This policy sets out the criteria for management of the ULS general collections. It provides guidance on our approach to acquisitions and collections maintenance, and relations with other libraries. Links are provided to associated procedures. We acknowledge that an increasing amount of highly relevant scholarly content exists outside library collections (e.g., open access journals, government policy documents, company information); such materials are outside the scope of this policy. Our liaison librarians and functional specialists can provide expertise with locating, accessing, and evaluating such information.
To meet the information needs of our communities, we understand the scope of this policy to include materials owned or licensed; shared collections; and collective collections. We will continuously monitor the balance between these three categories. The shift to increasingly electronic collections has created an environment in which information provision is no longer confined to local holdings. Through conscious coordination, we increase overall collection breadth and depth through sustainable investment in collections, and regional and national collaborations to build, share, and preserve collective collections. For instance, we participate in several consortia that support purchasing, collaborative or shared collection development (EAST and Hathi Trust, CRL) and enable resource sharing (e.g., PALCI EZBorrow, OCLC Interlibrary Loan, or RapidILL).
Our priorities for the collection development are three-fold:
Would you like to:
