Collection Development Policy

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Intellectual Freedom
3. Scope
4. Formats & Types
5. Duplicates
6. Collection Management & Selection Responsibilties
7. Evaluation of Materials
8. Deselection
9. Consortia
10. Gifts
11. Feedback
12. Appendix A: Faculty & Alumni Associations
13. Appendix B: Donor Agreement Form and Donation Policy

Introduction

The DiMenna-Nyselius Library supports the Jesuit value of cura personalis, or ‘care of the whole person’ by empowering the members of our community in their intellectual, psychological, spiritual, and professional exploration; their growth as critical thinkers; their endeavors as knowledge creators; and their quest for lifelong fulfillment. Our Library collections play a vital role in facilitating this work, with a focus on supporting the instructional needs and research pursuits of Fairfield University's students and faculty.

Our collections are tailored to meet the evolving needs of the University's diverse academic programs and to support emerging modes of learning. We aim to provide access to collections and resources that are vital, relevant, and diverse. We use our collections to support the University’s mission to foster intellectual curiosity and lifelong learning.

Intellectual Freedom

We participate and contribute to Fairfield University’s vibrant intellectual community by providing students, faculty, and staff resources representing a wide range of perspectives and disciplines.

By providing a diversity of content and ideas, the Library adheres to the philosophies described in the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, The Freedom to Read Statement, The Freedom to View Statement, the Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries, and Fairfield University’s policy on Academic Freedom and Responsibility.

The collection supports the freedom of inquiry, thought, and belief by providing access to information and ideas regardless of its content or point of view.

Scope

The collection represents all disciplines at Fairfield University and includes print and electronic monographs, full-text journals, streaming media, and more. The Library also offers access to specialized databases for research that are selected to support Fairfield University as a Doctoral/Professional University. Additions to the collection are influenced by the need to recognize online learning and developing academic progra Highlights from our collection include:

• Specialized Research Databases: in addition to scholarly publications, several databases provide access to specialized content unique to narrower disciplines.
• Online Primary Resources: primary resources that enable advanced research supportive of historical and cultural inquiry.
• Data Sets: data ranging from Agriculture to Criminal Justice, Industry, and Transportation. The Library also provides ways for users to engage with curated and raw data.
• Popular Reading: offers a rotating selection that features New York Times Best Sellers and books that reflect popular interest, with a focus on general topics, Wellness, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
• Graphic Novels: a wide range of graphic novels of artistic or cultural significance, award winners, and titles that support the curriculum.
• Curriculum: K-12 instructional materials including books, multimedia, educational kits in addition to children’s fiction and non-fiction.
• Faculty and Alumni Publications: print copies of Fairfield University faculty and alumni publications in all subject areas are available. Faculty and Alumni Publications are acquired as the Library is made aware of them. See Appendix A for our Faculty and Alumni Publications policy.

Priority is placed on acquiring material in English. Foreign-language resources that support current curricula and faculty research will also be considered. Interlibrary loan supplements the collection and enables the accessibility of resources beyond this scope.

Formats & Types

The collection provides access to material in a variety of formats. Priority is placed on electronic/digital materials. Monographs and serials in print are selectively acquired.

• Monographs: The library acquires print and electronic monographs from university and trade presses suited for a general and advanced academic audience. Monographs supportive of specialized research in advanced or esoteric topics are selectively acquired. Self-published works and works intended for a non-academic audience are not typically acquired.
• Serials: Journals (periodicals), annuals, newspapers, yearbooks, and standing orders (continuations) are regularly acquired.
• Audio-Visual Material: Visual content for immersive learning is available through several library databases. Licensed videos are selectively purchased outside of what is available in databases to support curriculum, but Public Performance Rights cannot be separately purchased by the Library. The Library selectively acquires physical video material. To avoid duplications, the Library will purchase standard DVD format only.
• Data & datasets: Access to aggregated, curated, and raw data is made available by several subscribed resources. Data represents the breadth of disciplines offered by the university and can be downloaded in a variety of formats (CSV, Excel, shapefile, and JSON).
• Databases: Databases appropriate for university curricula are available and provide full-text periodicals, newspapers, streaming content, abstracts & indexes, among other digital objects defined as ‘primary resources.’
• Microform: Purchased rarely, the Library has newspaper, government documents, and journals available in microfilm and fiche.
• Textbooks: The Library does not purchase textbooks, which can be defined as books that provide comprehensive, general overviews of specific subjects, regardless of whether they are assigned as class texts. Students are encouraged to use and donate to the Library’s Student Donated Textbook Collection, and participate in the University’s Red Stack Direct textbook rental program for access to required course texts. Faculty may also provide copies of textbooks for the Library’s Course Reserves.

Duplicates

The Library typically does not purchase multiple copies of books or the same book in both print and electronic format. Exceptions may be made on rare occasions for high demand titles and Faculty Publications.

Collection Management & Selection Responsibilities

TThe collection is funded by budget allocations from the university and several endowments. The Associate Dean for Technical Services and the Budget oversees all budget allocations and holds signing authority on all agreements. The Dean of the Library & University Librarian holds final decision-making power on all matters relating to the budget and collection.

Through the Library’s Faculty Partnership program, a Librarian is appointed to each academic department and serves as the primary point of contact for information about library services, collections, events, and policies. In addition to providing research services to students and faculty, Librarian Partners hold selection responsibility in their subject area and facilitate communication with faculty and students to solicit purchase requests. Librarian Partners employ subject knowledge and awareness of faculty research needs in their appointed disciplines to select monographs as well as identify journals and databases to license.

Students, faculty, and staff are welcome to submit purchase suggestions by completing the ‘Suggest a Purchase’ form or by contacting the appropriate Librarian Partner. Suggestions are evaluated by the Collection Strategies Librarian and the appropriate Librarian Partner. Licensed resources (such as journals and databases) are decided by the Collection Development and Management Committee (CDMC).

Please note that not all suggestions can be purchased by the library. Each suggestion is given careful consideration, and resources are acquired based on available budget, relevance to curriculum, and other factors, many of which are detailed in this policy, see: Evaluation of Materials.

CDMC is responsible for coordinating the entire life-cycle of all library materials regardless of type and format. CDMC is charged with evaluating all proposals for new library materials as well as independently identifying, licensing, and making available resources fit for the university curricula. The committee also assesses current subscriptions and holds responsibility on renewal, weeding, and cancellation decisions.

CDMC is chaired by the Library’s Collection Strategies Librarian. Its voting members consist of individual Librarian Partners and the Associate Dean for Public Services & Coordinator of the Academic Commons Partnership. Non-voting members include the library’s Associate Dean for Technical Services & the Budget, the Acquisitions & Cataloging Strategies Librarian, and the Dean of the Library & University Librarian, who holds final decision-making authority on committee decisions.

Evaluation of Materials

Additions to the collection are determined by cost and relevance to the curriculum. Content depth and uniqueness are often evaluated when considering newer resources.

CDMC evaluates potential licensed resources on the following criteria:

• Content coverage: Databases that share a significant overlap with subscribed databases are typically avoided.
• Licensing flexibility: The database provider should allow the library to include its standard licensing amendments. Among other benefits, these amendments protect user privacy and codifies scholarly sharing and fair use.
• Cost: All resources are subject to budget considerations. The library prioritizes licensing resources from vendors willing to negotiate cost. If appropriate, multi-year agreements may be considered by CDMC.
• ADA compliance: Databases compliant with the American Disabilities Act will be prioritized for licensing.

New serial subscriptions are also assessed with interlibrary loan data. Journals highly requested throughout the fiscal year are often subscribed to, pending the availability of funding.

Deselection

Deselection is the process in which the collections’ print and electronic material are systemically removed based on close evaluation of usage, content relevance, scope, and cost. The Library recognizes that cancelling resources may cause concern among faculty; however, this process is necessary to ensure fiscal responsibility and responsiveness to the evolving University curriculum. The Library may occasionally consult faculty on these decisions to avoid disruption in their research and teaching needs.

Electronic Subscriptions: Databases and journals are annually reviewed in order of their renewal date. New resources are typically retained for at least a three-year period before they are considered for deselection.

Criteria for electronic subscription deselection includes:

• An unacceptable renewal cost increase: The Library requests annual funding from the University for a 5% rate increase on all renewals. Although the Library strives to negotiate favorable pricing, vendors may be unable to compromise on these renewal costs. The Library tries to absorb higher rates when possible or pursue other affordable subscriptions of similar content.
• High cost per use: Usage is a key metric for determining the value resources provide to faculty and students. Cost per use (CPU) is calculated by dividing the cost of the resource by the total number of access requests, downloads, or sessions. Subscriptions around a $25 CPU are closely monitored, and those in excess of $35 are considered for deselection. The Library acknowledges that a smaller enrollment in specific disciplines may drive a higher cost per use number and takes this into consideration when making deselection decisions.
• Significant overlap with other subscriptions: It’s expected that databases contain overlapping content, but significant overlap may warrant deselection. Funds may be re-allocated to upgrade the database that’s retained or will be otherwise spent to ensure continual access to highly-used content from the deselected database.
• Superior alternatives are available: Newer databases are occasionally released that, although offer overlapping or closely similar content to active subscriptions, provide a superior user experience. Examples include databases that enable fuller indexing, text and data mining, deeper full-text coverage, or full text in PDF or ePUB formats (as opposed to plain HTML). In such cases, resources may be swapped provided a similarity in cost.
• Unalignment with the teaching curriculum: Subscriptions that do not reflect the current or anticipated course offerings at the University will be deselected. This process ensures that the library is fulfilling its role as a responsible steward of its finite budget. In such cases, Librarian Partners will consult with appropriate faculty to appraise the database’s relevancy.

Print holdings: Physical material of all types (books, journals, microform, and audio/visual media) are periodically assessed for withdrawal. Deselection for print holdings is largely determined by:<

• Usage: Material with a circulation number of less than 3 within the last 5 years are candidates for deselection. If circulation occurred within the last year, items will likely be retained.
• Duplicates: Total circulation counts for titles where multiple copies are owned will be considered. Only one copy will be retained if the total circulation count is less than 7 within the last 5 years.
• Currency: Superseded editions and material otherwise determined to be out-of-date are regularly withdrawn from the collection.
• Overlap: Print material may overlap with electronic holdings. Physical items with low circulation that are also owned electronically will be withdrawn from the collection.

Librarian Partners, with consultation from the Collection Strategies Librarian, make the final decision on withdrawing print material. Decisions to replace damaged, missing, or lost items are made on a case-by-case basis.

Consortia

The Library participates in the following consortia and resource sharing agreements to make material available that strengthens the collection.

Connecticut Library Consortium (CLC): CLC membership entitles Connecticut libraries and schools to purchase from CLC's discount contracts.

Eastern Academic Scholars Trust (EAST): a shared print retention partnership of college and research libraries, primarily in the eastern regions of the U.S. The mission of EAST is to provide scholars, faculty, and students with access to the scholarly record of print monographs and serials through multi-library collaborative arrangements.

Lyrasis: a non-profit member organization serving and supporting libraries, archives, museums, and cultural heritage organizations around the world. Membership reduces the Library’s subscription costs to several of its databases.

Gifts

Donated books are rarely accepted due to space limitations. The Library may occasionally consider accepting donated books if items are relevant to the needs of the Library. Rare books or items relating to local or Fairfield University history may be referred to Archives and Special Collections for consideration.

All accepted donations must be in a ‘like-new’ condition. Walk-in donations or unapproved drop-offs cannot be accepted.

Prospective donors are asked to provide a list of titles with their ISBNs and publication dates to our Collection Strategies Librarian for review. The Library cannot accept donated journals or audio-visual material. Since library staff is limited, we do not provide written inventories of donated items to the donor.

Please note that the Library retains the right to dispose, re-gift, or sell donated material. In accordance with federal tax laws, the library cannot appraise or otherwise provide an estimate value on donated items. Approved donors must complete the library’s Donor Agreement form before the authorized drop-off date. See Appendix B – Gifts.

Prospective donors of books are welcome to contact the Collection Strategies Librarian at collections@fairfield.edu to discuss their potential gift.

To make a monetary donation, please see our Library Giving page. Thank you for your generosity.

Feedback

The Library welcomes all questions regarding its collections and our processes that guide acquiring, licensing, and deselecting material. General inquiries should be sent to the Collection Strategies Librarian at collections@fairfield.edu. If you are a Fairfield University faculty member or student and would like to learn more about what the Library provides for your specific discipline, please reach out to the appropriate Librarian Partner. A list of all Librarian Partners and the disciplines they represent can be accessed here.

Appendix A: Faculty & Alumni Associations

The DiMenna-Nyselius Library celebrates the scholarship and creative work by Fairfield University faculty and alumni who have written, illustrated, or edited books, or other content such as films.

Faculty Publications are considered for acquisition as the Library is made aware of them. Faculty are encouraged to inform their Librarian Partner of their publications. One copy will be purchased for the Faculty Publications collection. A second eBook copy may also be considered for purchase.

Works are considered for the Faculty Publications collection if they are published by current full-time or adjunct faculty. The level of contribution will be taken into consideration. Works where the faculty has contributed only partially (i.e., a chapter in a larger text) will be considered instead for the regular collection. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis by the Collection Strategies Librarian.

Alumni Publications are considered for acquisition as the Library is made aware of them. Alumni are encouraged to fill out a Suggest a Purchase form to have their publication considered.

All Faculty and Alumni Publications are subject to the same selection and retention policies and criteria as other materials. Self-published works are not acquired.

Appendix B: Donor Agreement Form and Donation Policy

1. All gifts accepted by the Library are subject to the same selection and retention policies and criteria as materials acquired by purchase. Prospective donors are asked to provide a list of titles with their ISBNs and publication dates to the Collection Strategies Librarian for review. The Library cannot accept donated journals or audio-visual material. Since library staff is limited, we do not provide written inventories of donated items to the donor. Walk-in donations or unapproved drop-offs cannot be accepted.
   
   
2. Accepted items not added to the collection will be disposed of at the discretion of the Library in one or more of the following ways: 
   
   
   1. Given to other libraries or non-profit organizations
      
      
   2. Sold through the Library’s continuing book sale, or to other libraires, or to book dealers.
      
      
   3. Discarded
3. Gifts will not be accepted that require extraordinary expenditures by the Library for their maintenance, administration, or safeguarding unless funds or endowments for these purposes are provided by the donor. The Library will absorb normal costs associated with the selection, processing, and disposition of gifts it accepts; however, due to space limitations, gifts will be very selectively accepted.
   
   
4. Most gifts will be considered for inclusion in the Library’s circulating collection. Gifts of rare books or items of interest to local or Fairfield University history may be referred to Archives and Special Collections for consideration and will be subject to the Archives and Special Collections policy