The Library applies the same criteria to all materials under consideration for inclusion in the collection, including recommendations and donations. The criteria are as follows:
The expected usage of the resource
Required material for course or program accreditation
Support to the current discipline curriculum in scope, quality, and demand
Presentation of new information from diverse perspectives and viewpoints
Redundancy
Cost
Does it fit within the current budget?
Will the longevity of usage warrant the physical processing costs?
Adequate shelf space to accommodate
General reputation of the author and content reviews
In addition to the above criteria the Library makes every effort to diversify the Library collections by including: works written by and/or about historically marginalized, underrepresented and oppressed voices; works in hi-lo reading levels to support Adult Basic Education and ESL.
Format: The Library collects books and materials in print, electronic and open source formats. Books and materials are available in multi-level reading levels to support students with varying high and low reading levels.
Language: Books and materials are primarily collected in English language. Books and materials collected in languages other than English serve to support the study of languages, literatures and cultures.
The general collection print books include, but are not limited to:
Circulating main stacks: Non-fiction, biographies, classic literature, short stories, and more.
Reference: The reference collection includes print and online encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, directories, indexes, bibliographies, statistical compilations, and handbooks.
Leisure Reading (recreational): includes popular novels, classic novels, popular paperback auto/biographical, diverse and inclusive fiction, graphic novels, comic books, manga and anime. The preferred format is paperback, however in the case where new releases are published and available in hardback first, the hardback format is selected. This ensures the timeliness and relevance of the material.
Children’s Books: Children’s books of all types are selected. Books in this collection support early childhood education. The primary age range is pre-k to second grade.
Quick Reads (formerly easy readers): Easy level reading books and adaptations to support students with lower reading levels and English language learners.
Print periodical resources, such as magazines and journals are not included in the general collection policy. To learn more, please consult the Access Services policies.
The general collection non-print materials Include, but are not limited to:
Audiovisual materials, such as DVDs and audiobooks. Audiovisual materials are purchased in accordance with ADA accessibility standards, such as closed captioning.
Electronic resources, such as article databases, electronic book databases and streaming media are not included in the general collection policy. To learn more, please consult the Access Services policies.
Textbooks are not selected for the general collection unless it is designated as a core resource by a faculty member. Core resources are titles that have been deemed essential to a field. The purchasing of textbooks is not sustainable due to their high cost, frequent publication of new editions and inferior or lack of binding. Although textbooks are not typically purchased for the general collection, textbooks are purchased for the Reserve Textbook collection. To learn more, please consult the Access Services policies.
Other exclusions include:
Multiple copies of a title (exceptions apply);
Titles where the information will quickly lose value and accuracy;
Audiovisual materials in obsolete or obsolescent formats; and
Titles containing information that is deliberately false or misleading.
