Collection Development Policy for Scarborough Library: Maintenance

  DE-SELECTION: Weeding or deselection, preservation, and replacement are all important aspects of collection maintenance and evaluation. It is an essential, continuing library practice in which materials are removed permanently from the Libraries’ collections. Whenever possible, both faculty and library staff participate in the weeding process to ensure that publications of historical or research significance are not discarded.

a. Print Resources De-selection Guidelines: De-selection will be based on the following criteria, and materials withdrawn from the collection will be disposed of according to the WVHEPC (WV Higher Education Policy Commission).

• Titles unused within a reasonable time period (5 years) based upon the subject and scope of the work, except for such items considered classics or standard editions
• Superseded editions not containing unique information or data, or providing a historical reference not available in the most current edition
• Duplicate copies, unless a proven demand exists for multiple copies of a work
• Materials that contain outdated or factually inaccurate information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)
• Value of variant editions
• Relevance of the item to the current Shepherd curriculum
• The physical condition of the material:

- Acid-damaged, aged, brittle materials

- Moldy, mildewed materials

- Torn or missing pages/pieces

- Loose or broken bindings/pieces

- Damage from contact with liquids or other substances

b. Online Resources De-selection Guidelines:

• The currency or reliability of the resource's information has lost its value
• Another Internet site or resource offers better or more comprehensive coverage
• Pricing/usage statistics

 c. Serials De-selection Guidelines: The following additional criteria will be considered when de-selecting serials:

• Incomplete or short runs of titles, especially those no longer being received
• Issues that are available in other formats
• Titles that contain information that is not useful long-term and have automatic discard patterns such as "Library retains current 5 years"
• Pricing/usage statistics

REPLACEMENTS: Materials that are missing, lost, or withdrawn because of wear are not automatically replaced.

Potential replacements are evaluated using the same criteria for selection as regularly purchased items.

PRESERVATION: Preservation is the activity to prevent, eliminate, or retard the deterioration of library materials, as well as to improve their condition or change their format as necessary in order to preserve the intellectual content. The Scarborough Library works to protect the physical integrity of materials in the collection through conservation measures, such as temperature, humidity, and dust control.

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

• Binding is used to preserve periodicals and other materials as needed.
• Book repair is provided for damaged materials when possible.