input from library liaison to create new assignments
that will best utilize the resources already available in the
library.
6. Promote the library as an essential source for students.
Encourage them to use the library when working on assignments
or doing research.
7. Maintain ongoing dialogue with library liaison through email,
phone calls, or regular meetings.
Selection Criteria
Purchase selections will be made using a variety of criteria.
In no particular order, these include:
1. Relevance to the educational program of the campus.
2. Anticipated use by Miami Hamilton students, faculty, and
staff.
3. Subject content applicable to the undergraduate level.
4. Timeliness or permanence of the material.
5. Accuracy and reliability as reflected in review sources*
6. Reputation of the author and/or publisher
7. Current strengths or weaknesses of present holdings in the
subject area
8. Availability at Miami or OhioLINK libraries
9. Cost
*Review sources will be the primary means of identifying purchase
possibilities. Choice is a publication designed for academic
libraries and will be a major resource. To a lesser extent,
Library Journal, Booklist, and Publisher’s Weekly will
also be consulted.
Faculty recommendations will be given thoughtful consideration,
especially those that have the needs of the student body in
mind. Rentschler Library is able to provide ready access to
advanced level materials that support faculty research endeavors
by participating in resource sharing with other Miami and OhioLINK
libraries and through traditional interlibrary loan services.
Specific Areas of the Collection
Reference & Electronic Resources
The selectors work as a team when adding materials to the reference
collection or purchasing electronic resources. Each librarian
makes suggestions for titles to add and titles to weed in their
subject areas. The committee considers the price and potential
usefulness of the product and makes the final decision.
Nonprint
This collection includes videos, CDs, slides, and kits. Additions
to this collection are primarily made by faculty suggestion
or request. The faculty member making the request is required
to preview the material before a final purchase is made.
Periodicals
The professional librarians will review all active periodical
subscriptions every two years. Faculty, staff, and students
can recommend titles to be added at any time. However, due to
the high cost of periodical subscriptions, there must be a compelling
argument that the new title will be an asset to the campus community.
Electronic availability will be a major factor in deciding what
titles to add or cut.
Textbooks
The library does not typically purchase textbooks. Exceptions
may be made in certain disciplines, such as nursing, where textbooks
are an integral part of the literature available or when a particular
title is considered to be a classic in its field. However, the
library encourages donations of textbooks that are current and
useful as additional resources for students in carrying out
their coursework. For example, faculty can donate advance copies
of textbooks that they receive from publishers.
Gifts
The library welcomes donations of books and other materials
for its collection. When evaluating gift materials, special
attention is given to the condition of the item and the date
of publication (when relevant). Potential use and availability
at other libraries are also considered. Books that are not added
to the collection will be donated to the annual book sale or
returned to the donor if requested.
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or contact us by telephone at 785-3235.
