About

Introduction

This statement of acquisition and selection policies for the Gregg-Graniteville Library has been formulated by the Library Faculty under the authority of the Dean of the Library and approved by the Faculty Assembly Library Committee and the USCA Administration in order to clarify the general policies of the Library with regard to principles upon which the library collection is developed. The statement is subject to review at all times by the Library Faculty, the Faculty Assembly Library Committee, and the USCA Administration.

Acquisition Policy

Definition

As used in this statement, acquisitions policy means the policy of the Library with regard to the building of the circulating collection as a whole. This policy does not apply to the Gregg-Graniteville Archives or the University Archives.

Statement of Policy

The Gregg-Graniteville Library is charged with the responsibility of serving the reading, reference, curricular, and research needs of students, faculty, and staff of the University of South Carolina Aiken. Therefore, the acquisition policy of the Gregg-Graniteville Library is to build a collection containing the materials which best suit the objectives of that clientele both now and in the future. It is the aim of the Gregg-Graniteville Library to build in all appropriate fields a collection of the highest degree of excellence, both qualitative and quantitative, that its monetary resources can support.

Implementation of Policy

Implementation of the acquisition policy is the responsibility of the Dean of the Library and Library Collections Coordinator who may delegate to others a portion of that responsibility. While the broad outline of the policy remains constant, the specifics of implementing the policy will change as the University changes and as its expectations change. Building a collection to meet the objectives expressed in the policy requires provisions for evaluating the collection and for expending funds designated for the development of the collection.

Evaluation

Evaluation of the collection, as the word implies, is exercised continually by judging it against qualitative standards through consultation of knowledgeable people and through comparison of the collection with standard general and specialized bibliographies such as Resources for College Libraries and Choice Reviews, reviews in authoritative scholarly journals, and lists of publications considered to be outstanding by authoritative boards of review.

Allocation of Funds

The Dean of the Library and the Library Collections Coordinator are responsible for the expenditure of all library funds. Library Faculty, Faculty Library Liaisons, Department Chairs, Deans, and other appropriate USCA Faculty or Staff are solicited for their collection recommendations and feedback on a regular basis.

Selection Policy

Definition

Selection policy, as used in this statement, means the set of guidelines used in making decisions concerning the addition of specific materials to the collection.

Statement of Policy

Materials selected for library purchase at any time should be those of the greatest use to USCA, its faculty, staff, and students. Judgment as to whether specific materials meet this criterion is exercised most frequently by consulting the opinions of knowledgeable people, either on the campus or in such publications such as those referenced in the "Evaluation" section above. Specific criteria applicable to library purchases include:

1. The timely value of the material.
2. The accuracy of the material.
3. The authority and credibility of the author and publisher.
4. The usefulness of the material with respect to other works already in the collection or easily available from other collections including:
• The representation of multiple sides of controversial issues.
• The inclusion of a variety of perspectives on a topic.
• The avoidance of materials which merely duplicate, either outright or in substance, materials already held.
• The avoidance of expensive materials of limited use when they are held by other local libraries or by other college libraries.
• The scarcity of material on the subject.
• The price of the work in comparison with other equally useful material.
• The format of the work.
• The appropriateness of the material with respect to the curriculum.

Implementation of Policy

While faculty in each discipline are relied on for contributing to building and maintaining a strong collection in their subject areas, the primary responsibility for the building of the collection resides with the Dean of the Library and the Library Collections Coordinator. The Library Collections Coordinator is also responsible for ordering and receiving requested materials and maintaining the business records necessary for the fiscal control of the budget. Cooperation between faculty members and librarians in the selection of materials allows individual faculty members to bring their specialized knowledge to the task of selection and to assure the support within the collection of specific curricula needs. The responsibility of the librarians is to ensure that no areas of collection development be ignored or slighted and that the collection as a whole be developed objectively, consistently and thoroughly.

Policies concerning Special Areas of Collection Development

Ebooks

Ebooks are prioritized over print books in order to allow greater accessibility and flexibility of access. Print books will be acquired when the format necessitates or benefits from the print format (e.g. art publications, graphic novels, popular leisure reading, USCA author, children’s books). Whenever possible with the publisher/platform, the Library prioritizes ebooks with multiple or unlimited and DRM-free access. The Library acquires access to ebooks through the following purchase models: individual purchase of titles for perpetuity; evidence-based acquisitions and patron-driven acquisition models; and subscription ebook packages including those through our consortial arrangements (e.g. PASCAL, Carolina Consortium, Lyrasis).

Print books

When a print copy is the preferred format and there is a choice between hard cover and paperback, the paperback will be purchased unless there is a compelling reason to purchase the hard cover (e.g. expected heavy use, USCA author). Materials will be rebound if heavy use has damaged the item.

Periodicals

Ejournals are prioritized over print journals. Print journals are only subscribed to if no ejournal option is available. Digital backfiles of periodicals and current periodical subscriptions are acquired on the basis of demonstrated curricular need and in consultation with the appropriate unit head. Usage of current ejournal subscriptions is annually evaluated to determine curricular relevance.

Newspapers

Electronic format of newspapers is preferred over print. The Library subscribes to representative major and local newspapers not covered in our aggregator databases. Digital backfiles of newspapers are purchased on the basis of curricular need and cost.

Government Documents

The Library’s participation in the federal depository library program (FDLP) as a selective depository makes certain categories of government publications available free of charge from the Superintendent of Documents. Categories of documents to be received are selected through DSIMS class lists by the Documents Librarian in consultation with faculty members. Generally speaking, items selected for this collection cover a broader spectrum than those of the general collection because the documents collection is meant to serve not only the needs of the University but also citizens of this geographical area. Government documents are federal property and go through different protocols than deaccessioned state property. FDLP materials must be retained for five years after which materials may be offered or discarded per program requirements.

The Library also participates in the South Carolina State Depository system. The Library is required to receive 100% of offered materials from this collection. Collection development is cultivated through weeding the collection to retain materials that are relevant to the campus and geographic area. All materials in the collection must be kept for a minimum of five years before they are offered to the South Carolina State Library.

The United States Department of Energy Public Reading Room was established under contract as a special collection of the Gregg-Graniteville Library in the fall of 1984. The collection consists of reports, letters, memoranda, and other publicly accessible documents relating to operations at the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken and at other USDOE nuclear facilities around the nation. Items to be included in the collection are selected by the USDOE. An index of the documents is available on the Government Documents website. Access to these documents is available by contacting the Documents Librarian. DOE reading room letters dictate the length of time materials must be kept in the collection. All letters are retained and kept in perpetuity.

Foreign Language Materials

Materials in foreign languages are purchased to support the language curricula offered by USCA and when a specific need is evident for a foreign language edition.

Little-Used Materials

Resources needed to support the research of an individual student or faculty member are obtained, whenever possible, through PASCAL Delivers or interlibrary loan rather than by purchase.

Out-of-Print Materials

Out-of-Print materials are only acquired when there is a strong curricular need, and no other current in-print publication meets that need (e.g., a seminal publication in a field of study).

Textbooks

The Gregg-Graniteville Library actively supports statewide affordable learning efforts for our students. Ebooks being used as current textbooks are acquired when publisher licensing agreements allow and library budget permits. Traditional print textbooks are not acquired. Other print books being used in current courses are subject to the policies on print books specified above. Faculty are welcome to put a print desk copy of a textbook on reserve for their students.

Databases and other non-print resources

As with monographic and serials acquisitions, the selection of other electronic materials including aggregator databases should support the curriculum at USCA. The Library Collections Coordinator and/or the Library Dean consults with unit heads when subject specific electronic resources require annual subscriptions or ongoing access fees. As with ejournals, these resources are evaluated annually by the Electronic Resources Librarian and the Library Collections Coordinator for usage and curricular relevance.

Duplicates

The Library purchases duplicate print copies only in cases of demonstrated need (e.g. style manuals, heavily used books not available as ebooks) or in the case of books by USCA authors.

Replacement of Missing Books

Generally, replacement copies of books missing from the collection are ordered upon request by a library patron when funds allow and are subject to the monograph acquisition policies stated above.

Gifts

The Library welcomes gifts but accepts them with the understanding that it has the right to handle or dispose of them in the best interest of the Institution. The Library will determine the classification, housing and circulation policy of all gift items. A book plate to identify the donor may be placed in gift books when appropriate.

In acknowledgment of gifts, attention is called to government recognition of such contributions for tax purposes, but a monetary appraisal is the responsibility of the donor. Upon receipt of the gift, the Library will issue a thank-you letter for the gift, stating only the number and type of items given. The Library will also notify the USCA Office of Advancement of the donor’s gift.

Gifts of money to the Library are handled through the Aiken Partnership.

Deselection

The Gregg-Graniteville Library will conduct a systematic program of deselection from the general library collection those items which are obsolete and no longer appropriate. The removal of materials of limited usefulness is essential to maintaining the quality of the collection. The process of deselection requires the same participation by the faculty as does the selection of materials. Whenever possible, decisions to deselect will be made in consultation with the faculty of the academic disciplines most directly concerned with possible future use of the resources. As in the selection process, the recommendations of faculty are essential and will be given consideration.

The following criteria will be used in passing judgment upon those works being considered for weeding from the collection:

1. Works with a timeworn appearance which are not necessarily rare or of considerable value in terms of either content or actual marketability.
2. Unneeded duplicates.
3. Earlier editions which have been superseded.
4. Editions in non-English languages in which the English version is held by the Library and the foreign language material does not relate to course offerings or does not support faculty scholarly needs.
5. Works with outdated or incorrect information.
6. Poor circulation in relation to age of book.
7. Changes in USCA’s curriculum.

All general collection items withdrawn from the collection will be offered first to other institutions in the USC system and/or PASCAL institutions. Unclaimed items will be disposed of by the Library. Procedures for removing Government Documents follow federal and state guidelines.

Intellectual Freedom

The principles of intellectual freedom as outlined in the "Library Bill of Rights" and the "Freedom to Read Statement" of the American Library Association shall be adhered to in the selection of library materials. The Gregg-Graniteville Library does not act as an agent for or against a particular issue but maintains its position as a free channel of communication and upholds its right to select books. The disapproval of a book by one group should not be the rationale for denying that book to all groups, if by library selection standards it belongs in the collection.

The procedure for challenged materials is as follows:

1. The staff person receiving the complaint should be polite to the patron, making no comment regarding the challenge of materials.
2. The patron should be asked to complete a copy of the form "Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials". The completed form should be given to the Dean of the Library.
3. The Library Dean will send a copy of the request to the Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and the Chair of the Faculty Assembly Library Committee.
4. The Dean of the Library will then meet with the Chair of the Faculty Assembly Library Committee. The Chair will:
• Notify the Faculty Assembly Library Committee.
• If the item is a print item, the Chair will place the challenged material on reserve so that members of the Committee may read or study it. If the item is an electronic item, the Chair will ensure that committee members know how to access it by sharing the necessary link.
• Check external scholarly reviews on the challenged materials.
• Arrange a meeting with the Faculty Assembly Library Committee in which they carefully weigh the values and faults of the challenged material and make a recommendation to the Dean of the Library. A copy of the recommendation will be sent to the Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs.
5. The Executive Vice Chancellor will then meet with the Library Dean regarding the recommendation of the Faculty Assembly Library Committee. The results of this meeting will be forwarded to the Chancellor.
6. The complainant will be notified of the decision regarding the contested material by the Dean of the Library.