Responsibility for the selection of library materials is shared between the librarians and the faculty. However, the ultimate responsibility for materials selection and the development of a strong collection rests with the University Librarian. While faculty members are experts in their particular field, the faculty in the library is better placed to maintain the balance of the collection across all subject areas. The establishment of effective two-way communication channels between the faculty librarians and the teaching faculty is essential for successful collection development.
Other materials searchable in the library’s catalog that are maintained and managed by cross- campus partners are considered outside the purview of the Rebecca Crown Library. The development of those collections rests with the stakeholders responsible for the mission and vision in those units and are not under the responsibility of the faculty in the library or the University Librarian. These cross-campus partner units include the Butler Children’s Literature Center, the Mary Nona McGreal Center, and the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence.
Librarians’ Responsibilities for Collection Development
Dominican University significantly invests money, personnel, and time in acquiring, maintaining, and deaccessioning resources cataloged and managed by the Rebecca Crown Library. As such, the University Librarian has overall responsibility for the development of the library’s
collections. This responsibility is delegated to the rest of the professional full-time library faculty who are assigned one or more of the subject areas or overall college(s) that comprise the University’s curriculum. Each faculty librarian serves as the primary library contact for faculty members in their assigned college(s) or area(s) of responsibility and are responsible for sending them information about recent publications in their field and communicating with the University Librarian and Technical Services and E-Resources Librarian gaps or needs from their assigned unit(s).
Part-time librarians may also assist faculty librarians with selection duties.
The selecting faculty librarians are charged with making recommendations to the University
Librarian on all matters pertaining to library collection development, including:
• Creating, and annually reviewing, the mission, strategic plan and goals of the library’s
collection development efforts.
• Defining specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely (SMART) objectives for the year to advance the goals of the collection development strategic plan.
• Identifying policies, procedures, budget requirements, technology needs and tasks that need to be assigned in order to fulfill the planned objectives.
• Providing/identifying in-house and external professional development and training
opportunities.
All selecting librarians operate with the understanding that the overall responsibility of collection development is to plan and maintain a balanced catalog of resources based on sound selection principles within budget. All selecting librarians recommends policy (including an annual review of the collection development policy) and develops and reviews collection development processes. Various collection committees may be formed as needed for special projects or other collection activities.
Teaching Faculty Members’ Roles in Collection Development
Library selectors are expected to recommend purchases that reflect the needs of all course offerings in their area of responsibility or college, and which supports the curriculum (on all levels), as well as the educational mission of Dominican University. In addition, library selectors are asked to encourage the active participation of all the members of their assigned department(s), college(s) or program(s) in the selection process.
The library selectors are also asked to work closely with their faculty by sharing information about:
• Student needs (e.g. course assignments, reading lists, etc.)
• Accreditation requirements
• Curriculum or program changes
• Perceptions of the collections’ strengths and weaknesses
In general, requests for new purchases by faculty members should be submitted to the library through the library selector designated for the specific college or via the “Request an Item for Purchase” form on the library’s website. https://research.dom.edu/forfaculty/acq These purchase recommendations will be reviewed by the Technical Services Unit, which determines
if the recommendations fit the library’s scope and budget. The University Librarian reserves the
right to refuse a recommendation for budgetary reasons or failure to meet the general selection criteria. Whenever faculty have identified themselves on their request, they will be informed of the status of their request by the appropriate library selector.
For new program, certificate, or course proposals, the University Librarian must complete the Pro Forma Budget worksheet. The University Librarian will coordinate with appropriate librarian selector to assess current resources and services for new programs or certificates.
It is the responsibility of the faculty and departments to follow the guidelines of the University Curriculum Committee. One of the requirements is to connect with the University Librarian prior to presenting the proposal for new programs, majors, etc. to discuss the library needs of the new program. If the University Librarian, in discussion with the faculty proposing the new program, determines that the library cannot meet the needs of the new program, the University Librarian will inform the UCC via a letter of support, or lack thereof, the need for funding in order for the library to purchase core materials in a new curricular area.
Pro Forma Budget Worksheet questions:
1. To what extent does the RCL currently hold the journals, database (full-text), reference and curricular resources, materials, texts, I-Share resources, etc. to support the curriculum (or specialized needs) of this program?
2. Are there any specific holdings or equipment needs required by accreditation standards?
3. What impact would this program have upon the instructional and reference librarians’
capacity or knowledge base to support this program?
4. What impact would this program have upon the facility or equipment resources of the
RCL? (i.e. are the software needs accessible on RCL computers and equipment)
5. Summary recommendation and assessment from the University Librarian
a. Give an estimate of what it might cost to secure the materials and resources identified above
Role of Students & Staff
Students and staff are encouraged to submit requests for items that they would like to see added to the collection. Student and staff suggestions for purchases can also be made via email to Reference Desk at reference@dom.edu as well as the “Request an Item for Purchase” form on the library’s website. https://research.dom.edu/forfaculty/acq These purchase recommendations will be reviewed by the library selector for the appropriate subject. The University Librarian reserves the right to refuse a recommendation for budgetary reasons or failure to meet the general selection criteria. Whenever students or staff members have identified themselves on their request, they will be informed of the status of their request by the appropriate library selector.
Duplication of Materials
In general, to prevent dilution of the library's fiscal resources, duplicate copies of circulating books will not be purchased. Exceptions may be made for certain titles that exhibit heavy or continual use or for large university or library events or courses such as the common read texts for seminar classes. Library patrons are highly encouraged to use the consortium catalog for unavailable items.
General Guidelines
In fulfillment of its mission, the library aims to provide access to resources of the highest possible quality. The library does not attempt to amass vast collections of all possible materials on all possible subjects. Rather, it obtains the most useful sources of information available on topics of demonstrable relevance to the mission and curriculum of the University. Though quantity is important (for the collection must be large enough to support the needs of our student body, faculty, etc.), it is the quality of the collection that matters most.
The major responsibilities of the library are to support the curriculum of the University by obtaining the materials needed by students in its undergraduate and graduate programs, accreditation requirements, and enhancing the collection by including materials from and by voices from underrepresented groups. Because more extensive research is required on the graduate level, research materials of greater depth are obtained in those fields where graduate degrees are awarded. The library also obtains materials needed to support faculty teaching in all programs offered by the University. Materials required solely for the personal research
needs of individual faculty members may be obtained to a limited degree; careful consideration
will be given to the relationship of the materials to the curriculum, their expense, the likelihood that they will be of any future use as permanent additions to the library's collection, and their availability elsewhere. If unique, hard-to-acquire, out-of-print, or obscure titles are recommended, it is first expected material needs will be met through use of partner libraries’
collections either through our agreements with other I-Share academic libraries or through interlibrary loan.
In recognition of its role as a general cultural resource for the campus community, and its duty to provide for the well-rounded education of its students by giving them access to all the significant works of human thought and achievement, the library collects materials representing diverse cultural traditions. In addition, the library selects some materials which
are outside the scope of the University's curriculum. Such materials are chosen very selectively; the primary consideration being their value as an introduction to an important area of human endeavor, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
All collection development criteria developed beyond this policy must be approved by the
University Librarian.
Collection Development – General Criteria
The following general criteria are considered in the selection of materials:
• Appropriate content that supports the curriculum, student research needs, and/or faculty teaching
• Materials that cultivate and enhance the Caritas Veritas mission of Dominican University
• Items that represent and bolster cross-campus cultural competencies and other diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts
• Materials needed for accreditation purposes
• Materials that augment or support departmental programming
• Quality, relevance, currency, accuracy of information presented
• Authoritativeness and reputation of the author, material, and publisher
• Strengths and weaknesses of the current collection
• Materials can be accessed by all current members of the Dominican University community
• Timeliness and historical value of materials
• Budget and price constraints
