Collection Development & Management Policy of the E.S. Farley Library: Collection Management & Maintenance

Librarians hope to achieve a well-rounded and developed collection to address the research needs of as many users as possible. While some materials may seem more relevant and valuable than others, scholarly emphasis changes over time, and it is impossible to predict with complete accuracy the research trends of the future. Information considered outdated by today’s standards may be of historical research interest in years to come.

For potential candidates for deselection, librarians also consider:

1. Material without any historical or research value or significance
2. Severely defaced, destroyed, or mutilated material
3. Multiple copies of works no longer in high demand
4. Materials that do not meet the current curricular needs of the University
5. Usage patterns demonstrate low usage of the material
6. Physical space is not enough to justify retaining the material
7. Material is misleading or inaccurate in supplying information, especially where current information must be readily available in curtain fields (i.e. sciences, medicine)

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Evaluating the continued need for material worn or damaged beyond repair or lost by users is a fundamental part of collection development. Standard works, classics, and studies on topics of current interest are usually the most heavily used material in the library, and as such, the material most susceptible to damage or loss. The Technical Services Librarian will make every effort to replace material that is still of value to current or future users, but he or she may also determine that a lost or damaged item does not need to be replaced if other copies or editions are available in the collection/WorldCat or if the title was of marginal significance to the collection.

Replacement costs are pursuant to the library’s established fine schedule. Due to the unique holdings of the library, the exception is for rare books, which may not have been declared rare at the time the library originally acquired the item; the replacement cost for these items (first editions, for example) will be charged at market-replacement value. The Circulation Department will consult with University Archives to determine the replacement value.  

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The continuous review of library materials is necessary as a means of maintaining an active library collection of current interest to users. Evaluations will be made to determine whether the collection is meeting its objectives, how well it is serving its users, in which ways it is deficient and what remains to be done to develop the collection. The E.S. Farley Library librarians will evaluate the library collection on a regular basis using a combination of standard qualitative and quantitative methods (the same methods described previously for the selection of new materials).

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