Books
In general, circulating books that are damaged will not be rebound. Some books with minimal damage may be repaired at the discretion of the Technical Services and E-Resources Librarian. If a book is seriously damaged, it may be replaced with a more recent edition of the same title or by another book in the same subject area, based on evaluation by the selector.
Journals
Back issues and current journals to which the library subscribes will not be bound.
Deselection of Materials
A primary goal of the library is to support the university curriculum and research needs. Therefore, the library must maintain the currency and scope of the collection. An important process to keep the currency and maintenance of the library collection is deselection of the
general collection. The deselecting process should be done on a continuous basis and is done by the faculty librarians. When necessary, teaching faculty will be consulted as needed.
Materials which are no longer useful in supporting a collection which is active and responsive to student, faculty or university administration needs should be deselected; removing the title from the library’s collection. The library selectors have primary responsibility for deciding what materials should be withdrawn from the collection.
The following factors may be considered when deselecting all library materials, print and online:
• Relevance to the current curriculum
• Unneeded duplication or availability in multiple formats
• Obsolescence of information or edition
• Frequency of use
• Space available
• Physical condition
• Availability from other libraries in cooperative arrangements
• Cost of maintenance
The library will adhere to a deselection cycle to ensure the currency of the collection. The Technical Services and E-Resources Librarian is the librarian responsible for creating and updating the procedures for deselection. The collection for each subject area will be inventoried after the weeding process is completed.
Local used bookstores may be contacted to review withdrawn materials to see if any of the materials are of any resale value. Withdrawn materials may also be offered to other libraries or faculty for their collections. Unwanted materials may be given to various literacy organizations or disposed of.
Replacements
Damaged Books/Missing Books
Library selectors should evaluate badly damaged books to determine whether it would be best to purchase a later edition of the same book, purchase another book in that subject area, or withdraw the item. The decision to determine whether to replace a missing book will follow a similar procedure. These guidelines apply to both print and online materials.
Out-of-Print Books
If a decision has been made to replace a book with the same edition and it is out-of-print, the library staff will consider acquiring it through second-hand vendors.
Missing Issues of Current Journal Titles
In most cases, replacements for missing issues of current journal titles will not be purchased. Books with Accompanying Disks/CDs
If only the disk or CD is missing, it is usually necessary to purchase the book again to replace the disk or CD. Books in this category will usually not be replaced.
Preservation & Conservation
The librarians and library staff should make every effort to handle library materials properly. Handling material with care, including technology resources, is important for materials conservation. Shifting in the stacks and regular cleaning of equipment in the library is necessary to provide appropriate space and welcoming environment for the entire Dominican University community. Brittle print materials should be flagged and routed to Technical Services and damaged technology equipment should be reported to the University Librarian and IT.
