Collection Development Policy

The purpose of the collection development policy is to provide guidance in the selection and maintenance of materials in accordance with the Library and Institution's mission statements. Of utmost importance, is the provision and accessibility of materials in all formats that directly support classes currently offered at Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC).

A. Institution Vision and Mission Statements

PVCC will be an innovative teaching and learning institution that anticipates and responds to community needs, and prepares its students to contribute to, participate and succeed in a diverse global society.

The mission of PVCC is to provide life-long learning opportunities through effective and accessible instructional programs and student services. These programs and services are continuously evaluated and improved to meet the needs of students, businesses and the community.

B. Library Vision and Mission Statements

The PVCC Library personnel will create a stimulating learning environment by offering instruction, curriculum support, research assistance, access to diverse information systems, and outreach services to students, faculty and the community.

The Mission of the PVCC Library is to provide services, resources and facilities to foster information literacy within the PVCC community.

C. Intellectual Freedom/Copyright Compliance

The Library supports the American Library Association in the Library Bill of Rights http://www.ala.org/ala/oif/statementspols/statementsif/librarybillrights.htm and its concepts of intellectual freedom.

In an effort to provide materials representing diverse sources of information and the widest possible range of ideas and viewpoints, some materials the Library acquires may be considered controversial by certain groups or individuals. The acquisition or use of any item does not imply approval or endorsement of the content. In the event that material is challenged, Library personnel will provide the user with the "Patron Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials" form located at the Circulation/Reserves Desk. In conjunction with the Library Advisory Council, the Collection Development Librarian will review the form and make a decision regarding the challenged material.

The Library complies with the Copyright Law of the United States. Library services including reserve materials procedures, interlibrary loan, photocopying, and acquisition procedures, must comply with the U.S. copyright principles.

II. Fiscal Item Type (budget) Allocation

The Library receives funding annually to purchase or provide access to library resources. The Collection Development Librarian allocates the materials budget for the academic year. In order to ensure balance of the collection, the standard percentages of 50% print and 50% non-print allocation was approved by the Library Advisory Council in October 2003. Academic organizations may request exceptions to the standard percentages by submitting a justification to the Library Advisory Council. All materials purchased with Library funds are housed in the library and become a permanent part of its inventory.

III. Responsibility for Collection Development

Library faculty liaisons collaborate with colleagues from other academic organizations to develop the collection. Students and staff are also encouraged to suggest additions to the collections. Requests can be made by using the "Library Materials Request Form" available online through the Library's home page. The Collection Development Librarian coordinates the selection process and is ultimately responsible for collection-related decisions.

IV. General Selection Criteria

In order to collect materials, which will support curricular needs of PVCC, the Library chooses resources based on the following selection criteria:

Importance/relevance to the curriculum
General reference and research needs
Contribution to breadth or depth of the collection
Selection for review in relevant review media
Patron needs, including requirements of special population
Faculty recommendation
Value/cost/quality
Timeliness of information
Depth of coverage and adequacy of scope
Authoritativeness and accuracy
Appropriateness of format
Special features
Physical space requirements
Maintenance costs

A. Types of Resources
Archives: Archives is a collection of historical materials by and about the Institution. It includes Governing Board minutes, videos, a photo collection, newspaper clippings, campus publications, planning and accreditation reports, international curriculum development projects, distance learning and international curriculums, sabbatical reports, memorabilia and much more.

Audiovisuals: Audiovisuals include videos, audios, slides and DVDs. In choosing audiovisuals for the collection, the following will be considered in addition to the Library's general selection criteria:

Technical quality

Availability of appropriate equipment and technical support

Cost effectiveness

Copyright/licensing issues

Longevity

Format

Curricular support vs. leisure

Books: In selecting books, the major emphasis is on acquiring new or current titles, although important retrospective titles may be acquired when appropriate for the collection. The Library will always attempt to obtain the latest edition of a title except in rare instances when an earlier edition may be preferred.

Children's books: A representative collection of children's books will be maintained to provide students of literature with the best examples of books published for children. The well-known classics in literature and the award-winning books of each year (Caldecott and Newbery) will make up the core of the collection.

Career and Institution: The Library purchases a wide variety of career-related materials including topics such as career selection, institution choice, majors, scholarships, internships, job hunting, resume writing, interviewing skill, career development, and individual vocations. The collection will be reviewed annually and replacements found for items that are over 5 years old.

Compact disks: Musical recordings on compact disks are purchased as requested by faculty. These items are kept behind the Circulation/Reserves Desk.

Databases (unique to PVCC campus): When subscribing to databases, the following criteria will be considered:

Value/cost/quality

Distinctiveness of the database in the MCCCD environment, the extent of overlap (if any) with other MCCCD databases, and the relationship of the database to the Library's print and other holdings

Ease of use/training requirements

Access restrictions

Extent of coverage

Licensing requirements

Importance of the resource to the academic discipline(s) and the level of expected use

Comprehensiveness, durability and accuracy of the database

Currency of the information and update schedules

Ease of installation and maintenance, if required. Web-based databases are preferred

Broad accessibility of the resource under present copyright laws and licensing agreements

Availability from the vendor of usage statistics

Compatibility of the resource with existing hardware about to be purchased or already in the Library

Ability to network the resource if deemed appropriate

Leisure Reading: The Leisure Collection is a separate, rotating collection of high-interest or popular titles. The Library acquires titles through donations.

Manipulatives: Manipulatives are defined as small objects that can be touched and moved around by students. These objects are considered classroom instructional materials and need to be purchased with the requesting department's supply budget.

Maps: Maps will be collected selectively to support general reference and research needs.

Microfilm: The selection of titles on microfilm is limited to back files of periodicals and newspapers.

Models: Models will be purchased at the request of a faculty member or as need persists, e.g. models that the Learning Support Center has but we don't have. These items will be placed on reserve in the Library.

Multimedia: The Library purchases books with accompanying material on machine-readable disk, audiocassette, or compact disk, where items meet the general selection criteria, regardless of the availability on campus of hardware for accessing them.

Musical scores: Musical scores or songbooks will be acquired only as necessary to represent areas such as musical or cultural history and will not be purchased as performance materials.

Paperbacks: Hardbound books are preferred for their greater durability. Paperbacks may be purchased for topics that change rapidly, for books that are frequently updated and replaced, when duplicate copies of a particular book are needed, when demand is expected to be short-lived, when a hardcover is unavailable, or when the cost difference is substantial and the book is not expected to have heavy use.

Periodicals: Since the periodicals budget remains the same each year, this means that in order to add a new title, a current title will be canceled. In selecting periodicals the following additional criteria will be considered along with the Library's general selection criteria:

Considered a core publication for disciplines taught at PVCC

Supports current curriculum needs at PVCC

Indexing in available databases

Full-text is not available from two or more of the database vendors

Cost of the subscription

Scope, audience level

Past demand for requests through interlibrary loan

Provides a unique contribution to the collection

Availability at other district libraries

Web links: In addition to the general selection criteria, the following criteria will be used in selecting Web links:

Site is authoritative, credible, and non-commercial (exceptions will only be made for sites of exceptional quality)

Site supports general reference and research needs

Preference is given to sites that are open to everyone and do not require membership or fees

Site is intuitive and easy to navigate

Site's purpose is clearly stated

Information about the author, title and date of most recent update is clearly identified
Site employs navigation buttons or links, enabling the user to locate a particular page easily

Page is stable and does not move or disappear frequently

Web duplication of print resources is acceptable for free Internet resources in order to provide an additional point of access

B. Acquisition Procedures Affecting Collection Policies

ESL (English as a second language): The Library endeavors to provide equal access and opportunities for those with developing English language skills. The Library provides culturally appropriate material including fiction and non-fiction in a variety of formats.

Expensive items: The Library will consider the holdings of the other MCCCD libraries and neighboring institutions when a request is made for high cost/low-anticipated use materials.

Faculty Research: Materials for faculty research (doctoral programs, research articles, etc.) will be considered only if they are at the appropriate level for community institution curricula. Interlibrary loan will be recommended to request materials which are not at the appropriate level.

Gifts: Only those materials in good physical condition and which conform to the Library's general collection criteria will be added. No estimation of value will be provided for any gift, but a receipt listing the total number of items will be provided upon request. Unneeded items will be returned to the donor upon request, disposed of by placing the item on the Library's free shelf, or donated to other public institutions.

Languages: Primarily English language materials will be selected. Materials written in languages other than English are acquired when they support the foreign language programs of the institution and general interest in language and literature.

Multiple copies: Due to budgetary limitations, duplication of materials is made judiciously. Only in the event of a special request from faculty, administration, or anticipated heavy use in a particular discipline shall duplicate copies be purchased.

Out-of-print titles: Out-of-print titles are usually not purchased unless the title is available at a reasonable cost through out-of-print book dealers.

Reference: The reference collection is designed to meet the need for basic, factual information as well as provide an overview of information for specific subjects. The focus of the collection is to support the PVCC curriculum through a core collection of academic reference materials. The reference collection contains encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, atlases, directories, indexes, statistical compilations, and bibliographies. All librarians select material for reference. The reference collection is periodically evaluated for currency of information and accuracy of information. This collection does not circulate.

Replacements: Resources that are missing, lost, or withdrawn because of wear are not automatically replaced. Decisions to replace lost, damaged, missing or worn-out materials will be based on the following criteria:

Item still meets the Library's general selection criteria

Frequency of use justifies replacement

Item is used for class reserve reading or is on an assigned reading list

Item is still in print

Pro/Con Hot Topics: This Collection is a series of books that give information about controversial, or hot/contemporary topics. The collection is periodically updated and, because the collection is part of the Reference Collection, the books do not circulate.

Standing orders: Standing orders may be placed for annual publications (almanacs, yearbooks, series) needed in the collection and on occasions when every book in a series is needed. The decision to place a standing order rests with the PVCC Librarians.

Textbooks: Textbooks are not routinely purchased for the Library collection, but titles which have earned a reputation as "classics", or which are exceptional or are the only available sources on a topic may be added. Gifts of recent texts are accepted and added to the collection, if they are deemed useful to students.

V. Collection Maintenance

De-selection, preservation, and subscription cancellations will be an integral part of collection maintenance and will be done on a continuing and regular basis. As with selection, appropriate faculty members will be consulted to make recommendations on withdrawal of materials. Withdrawn materials will be disposed of according to District policy. ( http://www.maricopa.edu/surplus/empres.htm)

A. Withdrawal of Library Materials

Withdrawal of titles will be based on the following criteria:

Superseded editions not containing unique information, data, or providing a historical reference not available in the most current edition

Titles unused within a reasonable time period (5 years) based upon subject and scope of the work except for such items considered classics or standard editions

Duplicate titles, unless a proven demand exists for multiple copies of a work

Materials which no longer support the PVCC curriculum

Materials that contain outdated or factually inaccurate information

Items in poor condition that are beyond reasonable preservation efforts (based on student needs and availability, replacement titles may be ordered)

Relevance of the item to the institution's current curriculum

Level of treatment (i.e., too difficult, too easy)

Value of variant editions

B. Cancellation of Databases

The following criteria will be considered when canceling databases:

No longer available or maintained

The currency or reliability of the resource's information has lost its value

Another database or resource offers better or more comprehensive coverage

No longer supports current PVCC curriculum

Cost of subscription

C. Cancellation of Periodicals

The following criteria will be considered when canceling periodicals:

No longer support current curriculum

Available electronically through two or more of our subscription databases (other than WilsonSelectPlus)

Has a much higher than average subscription cost

Not appropriate level for community institution curricula

D. Guidelines for Discarding Periodicals

The following guidelines will be considered when discarding periodicals:

Duplicate copies

Incomplete or short runs of titles, especially those no longer being received

Titles that contain information that is not useful long-term and have automatic discard patterns such as "Library retains current 5 years"

Issues that are replaced by microfilm

E. Preservation

The following actions are taken in order to ensure proper preservation of Library materials:

Library employees will be informed of the proper care and handling of Library materials

Repair is provided for damaged materials when possible

Binding is used to preserve books as needed

F. Collection Assessment

The goal of collection assessment is to evaluate the appropriateness of the Library collection and to document the progress of a collection-building program. At regular intervals, Library liaisons in collaboration with colleagues from other academic divisions undertake evaluation of the collection. This process assists librarians in making informed collection development decisions.

VI. Collection Development Policy Review

The Collection Development Policy was approved by the PVCC Library Advisory Council (April 2004). This document will be reviewed every two years in terms of the assessed information needs of Paradise Valley Community College, the growing abundance of electronic resources, and emerging technologies.

Last updated: August 22, 2008
Paradise Valley Community College- URL-http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu
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