Thomas University Library and Learning Commons supports the curriculum of the University by maintaining an adequate collection of books, journals, and non-print resources in addition to providing access to resources external to the collection by way of electronic databases, online resources, and Interlibrary Loan capability.
The LLC focuses on adding newly published materials to the collection that are authoritative and/or ground-breaking in their fields. Older published materials are not typically added as they are candidates for Interlibrary Loan borrowing. However, librarians may make retrospective selections in order to fill gaps or respond to multiple requests for the same title if the item is readily available in print or electronic format. Library Gift items are subject to these collection development guidelines; items not selected for acquisition will be disposed of as outlined in the Withdrawn Materials Disposal Policy.
Purchases of library materials are made on the basis of requests by faculty members, students and the librarians. First priority is given to materials that directly support the University curriculum and preference is given to electronic resources. All material requests will be considered in the context of building a balanced collection. Faculty input will be considered based on the rationale presented by the requesting faculty member, the usefulness/benefit to the students, cost, and the availability of the subject material within the collection or external accessibility.
Recognizing that the LLC collection development budget is finite, faculty members are asked to prioritize their requests in order that the most needed materials are acquired within existing budgetary limits.
The general principles on which materials are selected include the following:
Requests for ephemeral materials and materials of limited interest should be avoided.
Final authority of all purchases will rest with the Director of the Library and Learning Commons, who has the responsibility for maintaining balance in the collection and ensuring equitable distribution of funds to all academic areas.
Electronic Subscriptions
The library strives to maintain an updated collection of electronic journals, ebooks, and databases. Electronic journal, eBook and Database purchases/subscriptions are costly and funds may not be available until the next fiscal budget year. Databases acquired based upon a subscription model are intended to be ongoing from year to year along with a commitment to sustain all renewal costs.
Whenever possible, the library will request a trial from the vendor of any database under consideration for acquisition. The library will pursue partnerships in cooperative acquisitions and cost-sharing with other institutions or consortia such as GPALS and GALILEO.
Electronic Journals Priority
Due to the distributed nature of Thomas University students and faculty and recognizing that periodicals play an important role in the conduct of research and in the fulfillment of many classroom assignments the LLC is committed to maintaining a 100% electronic periodicals collection.
Electronic materials are held to the same collection development standards as print material in addition to other criteria such as:
The general criteria on which electronic materials are selected include the following:
Duplicates
Thomas University Library does not generally purchase duplicates; however, exceptions can be made based upon need. If an item can be accessed full-text via electronic means, the Library does not typically duplicate the item in print format. Thomas University Library may also take into consideration the holdings of other academic libraries in Georgia when considering purchase or adding a donated item to the collection.
Formats
The Library seeks to purchase resources in the format that will be the most useful to our faculty and students. The preferred format for materials of an academic nature is electronic to provide 24-7 accessibility to the University’s students, faculty, and staff.
Gifts to the Library
All donated items to Thomas University, including books, go through the Advancement Office so that the gift can be recorded and a thank you letter sent to the donor. Persons bringing donated materials to the library must fill out a Donation Form reflecting the donor’s name and address with a description of the materials (or general description and number of items) donated and must sign the form acknowledging that the owner is relinquishing all ownership rights to the donated materials. The library will then forward the donor information to the Office of Advancement so that they may send letters of acknowledgement to the donor. The Library does not furnish a value for donated items.
All donated items are appreciated; however, gift items are subject to collection development guidelines and physical space considerations. In an effort to keep the library’s holdings as current as possible, publication dates and editions are reviewed for relevancy according to the subject content; preference is given to materials published within five years of the receipt date. Potential usage is also a consideration for determining whether an item should be included in the collection. Items in poor condition, having smoke or other odors, and signs of mold, stains and excessive age marks are not added.
The Library Director makes the final decision about which donated items are appropriate to be added to the library collection. Items not selected to be added to the permanent collection may be offered to other appropriate libraries or non-profit organizations, sold at a book sale, offered to the TU community for free, or discarded. No items or collections will be accepted with any special instructions or terms as to their disposition.
Deselection and Withdrawal
One goal of the Thomas University Library is to provide current and/or relevant print and electronic materials for teaching, research, and student needs related to the programs and courses offered at Thomas University.
To meet this goal, the library’s physical collection must be continually evaluated based on the criteria listed below. Any materials failing to me et these criteria are subject to deselection pending review by library staff and involved teaching faculty.
Deselection criteria for print and audio visual materials:
1. Collection level: How vital is the item for TU coursework and research?
2. Intrinsic value: Is the item a seminal work in its field?
3. References: Is the item listed in standard indexes, guides, bibliographies, etc.?
4. Duplication: Is demand sufficient for multiple copies of the item?
5. Physical condition: Can a damaged item be repaired? Should it be replaced? Items with signs of mold or bad odors are removed.
6. Research value: Are older materials still valuable for research or historic interests?
7. Edition: Is the edition of an item held by the library superseded by a newer edition?
8. Completeness: Is the item part of a set or series of which the library does not have a complete run?
9. Uniqueness: Is the item held only by TU?
10. Usage: Has the item been checked out or interlibrary loaned frequently or recently?
Deselection process for print and audio visual materials:
Deselection of any part of the print collection and audiovisual materials will be primarily overseen by the library staff.
1. Teaching faculty will be actively encouraged to participate in and assist with the process.
2. Teaching faculty will be contacted to assist with items that are in their areas of teaching expertise.
3. Library faculty will begin the process by using standard library statistics and methods (e.g., circulation statistics, evaluation of the physical condition and format of the item, duplication, uniqueness, relevance, value, etc.) to select candidates for withdrawal.
4. If a faculty member cannot be found or is not available to assist in the culling process for a particular discipline or field of study, final decisions for deselection will be made by library staff if the library staff believes that weeding must take place.
5. Items listed as missing in the library’s catalog will be withdrawn after sufficient time that the item has been marked as missing, and/or as a result of review in the area where the items should have been located.
6. Items that are culled will be removed from the library’s online catalog and from OCLC within a reasonable time period.
7. Withdrawn items will be disposed of according to Thomas University policies and other relevant local or state policies.