The Suggest a Library Purchase Form has been moved to the Library site on the myFC portal.

Please be sure to review our Collection Development Policy below before suggesting a purchase.

Collection Development Policy

B. F. Hamilton Library is committed to supporting the mission of Franklin College. As a function of this commitment, the information resources owned and controlled by the library ("the collection"), will be developed in a consistent manner that optimally serves the needs of the Franklin College Community.

I. Elements of Collection Development

There are three inextricable components of Collection Development: acquisition, weeding, and preservation. Consideration must be given to all three of these elements in order to achieve the collection that is consistent with the mission of Franklin College, and with the Library's mission statement.

It is important to note that Hamilton Library adheres to the ACRL Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries and the ALA Library Bill of Rights. Both of these documents will serve as guidelines for acquisition and weeding decisions.

A. Acquisitions

1. Purchase considerations

All materials purchased with Library funds, either restricted or non-restricted, will be housed in the B.F. Hamilton Library and made available to all Library patrons according to established Library usage policies. Materials that are to be housed within departments or offices on campus must be purchased with funds from other sources. There are no branch or departmental libraries associated with the B.F. Hamilton Library.

Materials, including books, periodical subscriptions, video-recordings, etc. (see Materials Collected), will be acquired with the primary goal of supporting the Curriculum. Other priorities, as discussed above, will be considered as well. Materials that meet the standards required to support undergraduate-level work will be sought. The library personnel, in conjunction with the faculty of the various academic departments of Franklin College, will select materials that satisfy both the library’s needs to maintain a solid, core collection, and the various departments’ needs to enhance their curricula.

It will be the goal of Hamilton Library to acquire books that are bound in a hard cover, or other durable binding. Exceptions will be made in areas such as Technology and Computers, as these materials will likely be replaced on a regular basis. Also, materials for which light use is anticipated or items that are updated every 5 years or less, may be acquired in a soft cover. Departmental budget considerations will also be a factor in selecting hard or soft cover editions.
If a desirable item is not available in hard cover, a suitable soft cover edition may be acquired.

2. Gifts

Gifts to Hamilton Library at Franklin College will be accepted at the discretion of the Director, or other appropriate personnel (e.g. the Archivist in the case of historical materials). Gifts made to Hamilton Library become the property of Hamilton Library, and may not be returned unless prior arrangements have been made, such as for a temporary display. There is no guarantee that gifts will become a part of the collection, and may be catalogued, discarded, or given to another party or institution, as deemed appropriate by the Director or designated personnel.

3. Archival Collections/Depository Materials

In some cases, Hamilton Library at Franklin College maintains some or all of the records of outside institutions (Indiana Baptists, the Branigin Papers, etc.). Unless specifically stipulated, these materials become the property of Hamilton Library, and will be available to the library’s users as deemed acceptable by the Director or other appropriate personnel (i.e. the Archivist). Materials that have become part of the library collection cannot be returned, and will remain a part of the collection as long as said materials continue to serve the needs of the Franklin College Community, including normal cooperation with other academic institutions.

B. Weeding

1. De-selection – materials in the collection may be considered for weeding if they are:

a. Obsolete and:

• i. Have been updated by a newer edition
• ii. Are of no historical value
• iii. Contain grossly inaccurate information

b. Damaged and:

• i. Irreparable (and not rare/valuable)
• ii. Cost of repair outweighs the “value” of resource
• iii. Other copies in our collection
• iv. Replacement can be easily purchased

c. Unused – however, faculty will be queried to ensure that seldom-used books are not discarded if they:

• i. Have historical/monetary value
• ii. Are part of the “core” materials for a subject area
• iii. Contain information that is not readily available elsewhere
• iv. Could potentially serve a special purpose for our patrons

2. Disposition options for weeded materials:

a. Discard – if they:

• i. Are unusable (i.e. damaged beyond repair, etc.)
• ii. Have no historical value
• iii. Are of no use to any department on campus
• iv. Have no resale or salvage value

b. Relocate/Sell:

• i. If weeded materials are useful to an academic department, they may be housed in that department.
• ii. Certain materials may be made available to the campus community free of charge, or for a nominal price (at discretion of Director).

c. Return to the collection:

• i. Occasionally, materials that have already been weeded may subsequently be determined to be of significant value to the collection prior to being discarded.
• ii. At the request of a faculty member, materials may be returned to the library's collection without further consideration.

C. Preservation

The materials held by Hamilton Library will be physically maintained. Conditions such as extreme temperature, direct sunlight, dust, pests, and other potentially damaging circumstances will be monitored and controlled by the library faculty and staff, and support personnel of the College. Especially sensitive or valuable materials might be placed in a special area (the archives, for example), and may have restricted use (in-library only, special research requests, etc.). It may become necessary, in the case of materials that are both fragile and rare or valuable, to make a photocopy, or transfer the information to some other format, so that the information can be accessed without damaging the original material.

II. Formats currently supported
A. Books
B. Periodicals
C. Microform (microfilm and microfiche)
D. Access to online resources (free and fee-based)
E. CD-ROM
F. Videocassettes (VHS)
G. Digital Video Disc (DVD)
H. Maps
I. Miscellaneous materials (i.e. Franklin College paraphernalia)
J. Music scores
K. Sound recordings
L. Transparencies
M. Pamphlets
 

III. Priorities and selection criteria

A. The priorities of Collection Development at Hamilton Library are to provide information resources (listed in order of importance):

1. That support the curriculum of Franklin College.
2. For professional development of the Faculty and Staff of Franklin College.
3. For the general and recreational interests of the Franklin College Community

B. Criteria for selecting materials for acquisition:

1. Recommended in a standard review source, (e.g. Choice) or other authoritative publication.
2. Recommended by a reliable professional source (e.g. an on-line discussion group).
3. Listed in an authoritative bibliography or core collection list for this discipline.
4. Material is:

• a. From a publisher recognized as authoritative in the field
• b. By an author who is an authority on the subject
• c. Sponsored by a highly-esteemed organization in this field
• d. A new edition of a standard work. (Especially if we own an older, outdated edition.)

IV. Language and Geography

A. Reflective of the needs of the curriculum of Franklin College, the vast majority of materials collected will be in the English language.

B. Most works collected will pertain to Western Culture, as is consistent with the curriculum.

C. Works whose primary concern is The State of Indiana, Johnson County, or The City of Franklin will be selectively collected.

V. Scope and level

A. The majority of works will be appropriate for undergraduate work pertaining to the curriculum of Franklin College.

B. Some materials appropriate for research beyond undergraduate needs, such as faculty development or advanced undergraduate research may be collected.

C. A section of juvenile literature will be maintained. These resources will support the elementary Education program, and will also serve the children of the Franklin College Community. The library will strive to collect all books receiving the Caldecott or Newbery award.

D. Textbooks will not normally be purchased with library funds nor be added to the collection when received as gifts.

E. Duplicate copies will not be added to the collection without good reason, and will be done at the discretion of the director of the library, with input from appropriate people.
 

Written by Daniel B. Schuetz, summer 1999. Edited, revised, and published in Web format by Ronald L. Schuetz. Officially adopted by the library in March 2000. [Updated 10 July 2002.]