Guidelines for the Selection of All Materials
- How does the requested item support the curriculum? Department justification may be requested.
- How much use is anticipated for the item? Review number of student majors, number of departments resource is expected to support, and past use of similar resources.
- Is the resource appropriate for the academic audience? (accurate, scope, format, timeliness, value of content, reputation of publisher, published reviews)
- Is the resource necessary to fulfill accreditation requirements?
- What is the cost to acquire the resource and are funds available for the acquisition?
- Will the resource be accessible to all campus constituents? Is IP access both on and off campus provided?
Formats collected: The focus of collecting is on content with some permanence. Print, media, and electronic/web-based formats with shareable content are collected, with a preference for online/IP accessible resources.
Formats excluded: Equipment manuals, large print, audiobooks, and materials meant for consumption, such as workbooks, are not acquired. Nor are costumes, medical instruments, specimens, or laboratory equipment. The library does not add materials in obsolete formats, such as VHS or slides. Test or survey instruments that require a licensed practitioner to purchase are not acquired by the library.
Access: For most electronic resources and some films, publisher and vendor licensing requirements determine access. In most cases, access to electronic resources on other IU campuses is not permitted because of licensing agreements with publishers and vendors.
Resources acquired or licensed by the Schurz Library must be available to the entire IU South Bend community. Materials that limit access to specific departments or users are not considered.
Textbooks: Required course textbooks or manuals are normally not purchased for the collection unless research material on the subject is limited and/or they represent core works in the field.
Multiple Copies and Formats: Multiple copies are not purchased. To conserve limited economic resources and physical space, the acquisition of items in more than one format (print and electronic) is avoided as much as possible. Gift copies of heavily used materials may be added to the collection.
Language: Materials are primarily collected in English, with some selective acquisition of materials in French, Spanish, German, Chinese, and Japanese to support the curriculum.
Geographic coverage: All geographic areas are covered. For titles with a geographic focus, preference is given to materials relating to the region (Michiana, northern Indiana, and the Midwest) and to area studies to support the curriculum.
Chronological periods collected: Priority is given to current publications. Older imprints are acquired selectively, usually as replacements for classic works, or upon request. Out-of-print titles are collected with availability and cost serving as determining factors in their acquisition.
Gifts: The subject librarians and Director of Collection Services add donated books and media to the collection after review. The same criteria used for purchase decisions is used to consider the addition of gift materials.
