Collection Development Policy

Mission

Greenlease Library is indispensable to the success of Rockhurst University, providing resources, services, and instruction which support the goals of the University. This policy focuses specifically on the resources Greenlease Library acquires to support the greater mission of Rockhurst University. 

Objectives

A key aspect of modern academic librarianship is stewarding the library collection throughout the lifecycle of the materials. The selection of library materials is a cooperative venture between the academic faculty and the library staff. The objectives of collection development are: (1) to support the university curriculum, (2) to provide for the research needs of the University community, and (3) to support the mission of the University. 

Selection

Each department has a librarian liaison to assist and consult in the selection of materials. All department allocations fall under the discretion of the library director. 

Selection Criteria

General selection guidelines for all materials are:  

  1. Lasting value of the content in relation to teaching and research needs, including: 
    • Quality of scholarship 
    • Uniqueness of content or treatment 
    • Quality of the physical condition, when pertinent 
    • Accessibility of the information, such as search result quality or layout, when pertinent 
    • Historical value in relation to existing collection areas 
  2. Strength of present holdings in subject areas.
  3. Appropriateness of the level of the materials for its intended user (undergraduate, graduate, faculty, and staff).  
  4. Potential use. 
  5. Accreditation requirements to include content, format and scope required for accreditation or programmatic licensure of programs. 
  6. Current materials will be given priority over out-of-print materials. 
  7. Preference will be given to electronic format, unless otherwise noted.
  8. Consortial holdings and cooperative agreements will be considered when making selection decisions. 
  9. The acquisition of more than one copy of any title, regardless of format, shall not be purchased without consulting the appropriate library liaison. 
  10. Lost, damaged, or missing items are not automatically replaced but evaluated on University needs and usage data for the given area. If no exact replacement can be obtained, a similar item may be acquired as a replacement by the library.  
  11. The library will not purchase materials intended to be consumed in the context of a University course (e.g., workbooks, tests, software, etc.). See textbook section below.
  12. The library does not acquire materials to support off-site, non-library collections including department-specific resources retained outside the library. 

Evaluation

The collection will be evaluated for: 

  1. meeting the objectives of the Collection Development Policy 
  2. meeting current needs of the Rockhurst community 
  3. strengthening the library collection 
  4. appropriate format, audience, and currency  
  5. demonstrated usage 

Gifts

Greenlease Library conditionally accepts gifts. The Library Director, or his or her appointee, is free to decline and/or dispose of gifts if they do not align with the mission of the library or duplicate materials already owned. All gifts are acknowledged by the library, but no appraised value is given. The library refers donors asking for appraisals to utilize third-parties as well as the instructions for IRS form 8283. Memorial gifts are encouraged by the library. The staff will work with donors to select materials appropriate for the library and person being commemorated. 

Library Collection

Academic Materials: Emphasis is placed on developing resources that support Rockhurst curriculum. Secondary emphasis is placed on the research needs of the students, faculty, and staff. Greenlease Library will utilize Interlibrary Loan to supplement the library collection when acquiring resources for individual or small group research and projects. To maximize library funding, minimal collection development will occur for minor academic programs. For fictional works, preference is given to acquiring major literary works supporting the curriculum and special programs sponsored by the University, i.e., Visiting Scholars Lectures. Materials will be added primarily in the English language. Materials in other languages taught by the English, Modern Languages, and Fine Arts Department will also be considered. 

  • Ingrisano Library Fund: The Ingrisano Library Fund is used by the library to provide resources that support the study of history at Rockhurst University. 
  • Sims Library Fund: The Sims Library Fund is used by the library to provide resources that support the study of English and Modern Languages taught by the University. 
  • Rossner Fund for the Library: The Rossner Fund for the Library provides support for the library’s acquisition of philosophy and theology resources. 

Textbooks: Greenlease Library does not generally collect nor acquire textbooks in order to best utilize library funding. However, when requested by faculty and/or departments, Greenlease Library will consider the acquisition of textbooks using the following criteria. 

  1. Priority is given to one-time purchases in electronic format with multi-user access in order to maximize availability of the resource. 
  2. The publisher must have institutional purchasing options available within its platforms. Platforms and materials must be accessible by current library systems. 
  3. The textbook, including the multi-user access option, costs no more than 30% of the library’s available collection development allocation for the program or department. Exceptions to this must be reviewed by the liaison librarian. 
  4. Program faculty understand textbook expenditures affect the availability of other resource content in the field of study due to library budget constraints. 

Periodicals: Periodical acquisitions will be guided by the following guidelines as well as those stated above.  

  1. Periodical acquisitions shall be discoverable and indexed in a database or searchable within library discovery tools. Periodical/journal requests falling outside this parameter will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  
  2. Journals required for programmatic requirements will be reviewed on a regular basis in the following areas: format, scope, and scale. Current serial subscriptions will be compared against the programs currently offered and the corresponding accreditation and/or licensure directive(s). 
  3. Subscriptions for journals/periodicals which capture usage data, specifically COUNTER data, enabling cost per use analysis will be prioritized over publisher content which does not enable cost analysis. 
  4. Current serial subscriptions are reviewed annually by the Library Director and liaison librarians for continued appropriateness to the University’s mission, to keep expenditures within allocations, and to meet consortial or system agreements. 

Database acquisitions will be guided by the following guidelines as well as those stated above.   

  1. When possible, all database requests will be preceded by a trial to evaluate content, functionality, value, and use. 
  2. Databases required for programs will be reviewed on a regular basis in the following areas: format, scope, and scale. Current database subscriptions will be compared against the programs currently offered and the corresponding accreditation and/or licensure directive(s). 
  3. Databases which capture usage data, specifically COUNTER data, enabling cost per use analysis will be prioritized over those which do not enable cost analysis. 
  4. Current database holdings are reviewed annually by the Library Director and liaison librarians for continued appropriateness to the University’s mission, to keep expenditures within allocations, and to meet consortial or system agreements. 

Database Trials: Library staff may arrange temporary trials to databases (an average of 30 days), so that the Rockhurst University community can try a new resource and evaluate its content, functionality, and value. Rockhurst community members may suggest new databases or subscription resources by contacting their liaison librarian. Library staff encourage the Rockhurst community to utilize the database trials and provide feedback. Greenlease Library will decide whether to subscribe to a new electronic resource based on interest, cost, and usability.  

Government Documents: Greenlease Library is a member of the Federal Depository Library Program and takes into consideration the information needs of people in the 5th Congressional District of Missouri. 

The selection of government documents is based primarily on the same criteria as that of book materials. We use the suggested core collection for small universities listed in the Guidelines for the Depository Library System, and take into consideration the needs of the general public living in the 5th congressional district. 

Co-curricular Collections: Greenlease Library provides resources supporting important University core values, including social justice and activism. These collections endeavor to provide resources supporting community interests in popular fiction and nonfiction as well as the core value of Cura Personalis. 

De-selection

Liaison librarians are responsible for the full lifecycle of collection management from point of selection to withdrawal. Review of library collections is performed regularly, ensuring collections remain both current, authoritative, and correspond with Rockhurst University needs. Resources not supporting current curriculum or having low use due to age or format may be deselected at the discretion of the library staff, working in consultation with faculty as needed. 

Intellectual Freedom

Intellectual freedom is a basic right in a democratic society and a core value of the library profession. The American Library Association actively defends the right of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First Amendment.