REFERENCE COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY


MISSION STATEMENT

The public services librarians of the St. Lawrence University libraries are committed to supporting the information needs of the University's students, faculty, and staff. To this end, the reference collection will provide access to information in support of teaching and research as these relate to the University's curriculum, and in support of independent research by the students, faculty, and staff of St. Lawrence University. The public services librarians are also committed to providing a collection containing general reference materials that broaden and balance the collection and provide basic information to all library patrons, both within and without the St. Lawrence University community.

I. Objectives of the Reference Collection Development Policy

A. To establish guidelines for the subject, scope, and format of titles in the reference collection.
B. To establish procedures for the ongoing evaluation, acquisition, and deselection of reference
    materials.

II. Scope of the Collection

The reference collection consists of all titles in the Owen D. Young and Launders Science Libraries Reference, Index, and Atlas Case areas. It includes sources stored in print, microform, and electronic format. The reference collection provides basic and in-depth information sources in the humanities, fine arts, social sciences, and sciences, and selective coverage of subjects not directly related to the curriculum.

III. Selection Priorities

The selection of reference materials in the St. Lawrence University libraries will be made according to the following order of priority:

A. Materials supporting basic information needs.
B. Materials supporting the curriculum.
C. Materials supporting undergraduate research and independent study.
D. Materials supporting graduate and faculty research interests.

Within each of these categories preference will be given to materials serving the widest audience.

IV. Levels of Collection Development

The depth of the collection in each subject field reflects the degree of both present and potential curricular or research interest in that field. The collection will be developed to support basic initial, advanced study, and research levels of inquiry as follows:

A. To support inquiry at the basic level in all subject areas, a collection of selective reference
    materials will be maintained including:

-- general encyclopedias
-- English language dictionaries
-- French, Spanish, German, and Latin language dictionaries
-- general atlases
-- general statistical sources
-- almanacs
-- style manuals
-- general indexes/databases

B. To support the SLU curriculum at an initial level of inquiry, a collection will be developed
    consisting of:

-- major subject encyclopedias
-- yearbooks
-- major statistical sources
-- other major foreign language dictionaries
-- handbooks
-- major atlases
-- literary and historical surveys
-- important bibliographies and selected annual reviews
-- major abstracts, indexes, and databases

C. To support inquiry at the advanced study level, resources will be selected for any subject that is historically     established in the SLU curriculum, supports several courses or programs at the undergraduate or graduate     level, or reflects the research interests of a large number of students or faculty. This level would include, in     addition to the sources already mentioned:

-- specialized works of the discipline
-- methodological guides for research
-- guides for textual criticism and interpretation
-- directories
-- specialized bibliographies
-- specialized indexes, abstracts, and databases

D. To support inquiry at the research level, materials requested by faculty to support their research will be     acquired. Resources added to the collection may comprise:

-- highly specialized bibliographies
-- highly specialized union lists
-- bibliographies of primary source materials

V. Collection Assessment

Responsibility for reference collection assessment lies with the public services librarians. Collection assessment is an ongoing process through which the collection is evaluated for strengths, weaknesses, and balance within specific subject areas and when viewed in its entirety. Collection assessment is the basis for decisions concerning the acquisition and deselection of reference materials. In general, collection assessment activity will include:

A. Review of relevant professional literature to ensure acquisition of significant reference works within the scope     of the collection.
B. Comparison of reference sources to standard subject bibliographies.
C. Discussions with faculty to evaluate the adequacy of the reference collection.

VI. General Criteria for Acquisitions

Responsibility for acquisition of reference materials lies with the public services librarians, although recommendations for purchase may be initiated by any member of the academic community.

In general, after determining the appropriate level of collection development for the subject covered, reference materials will be chosen according to the following criteria:

-- present and projected needs of the academic community
-- favorable reviews
-- reputation of the author
-- reputation of the publisher, producer, vender
-- ease and efficiency of use
-- currency
-- historical perspective
-- scope and depth of coverage
-- availability of other materials on the subject in the collection
-- audience for whom the work was written
-- price
-- language
-- format

In addition, every attempt will be made to acquire a wide range of indexes and databases, particularly those:

-- supporting the curriculum
-- identifying materials for advanced study or research levels of inquiry
-- covering journals that are included in our collection
-- providing full-text of publications that extend and enrich our collection


VII. Collection Maintenance

Periodic evaluation of works already in the collection will be undertaken to ensure accurate and comprehensive information. The same general criteria used in the selection of new materials will be applied in weeding the reference collection. However, some specific factors which may be considered in weeding are:

-- present and/or projected use of the title
-- importance of currency to the subject field
-- presence of obsolete or misleading information
-- availability of a later edition or a superior source
-- research significance of the title
-- physical condition

As a general rule, only the latest edition of a reference work will be shelved in the reference area. Older titles and editions which have historical significance will be transferred from the reference to the general book collection. Titles not considered suitable for transfer to the general book collection will be submitted to the Acquisitions/Collection Development librarian with a recommendation for discard.

The Public Services librarians are responsible for overseeing the physical maintenance of the Reference Collection.

VIII. Choice of Format

In general, decisions involving choice of format for specific sources will be made after consideration of the following issues:

-- suitability of format to content
-- improved access to the information
-- ease of use
-- number of users who may access it at one time
-- price of the source and of any equipment, e.g. computers, printers, compact disc players, ink cartridges,     paper, that may be needed to use it.

IX. General Reserve

Copies of selected reference resources which are frequently in use, such as basic language and subject dictionaries, thesauri, style manuals, and graduate school guides will be kept on General Reserve at the Circulation Desk.

X. Use of Reference Materials

To insure that the reference collection remains intact and is available for immediate use by patrons, reference books will be used in the library. However, in exceptional cases, those reference books which are not being heavily used may be checked out of the library for short-term classroom or overnight use by SLU faculty and students. In this event, permission of a librarian must be given.

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