Policies & Procedures Manual

• The purpose of this policy statement is to serve as a working document for the librarians, faculty, and other constituencies of the college and community concerned with collection development at the Jefferson State Community College Learning Resource Centers.
• Guidelines for the selection, rejection, and inventory control of library materials are part of this policy. These guidelines are reviewed in detail each year as emerging technologies continue to affect the procurement and dissemination of information resources in libraries.
• The JSCC Libraries adhere to the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights and utilize the Intellectual Freedom Core Documents in the acquisition of library materials and resources.

Objectives

• The primary objective of the library is to support the instructional programs of the college.
• The library is responsive to the changing needs of the academic programs and adjusts its acquisitions of library material accordingly. Methods of instruction and course contents change; therefore, special emphasis is given to the acquisition and delivery of current materials, regardless of format.
• As collections are evaluated, standard retrospective works that contribute to a balanced collection are identified and purchased. Academic programs seeking accreditation and newly established programs receive first priority in ordering.
• Additionally, as a selective repository for government documents, the library also makes selections from the Catalog of U.S. Government Publications pertinent to the needs of our community users and in accordance with the Guidelines for the Federal Depository Library Program.

Other priorities for selection of materials include:

1. Materials which directly meet student curricular needs in courses and/or programs of instruction offered, including required reading; collateral reading; and material to support student writing and research.  The Learning Resource Centers use several documents in determining curricular needs and includes the following:
   1. Course Outlines from the Alabama Community College System
   2. Requirements of accrediting agencies for certain programs such as the Child Development Program, Business Programs, Culinary Nutrition and Hospitality Institute, Emergency Medical Services, Funeral Services Education, Medical Laboratory Services, Nursing Education, Physical Therapist Assistant Program, Radiologic Technology, Respiratory Therapy Program, and Veterinary Technology.
2. The JSCC Libraries rely heavily on digital content, particularly in the fields of nursing and allied health.  Our digital content is updated daily.  Due to the time-sensitive nature of print materials in nursing and allied health, the Libraries will only purchase print for specific content or as requested by faculty.  All other purchases will be in digital format.
3. Materials which may be used by faculty in preparation of class instruction.
4. Materials that balance the collection, permitting as much latitude as possible for students pursuing course-related inquiries on both current and non-current subjects.
5. Materials for faculty development including research, education, and professional development.
6. On a limited basis, the library provides materials to meet the general and recreational reading needs of the community as well as materials relating to Alabama culture, customs, and history.

Responsibilities

• The responsibility for developing library collections rests primarily with the professional librarians.
• Ideally, collection development is a cooperative responsibility of the teaching faculty and librarians. Every effort is made to involve the faculty in selection and evaluation since they are considered authorities in their respective areas.
• Online recommendation forms are provided at various locations on the library and the college website.
• Since professional librarians can best judge the comprehensiveness of the total collection, and because they have on hand many current reviewing sources, they shall assume final responsibility for coordinating the collection based on purpose, timeliness and accuracy of content; quality of the writing/production; authoritativeness; reputation of publisher; and price.

• Weeding (de-selection) is performed by professional librarians.
• Criteria used in the selection of library materials are applicable in decisions to withdraw materials. Print materials that can be identified as possible choices for weeding are:
  • Titles lost or overdue for one year
  • Titles containing inaccurate or outdated information
  • Superseded editions (unless retained for historical value)
  • Excessive or little used duplicate copies
  • Materials that are badly damaged
• Electronic resources are renewed based upon expiration dates throughout the year.  The selection and deselection of these resources is based upon reviews in professional literature, program requirements, and usage statistics.
• Certain areas operate under more specific guidelines for inventory control. These areas include all nursing and allied health materials, business and computer applications, and some medical and applied sciences. Unless items are of historical significance, the weeding schedule is as follows:
  • Nursing and allied health materials older than 5 to 7 years are removed; as of April 2018, print material will no longer be acquired unless requested specifically by faculty; otherwise, all content will be digital.
  • Business and computer applications in business older than 3 to 5 years
  • Medical and applied sciences older than 5 to 7 years are removed; whenever possible, digital content will be added or used to replace older print materials