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				Collection Development Policies & Procedures
				Library Representatives & Liaisons
				Additional policies and procedures exist that might be applicable.
				Collection Development denotes the activities that ensure that the University Libraries include in their collections the books, periodicals, and other appropriate library materials to support the institutional and research programs of ULL and/or provide access to them. Within this framework there are two ways to allocate available funding. The first is by type of material (book, periodical, microforms, etc.); and second, by academic area, as in the case of book purchases. The last part of collection development encompasses associated activities such as evaluation, location, weeding and preservation.
				The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is a Doctoral/Research Intensive Institution offering bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. Described as a process to support the instructional and research programs of ULL, Collection Development is influenced by the following ranked criteria:
				college curriculum faculty research interests general university goals use of library materials content value of library materials
				Levels of collection development intensity are the product of these factors on either an individual basis or in varying combinations.
				In short, collection development is the process of supplying the needed library materials to support both institutional goals and library patrons. The Library strives to provide equitable support to all areas of academic endeavor and research. Its mission includes the following specific goals:
				To provide books and other forms of library materials that support the instructional programs of the University, and to anticipate needs arising as a result of new courses and degree programs. To obtain materials through purchase, interlibrary loan, or on-demand document delivery, needed to fulfill the research requirements of the faculty and graduate students. To provide books facilitating personal growth and maturity, tolerance and understanding of various cultures, ability to adjust to changing times, and temporary escape from the pressures threatening to engulf the individual (recreational reading materials). To collect all available information about this region as well as other materials to enrich the cultural, professional and economic lives of the people of Acadiana.
				A simplistic set of questions regarding library patrons is: (1) Who are they?; (2) Do we have what they need?; (3) Do they use what we have? The answers to these questions can best be answered by user studies, which attempt to show how the library collections are actually used. Circulation statistics are only partly useful because past data are used to determine future patron needs. Imperfect as they are, however, user studies do help library personnel reduce the margin of error to ensure that the University Libraries are adding the right materials to the collection.
				The physical type of library materials as well as the scope of foreign language materials considered for library acquisitions is addressed in the Gift Materials Policy Statement. In summary, multiple copies, textbooks, and some non-book materials generally are not collected. Materials in languages other than English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Latin are collected selectively.
				The University Librarians actively seek suggestions for additions to the Library collection from members of the faculty. A portion of the Materials Budget is allocated to each academic department for the purchase of library materials that will support classroom instruction and research. However, the overall responsibility for total collection development rests in the hands of the Library Representatives & Liaisons, whose task is to ensure that the library collections will closely support the instructional and research programs of ULL within the level of funding available at any given time. A list of more specific guidelines concerning materials collected as follows.
				Collection Development Guidelines
				1. Collection needs The library collects for both present and future needs.
				2. Format   a. The University Libraries collect monographs, serials, microforms, and nonprint media.   b. Generally not collected for the circulating collection are films, slides, filmstrips, transparencies, pamphlet material or maps. Special Collections areas have differing format guidelines.
				3. Language Materials are purchased in languages appropriate to University teaching and research needs including English, French, German, and Spanish and less frequently in Italian and Latin. Materials in other languages are less often acquired but may be purchased upon request by the Faculty, or accepted as gifts at the discretion of the Collection Development Librarians.
				4. Serials The University Libraries aim to collect a broad spectrum of serial titles that support the curriculum and research needs of the faculty, and that are indexed in the standard indexes. Since a serial subscription represents an ongoing financial commitment, new serials are added only at the discretion of the Library Serials Committee.
				5. Subject matter The University curriculum is the primary concern for the subject matter of library materials added to the University Librarians collection. Collection Development strives to build a collection capable of supporting undergraduate instruction, graduate study, and advanced research. Louisiana materials, especially Acadiana materials, are collected exhaustively.
				6. Gifts Gifts are accepted at the discretion of the Collection Development Librarian and are the subject of a separate gifts policy statement. For more information see the Gifts Policy.
				7. Exclusions Generally, the library does not purchase or add as gifts textbooks, duplicate copies; new editions that lack substantial change from earlier editions already owned, or out-of-scope materials.
				11/08/01, some rev. 2003

Document last revised Tuesday, August 24, 2010 3:01 PM

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