Hartfield Library Collection Development Policy

Overview

The collections of Henderson Community College help uphold the mission of the College and the library by providing materials intended to…

• Support the curriculum with both physical and electronic resources and
• Meet the demonstrated and anticipated information needs of our students in their studies regardless of their campus location or modality of instruction.

Collaboration between library staff and classroom instructors is key to this process as outlined in the policy.

Mission Statements

Institution

Henderson Community College’s mission is to enhance the quality of life and employability of our community by serving as the leading provider of…

• College and Workplace Readiness
• Transfer Education
• Technical Education and Workforce Training
• Lifelong Learning and Cultural Enrichment

Library

The Hartfield Library's mission is to provide quality information and research services for all publics served by Henderson Community College.

Purpose of the Policy

The development of a collection of library materials that are relevant and sufficient for users’ needs is a core component of the library’s services. The resources provide essential references and specialized materials to support student assignments, courses, and the College’s programs.

This internal policy serves as a guide for library staff and faculty during the process of selecting individual titles and subscriptions. Further, the policy communicates the rationale behind decisions made in selecting, purchasing, and de-selecting library materials to students, faculty, staff, and the administration.

This policy is updated by the library staff and reviewed annually by HCC’s faculty.

Intellectual Freedom

In striving for excellence while supporting Henderson Community College, the Hartfield Library is guided by the principles set forth by the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights.

Materials Selection

To collect materials that support the College’s current curricular needs, the library chooses resources based on the following criteria:

• Importance and relevance to the curriculum, student assignments and programs;
• Faculty, staff, and student requests;
• Fostering diversity.

Collection Development Policy by Material Format

The Hartfield Library obtains and/or provides access to information in print, video, and electronic format. Materials are purchased to support the curriculum and student assignments. Programs with accreditation requirements, such as Nursing, Medical Assisting, and Medical Laboratory Tech, receive additional consideration as needed. Physical materials become part of the library collection and are not permanently distributed to departments outside the library facility.

Physical Books

The library staff use selection tools such as Booklist, the New York Times, Choice, Library Journal, and National Public Radio. Circulating titles are emphasized. Print reference titles are purchased only when no comparable electronic source is available at an affordable price.

Electronic Books

The library currently subscribes to collections of electronic books; however, additional singular titles are acquired using the same criteria applied to print books.

Physical Periodicals and Newspapers

The library subscribes to a small number of print periodicals. This collection is primarily for leisure reading to encourage literacy. An academic journal requested by an instructor may be added if the title is not available electronically, and if the title is needed to support program accreditation or student assignments.

Databases

The library subscribes to electronic holdings of books, newspapers, journals, encyclopedias, and other sources through databases. Collection development involving databases is substantially influenced by consortia such as the Kentucky Virtual Library (KYVL), the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) libraries, and the Federation of Kentucky Academic Libraries (FoKAL) because few database subscriptions are made independently by Henderson Community College. Such independent subscriptions are made to address local needs.

Physical Videos

DVDs are purchased when requested by faculty for classroom and student use when the title is not available electronically. Titles that support programs and a few award-winning films may be purchased each year if they are not available electronically at an affordable price.

Streaming Videos

Streaming video requests will be checked against the library’s databases. If nothing comparable is available, titles may be purchased to meet instructional needs. These purchases may include feature films along with the necessary licensure expenditure to avoid copyright infringement.

Review Process

Each year the Hartfield Library staff evaluates the databases and other licenses electronic resources for renewal. This evaluation consists of a review of the database subscription cost(s) against the library’s ability to absorb the associated price increases, input from faculty and students, and usage.

The library staff reviews hardcopy, electronic, and video title acquisitions as individual requests are made and as program or course changes warrant. Program accreditation agencies also drive the review process along with student demand for assignments.

Communicating Collection Decisions

Henderson Community College students, faculty and staff are encouraged to submit requests for new material for the library’s collection. After consideration, the requestor is notified when the item is available for use or why it was not purchased. The Circulation Supervisor is responsible for initiating contact with faculty members regarding cancelations of subscriptions and soliciting requests for new material.

Materials for Faculty Research

The library buys material as recommended by instructors to support the courses and programs offered by Henderson Community College. Material requested by faculty for personal coursework and research is purchased if the material is not available through interlibrary loan and is affordable. The library further supports faculty research and leisure reading through the interlibrary loan service.

Gifts

Material donated to the Hartfield Library becomes the property of the library. Only items supporting Henderson Community College programs, coursework or student assignments will be cataloged and added to the collection. Other items may be archived if historic or monetary value is determined. Donated items may be placed in book sales that benefit the library. Material not cataloged or sold is given to charitable organizations or recycled.

De-selection of Materials

Weeding, or the removal of materials from the library collection, is an integral part of an ongoing effort to build the collection and maintain its relevance. Decisions to remove material may be made in consultation with the faculty most directly concerned with the future use of the material. The library staff is responsible for the weeding process.

Guidelines for weeding materials include the…

• Physical condition
• Accuracy of information
• Currency of information
• Frequency of circulation
• Permanent value to collection (e.g., classic titles, etc.)
• Space to house item
• Discontinuation of format

Weeding by Format

Physical Periodicals (including Newspapers)

Newspapers are discarded after three months. Dated print periodicals are housed on the library’s second floor for ten years unless the content involves allied health information. In this instance, the material is discarded after five years.

Physical Books and Audio-visual Material

Books and audio-visual material are not automatically replaced when loss occurs due to damage or patron misplacement. Replacement depends on the currency of the item, the number of duplicate copies, adequacy of the subject covered in collection, the demand for the particular title or subject, and the availability of new alternatives. Items determined by the library staff to be lacking in one or more of these areas may be pulled for faculty consideration. A list of pulled items is compiled by the library staff and sent to faculty for review. If faculty determine the item(s) is no longer needed, the library staff withdraws the material from the collection and completes the discarding process.

Books and DVDs focusing on allied health content are discarded every five years to comply with discipline accreditation guidelines. Allied health titles older than five years with historic value are tagged with a special label to help patrons identify this classification.

Electronic Databases and Streaming Videos

Vendors determine when material is added and removed from electronic databases and streaming video databases. Individual licensed titles and databases may be cancelled by the library staff during the annual review of the library’s budget performed by the library staff.

Preservation

The Hartfield Library supports the College by archiving material that helps retain the institution’s history. Limited edition books, genealogy sources, and titles signed by authors are also housed in a Special Collection that is housed in the library. Other preservation efforts may include transferring resources from one format to another as copyright allows.