Collection Development Policy

Purpose

The Collection Development Policy guides the selection, acquisition, and maintenance of library materials within current fiscal restraints and resource sharing opportunities. This policy is aligned with the mission, values and strategic initiatives of the Library and the College.

Mission

The Butte College Library is committed to providing quality information resources and services that meet the curriculum needs of our students. The Library also assists in fulfilling the diverse information needs of our entire college community and is committed to a culture of lifelong learning.

The Library's collections support the College's mission of preparing its students to become productive members of a diverse, sustainable, and global society. The collections help prepare our students for life-long learning through mastery of basic skills, achievement of degrees and certificates, and the pursuit of career and transfer pathways.

Intellectual Freedom

The Butte Community College Library upholds the principles of the American Library Association's "Library Bill of Rights" statement. (Appendix A.)

The Library strives to select materials representing many sides of various issues without endorsing any positions. Our goal is to provide materials representing diverse viewpoints to support the College’s academic offerings and to suit the diverse backgrounds of our students, faculty, and staff.

Some materials we acquire may present topics, perspectives, or viewpoints considered controversial by certain groups or individuals. If users have a complaint regarding library materials, they may fill out a "Request for Reconsideration" form located at the reference desk or online at the Library Web site (Appendix B.) The Library Director, in consultation with Butte College librarians, will review the form and make a decision regarding the challenged material. The complainant will receive a written copy of the decision.

Responsibility for Selection

The Butte College librarians are responsible for selecting materials in their assigned subject areas and for planning and maintaining the overall quality and balance of the collection. Librarians use a variety of selection tools, including professional library literature, and welcome suggestions for purchase from faculty, staff and students. The Library Director makes the final decision about all purchases.

Selection Criteria

The first priority is to provide students with items that support curricular instruction. Materials supporting specific courses take precedence, and materials supporting standard academic subjects in a broader way have secondary priority. General interest reading materials are purchased at a lower priority level. The library does not purchase textbooks or audiovisual materials for use in Butte College courses.

To best maximize funding, librarians follow a set of general criteria for selection of materials which supports the curriculum, promotes lifelong learning, and models sustainability. Materials are purchased based on multiple criteria including, but not limited to: lasting value; accuracy; currency or timeliness; credentials of the author, issuing body, or publisher; need in relevant curricular areas; and suitability of the work to the teaching and learning process.

• Format: The library does not purchase audiovisual materials, though instructors may place their own or department copies on reserve in accordance with current copyright standards.
•  Appropriate Level: As part of a Community College, the Library concentrates on materials targeted to an undergraduate audience, although more advanced materials are purchased as warranted. 
• High Demand: Subject areas that exhibit higher demand for books are supported at a higher level in order to meet that demand. It is to be expected that academic subjects that emphasize written texts (Literature, History) exhibit greater use. Circulation statistics are collected to gauge use. 
• Cost: The Library has a finite budget; therefore, cost is a factor in selecting materials. Items with unusually high costs are scrutinized to be sure their anticipated level of use will justify the expense. This is especially true of serials and databases, which can be expensive and may set up an expectation of a commitment over time. 
• Balance in the Collection / Accuracy and Objectivity: The Library works to maintain a balanced collection reflecting a variety of intellectual perspectives. At the same time the Library concentrates on materials that exhibit accuracy and objectivity, whatever their viewpoint.  
• Leisure Reading: The Library continues to seek funding to purchase best-selling books in order to meet the need for leisure reading, basic skills and English as a Second Language of the Butte College community. 
• Serials/Electronic Resources: The Library has an extensive selection of full-text serials, eBooks and other resources available through the California Community College League. The Library supplements these serials and electronic resources to fill curricular need for items that are not already available through the Library's consortiums. Purchase of a single volume in a serials set does not mandate purchase of the set. 
• Multiple Copies: Multiple copies may be purchased when warranted by high demand, but single copies are the norm for most purchases.

Recommendations for Purchase

The Library encourages all users (faculty, staff, and students) to recommend materials for purchase by the Library. The Library also encourages instructors to incorporate print and digital library materials into their course instruction. Recommendation for Purchase forms are available at the reference desk or online at the Library Web site (Appendix C).

Gifts of Donated Materials

The Library adheres to the Butte College Gifts Policy.

The Library welcomes donated materials that support the teaching, research, and general needs of the College community. The Library reserves the right to determine retention, location, and other considerations relating to the use of donated items. The Library review will include:

• Relevance to the academic mission and programs of the College and the Library
• Appropriateness of content, currency, and format with regard to existing Library collections
• Potential usefulness
• Condition of materials and potential costs of maintenance

 Materials found to be suitable for the collection are cataloged and placed in the appropriate Library collection for use by the campus community. The Library may offer materials that are not suitable for the collection to other academic or public libraries, trade items for materials the Library can use, place the items in the Library's book sale, recycle or discard them.

 Librarians and staff will not assign a tax value to donations.

Collection Maintenance

In order to maintain a relevant and up-to-date collection, the Library periodically evaluates sections of the collection to identify items to withdraw. Items are withdrawn due to condition, lack of use, or because they contain outdated or incorrect information. Items may be replaced, either by a new copy or edition of the same work, or by another more recent work that is similar. Replacement is determined on a case-by-case basis. When subjects are no longer relevant to the curriculum they are not replaced.

Revision and review

This and other library policies shall be reviewed every 3 years in order to stay current with the changing needs of the college and the rapid transformation of delivery methods for information resources.

Policy adopted January 2011

Policy reviewed: ___________

Policy revised: ____________ 

 

Appendix A: The Library Bill of Rights

The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services.

• Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
• Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
• Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.
• Libraries should cooperate with all persons and groups concerned with resisting abridgment of free expression and free access to ideas.
• A person's right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.
• Libraries which make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use.

 Adopted June 18, 1948

Amended February 2, 1961, and January 23, 1980

Inclusion of "age" reaffirmed January 23, 1996

 by the ALA Council. 

Appendix B: Request for Reconsideration

Butte College librarians are responsible for selection and evaluation of library resources. Reconsideration procedures have been established to address concerns about those resources. If you wish to request reconsideration of library resources, please return the completed form to the Library Director, 3536 Butte Campus Drive, Oroville, CA 95965.

Name _______________________________________________________________

Date ________________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________

City _________________________________________________________________

State ________________________________________________________________

Zip ______________________________

Phone ___________________________

Do you represent: Yourself? ____   An organization? ____

Resource on which you are commenting:

____ Book ____ Video ____ Display

____ Magazine

____ Newspaper ____ Electronic information/network (please specify)

____ Other ___________________________

Title ___________________________________________________________________

Author/Producer _________________________________________________________

• What brought this resource to your attention?
• Have you examined the entire resource?
• What concerns you about the resource? (Use other side or additional pages if necessary)
• Are there resource(s) you suggest to provide additional information and/or other viewpoints on this topic?

 Revised by the American Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee

June 27, 1995 

Appendix C:  Recommendation for purchase

The Butte College Library welcomes recommendations from its users for book and journal purchases.

While there is no timeline for how long it will take to order, receive, and process a new item, you can check our new books page to see if the item has been purchased. The page is updated monthly.

If you are a faculty instructor and would like to recommend several books, please request a print form at the reference desk or go to www.butte.edu/library for a printable form you can send via intercampus mail.

Author (Last name, First name) (required): ________________________________________________________

Complete Title (required): ______________________________________________________________________  

Publisher:   __________________________________________________________________________________

Place of Publication: __________________________________________________________________________

Year of Publication: ___________

Edition:   ____________________

ISBN: ______________________

Price: ______________________

Reason for recommending the book, (how the book will support the curriculum, etc.):

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Requester Information (required):

Today's Date (mm/dd/yyyy): _______________

Are you: ____Faculty / Staff   ____Student (Student ID Number: ___________________)

Name: _________________________________________________________________

Email: __________________________________________________________________

Phone Number: __________________________________________________________