Revised: September 2008
Collection Development Policy (PDF)
Mission and Goals
The Raymond Walters College (RWC) Library is guided by its mission of empowering the RWC community (RWC students, faculty and staff) to success in a complex information environment and supports the Philosophy and Mission of the College. The collection development guidelines are coordinated with the following goals from the Strategic Plan:
- Develop a collection that meets the growing needs and interests of the RWC community;
- Promote library services and collections to the RWC community
Standards of Accreditation
RWC is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Criterions three and four represent overarching goals that the Library strives to meet. Please refer to the Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions: An Overview, 2003 document on the Higher Learning Commission's web site for more information.
The Library also endeavors to meet the Standards for Libraries in Higher Education as set forth by the Association of College & Research Libraries. The standard entitled "Resources" addresses collection development. Please refer to the Association of College & Research Libraries web site for more information.
Clientele
The RWC Library supports the educational and research needs of the RWC community. The students constitute the Library’s primary clientele and their needs are the first consideration for materials selection. The Library also recognizes the important needs of faculty and staff as they share in the goal of serving the student population. The Library therefore provides pedagogical materials that support the scholarship of teaching and learning in a two year college. Consistent with the College’s welcoming attitude towards the community, the Library’s collection is accessible to the public. However, the RWC Library selection process is not guided by community information needs, which are met by the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County.
Collection Development Responsibility
The RWC Library builds its collection with an understanding of its relationship to other University of Cincinnati Libraries as well as to the State of Ohio's collection, as represented in OhioLINK.
The RWC Library collection is a part of the shared OhioLINK central catalog, the statewide database made up of the library collections of OhioLINK members throughout the State. While developing its own collection, RWC participates in building the state collection to satisfy state needs. This includes an understanding of the sharing of materials cooperatively in the State. The agreement, of course, allows UC users access to the same collection. Access is available to a broad array of resources purchased centrally and available electronically through OhioLINK.
Faculty and Staff
Developing and maintaining a pertinent collection requires input from faculty and administrative staff. Faculty provide subject expertise and promote student use of the collection through research assignments. Staff offer an understanding of students’ nonscholastic needs and also have opportunities to encourage students seeking information to use library resources. The College faculty and administrative staff are encouraged to make recommendations in their respective areas of expertise. These recommendations are subject to the Criteria for Selection of Materials guidelines.
Library Faculty
The library faculty, including the Director, are responsible for developing, assessing and maintaining collections in their assigned subject areas.
Library Director
The Library Director has ultimate responsibility for the management and development of the collection. The Director assigns subject areas to the library faculty, oversees assessment of the collection, and has final approval of purchases.
Collection Assessment
The library faculty participates in ongoing collection assessment in order to maintain a collection that meets the needs of the RWC community. Collaborating with faculty is an important component of this process. Please refer to the Collections page for more information.
Criteria for Selection of Materials
The primary consideration for selecting materials is the relevance of the material to the educational goals of the College. This includes:
- Relevance to the curriculum: Does it support recurrent courses and/or assignments?
- Relevance to general student needs: Does the subject support student information needs beyond classroom instruction (e.g. financial aid, career resources)
- Relevance to pedagogical needs: Does the material support the scholarship of teaching and learning in a two year college?
- Style and treatment: Is the style and handling of the subject matter appropriate for academic use? Is the treatment scholarly? Technical? Popular?
- Reading and comprehension level: Is the reading and comprehension level appropriate for the students using the material?
- High use: Is frequent use of the resource anticipated? Will it be used by a number of students?
- Quality/Merit: Has the work received favorable reviews? Was it recommended favorably by RWC faculty or staff?
- Reputable source: What are the qualifications and reputation of the author or editor? Is the publisher reputable?
- Timeliness or Lasting value: Does the resource provide current information? Will the item have lasting value?
- Availability: Is the item available for delivery through the Library Catalog or OhioLINK? Is the item needed for immediate access in the RWC Library?
- Scarcity of materials: Is the item needed to strengthen a weak area of the collection? Are materials on this subject matter scarce?
- Objectivity or Viewpoint: Is the content unbiased? Does it contribute towards a balanced collection of a controversial subject?
- Cost: Is the price in line with the cost of similar materials in that subject area? Does the budget allow for purchase of the item?
Every published work has unique purpose and content. Therefore, the weight of each selection criterion varies according to its applicability to the publication.
Criteria Consideration for Special Formats
Serials: In addition to the basic criteria, consideration of serials includes:
- Content Accessibility: Is the journal available in print or electronic format?
- Cost: Given the long-term commitment, is the cost in line with the budget?
Media Formats
The Electronic Media Communications department is responsible for the media collection, which includes films and videos. Please refer to Electronic Media Communications for more information.
Formats and Types of Materials Collected by the Library
- Books
- Serials (print, electronic, microform)
- Newspapers
Films & Videos
Media material is not purchased by the Library for the collection. Media may be included in the collection when it accompanies print material (e.g. CD-ROM or DVD). The Electronic Media Communications department is responsible for the media collection. Please refer to Electronic Media Communications for information about media purchases and collection development.
Textbooks
In general, textbooks and other materials that students are required to buy for class use are not purchased for the collection. Textbooks may be included in the collection when they are the most suitable format for the material, (e.g. when other materials in that subject area are too specialized or when the textbook is considered a classic work). Instructors may request that textbooks be placed on reserve for their students, in which case instructors are encouraged to provide a copy of the text.
Electronic Resources
The RWC Library is a jurisdiction of the UC Libraries. Electronic resources such as electronic books and databases are shared collections between all UC Libraries and thus not specific to the RWC Library. Please refer to the Electronic Resources Committee for details regarding the selection, purchase, and review of electronic resources.
The Electronic Resources Committee (ERC)
Within the libraries of the University of Cincinnati is the Electronic Resources Committee. This committee, chaired by the Assistant Dean for Collection Development of University Libraries, deliberates on the purchase of electronic resources deemed to be broad in coverage for the whole university community. The ERC advises the Policy and Planning Group, the group of library directors of the four jurisdictions of the libraries of the University of Cincinnati. These include University Libraries, the law library and the libraries of Clermont and Raymond Walters Colleges within the University of Cincinnati. [from the University Libraries Subject Policies]
The committee considers recommendations from subject selectors, as well as options presented by OhioLINK to its community.
Duplicates
Multiple copies will not be purchased except in cases of extremely high demand.
Resources for Faculty Research
In general, items which support faculty research are not purchased unless the materials are of a pedagogical nature that support the scholarship of teaching and learning in a two year college. Materials needed for faculty research will be acquired through OhioLINK, Interlibrary Loan and other UC Libraries.
Gifts
The Library will accept donations on a limited basis.
To determine if your donated material is appropriate for the curriculum, please refer to the list of the RWC Academic Departments & Programs.
Then, provide a list of the donated items to the Library and the library faculty will determine what will be accepted.Materials Accepted
- Materials related to the history of Cincinnati, University of Cincinnati, Raymond Walters College, and the City of Blue Ash
Materials Not Accepted
- Textbooks
- Damaged materials
- Periodicals and serials
- Media (e.g. music CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes)
Monetary Donations & Special Placement of Materials
Monetary donations may be made to the UC Foundation for the benefit of the RWC Library. We are not able to honor requests that donated materials be placed in a special collection or area of the Library.
Ownership
All materials donated to the RWC Library become the property of the Library. Materials that meet the stated Criteria for Selection of Materials guidelines will be added to the collection. The RWC Library reserves the right to dispose of these materials.
Acknowledgement of Gifts
If requested, a brief letter of acknowledgement can be provided, although we will not individually list the donated materials. We are not able to provide tax information or appraisals. Please refer to the Internal Revenue Service for publications and forms.
Deselection of Materials
As part of an ongoing collection maintenance and assessment process, selectors identify materials to remove from the collection. Selectors choose materials based on content, currency, access and condition. During this process, Library Liaisons may consult departmental Liaisons or other faculty to make a final determination.
Print Resources Deselection
Items are deselected as part of a large scale ongoing assessment process as well as on an individual basis.
Serials Deselection
The library faculty participates in an annual process to review serials for content, currency and accessibility.
Electronic Resources Deselection
This is a shared collection of resources between all UC Libraries. The ERC annually reviews select databases and provides recommendations to the Policy and Planning Group.
Replacement Copies
The replacement of outdated, damaged, or missing items will be considered on an individual basis in accordance with the stated Criteria for Selection of Materials guidelines.
Intellectual Freedom
Free inquiry and free access to ideas are fundamental rights upon which the educational process is established. In support of intellectual and academic freedom, the Library endorses the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, Freedom to Read Statement, Freedom to View Statement and Code of Ethics.
Individuals or groups wishing to challenge the inclusion of material in the RWC Library are asked to follow the outlined procedure:
1. The complainant shall submit their complaint in writing and include the following information: name, contact information, title and author of resource, and nature of concern. This request should be submitted to the RWC Library Director.
Stephena Harmony, RWC Library Director
Raymond Walters College
9555 Plainfield Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45236
Email: Stephena.Harmony@uc.edu2. The RWC Library Director shall make a written response to the complainant indicating the action to be taken.
Copyright
The RWC Library complies with all of the provisions of the U.S. Copyright Law (17 U.S.C.) and its amendments. The Library supports the Fair Use section of Copyright Law (17 U.S.C. § 107), which permits and protects citizens’ rights to reproduce and make other uses of copyrighted works for the purposes of teaching, scholarship, and research.
This page was last modified on 09/04/2008 by Lauren Wahman.