Collection Development

1. Introduction
2. Purpose of the Collection
3. Responsibility for Collection Development
4. Selection Guidelines
5. Scope
6. Collection Maintenance
   

1. Introduction

The purpose of this procedure is to provide guidelines for the development of the library's media collection. The basic philosophy of the library and the Instructional Media Center is to support the educational programs of Riverside Community College District. Multimedia resources, primarily lower-division in scope, may be selected on the basis of overall value, merit, timeliness, authoritativeness, and ease of access. Riverside Community College District's library selects, acquires, organizes, collects and provides access to resources reflecting a multiplicity of views.

2. Purpose of the Collection

The purpose of the media collection is to support and complement the college mission by providing a wide range of lower division, undergraduate resources. The library and the IMC strives for electronic instructional innovation in an effort to meet the demands of a computer-driven work place. In addition to supporting the curriculum, the IMC serves the informational and educational needs of the overall college community. Long term planning calls for an increased emphasis on emerging information technologies. The IMC will acquire those technologies that facilitate information retrieval, storage, and transmission.

3. Responsibility for Collection Development
   
   
   1. Librarians

   Working in concert with all of the college librarians, the Network & Multimedia Librarian is responsible for the development of the media collection. She will submit requests for resources to the Acquisitions Librarian as needed. Responsibilities include:

   1. Making judgments as to the completeness of the library's media holdings.
   2. Taking the needs of the DL/LRC as a whole into consideration.
   3. Selecting, with or without faculty consultation, resources that the librarians have identified through their public service and reference contacts.
   4. Channeling of catalogs, reviews, and selection aids to faculty members.
   5. Establishing and maintaining a climate of cooperation with faculty members, and serving as a department liaison.
   6. Communicating with the librarian who serves on the campus curriculum committee, which evaluates proposals for new and revised courses. This librarian also recommends resources for acquisition.

   2. Faculty

   Faculty members are considered subject specialists and are encouraged to recommend resources that support the instructional needs of their programs. Faculty may recommend multimedia for purchase by completing an “Audiovisual Material Request” Form for each item. Completed forms should be returned to the Network & Multimedia Librarian. The fulfillment of a request is dependent on the availability of funds and appropriateness to the collection. Please refer to the Multimedia Procedure for more information on requesting multimedia for purchase.

   3. Dean of Library/Learning Resources

   The Dean of Library and Learning Resources has the final responsibility for the maintenance and development of the media collection.

4. Selection Guidelines


1. Collection Priorities

Resources will be selected for inclusion in the media collection according to the following order of priority:

1. Materials that are directly related to the curriculum.
2. Outstanding items in other fields of knowledge and peripheral subjects not taught at the college but required for the core collection.
3. Reference and research materials in support of existing programs, to include the standard work in the major fields of knowledge.
4. Resources to support the professional growth of faculty and staff.

2. Selection Criteria

The following criteria will be used to evaluate items under consideration:

1. Written reviews appearing in authoritative professional periodicals.
2. Size and adequacy of the current collection.
3. Potential use of resources by students and faculty.
4. Appropriateness for lower-division college use.
5. Timeliness, with current resources given the highest priority.
6. Authoritativeness of the author, publisher, or producer.
7. Accuracy.
8. Scope and depth of coverage.
9. Availability of funds.
10. Availability, quality, and durability of the material format.

5. Scope


1. Formats

The library and IMC collects a wide spectrum of instructional resources in a variety of formats including audio and video recordings, audio CDs, CD-ROMs, DVDs, laser discs and 35mm slides. Materials may be encoded, stored, and delivered in digital format in accordance with Copyright Law (Title 17, United States Code). The format of materials in the collection may change as a result of changes in long-range need, availability, and format quality.

2. Languages

The media collection includes English language materials as well as multimedia in other languages as dictated by the curriculum. Foreign Languages materials in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Russian, and Spanish are included and added to the collection in support of the study of languages, literatures, and other cultures.

3. Multiple Copies

Multiple copies of an item are only ordered when an item is predicted to have or has been shown to have heavy use.

4. Gifts

Gifts are accepted with the understanding that the library may dispose of them or add them to the collection at its discretion. The appraisal of gifts for tax purposes is the responsibility of the donor. A letter acknowledging the donation, but assigning no value, is sent upon request.  Gifts are evaluated for selection based upon the same selection criteria as new items.

6. Collection Maintenance


1. Evaluation

The media collection will be continuously evaluated in terms of circulation, content, currency, popularity, and relevance to the college community's needs. Continuous weeding and replacement of lost, stolen, or out-dated materials helps maintain a collection that reflects changing college needs and goals.

2. Weeding

In order to maintain the quality of the media collection, materials may be withdrawn in an effort to study and develop the collection. Decisions to remove resources will be made in consultation with the Department Chair of the discipline whose resources are under review.

Upon evaluation, the following may be withdrawn from the collection:

1. Obsolete resources.
2. Superseded editions or versions.
3. Superfluous duplicates.
4. Badly worn or defective materials for which there are suitable replacements.
5. Unused resources of no historical or lasting value.
6. Outdated or inaccurate materials.
7. Resources in outdated formats for which there are suitable replacements.
8. Materials with expired permission or licensing.

3. Replacement

   Replacement materials will be purchased based upon the following criteria:

   1. Demand for the title.
   2. Number of copies available.
   3. Existing coverage of the subject/discipline in the collection.
   4. Availability of updated materials on the subject.
   5. Availability of materials in an updated format.