This collection development policy covers the three libraries at the Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh campus: Hunt Library, Sorrells Library, and the Mellon Institute Library.
The Carnegie Mellon University Libraries support the research and teaching needs of the university community by sustaining scholarship and providing opportunities for interactive research and study environments. The Libraries aim to have relevant, dynamic, highly circulating collections that acknowledge the trend towards digital material, either from established publishers or via open access resources.
General Policies
The Libraries acquire materials:
- Based on demonstrated need, anticipated use, and available funding
- Having authoritative scholarship, quality and durability, accessibility, sustainable pricing, and acceptable licenses
Budget
The University Administration allocates funds to the Libraries to support the purchase of necessary resources. The Libraries rely on University Administration to keep funding in line with inflation to maintain adequate collection levels. Once the Libraries have received the monies from the Administration, the Associate Dean for Collections, the Acquisitions Librarian, and the Accounts Manager allocate them to the appropriate funds. These funds are reviewed regularly and adjustments are made as needed.
Formats
The strategic direction for the Libraries set out in the University’s Strategic Plan reflects an environment where, for many (but not all) disciplines, provision and consumption of scholarly content is in digital form. When purchasing electronic materials, selectors should consider accessibility and sustainability, i.e., that the material can be used on a wide array of devices that multiple users can access simultaneously.
- Books: For the engineering and science fields, preference is for e-format. Humanities and arts books are most likely to be print format, since students and faculty in those fields often prefer to use that format. For the social sciences, format is content dependent.
- Textbooks: Generally, not purchased. Exceptions may be expensive, frequently requested texts in economics or the sciences that we then place on reserve. In this case, preference is for e-format with multiple users.
- Reference: Preference is for e-format
- Journals: Preference is for e-format. When existing microform holdings can be replaced by stable digital format (e.g. JSTOR, PAO, purchased backfiles/subscriptions from publishers, etc.), then microform should be discarded.
- Research Collections: Preference is for e-format. Microform only as a last resort.
- Audio: CD or streaming
- Visual: DVD or streaming
- Newspapers: Preference is for e-format. Print subscriptions to major local and national editions, no long-term print archive kept. Microform as archival material for select titles.
- Government documents: Preference is for e-format. The Libraries do not participate in any government documents depository program. We obtain access to documents via those freely available on the web, those available via licensed databases, and those to which we individually subscribe or purchase.
- Scores: Print or e-format
- Databases: Preference is e-format. Selection based on librarian recommendation, approval by Expense Purchase Subcommittee. Approval based on:
- Funds available
- Projected use and value to CMU community
- License terms
- Subject coverage and unique contribution to overall collections
- Interface and interoperability
- Price/Price per use
- Full text coverage
Language
The predominant language of the collection is English. Exceptions made for materials that support particular classes or departments (e.g. Modern Languages) or on a case-by-case basis.
Gifts and Donations
Not solicited and highly selective acceptance, please see gifts policy.
Offsite Storage
Due to space limitations, the University Libraries has an offsite storage facility for low use materials that it wishes to retain. Retention of multiple copies is discouraged. Users request materials through the online catalog.
Selectors
(Library faculty with book buying and budget responsibilities): Are to buy in any area, i.e. call number, that fits the needs of their constituents. For purposes of collection maintenance, it is recommended that each call number range have a librarian or librarians assigned to it.
Responsibilities:
- Select materials that support the curriculum and research in their areas
- Journals: Submit titles on the form in the New Subscription database, currently on the library server. See Procedure for Ongoing New Resources (e.g. Journals and Databases)
- Databases: Submit resources on the form in the New Subscription database, currently on the library server. See Procedure for Ongoing New Resources (e.g. Journals and Databases)
- One-time Purchases: Submit request to Expensive Purchase Committee via email, copy to org.library and org.library.ref. See Procedure for One-time Purchases
- Replacing lost/missing items: a lost/missing list is run once a month for selectors to review for possible replacement ordering. See Replacement Workflow procedure for more details
- New editions: See procedure for ordering new editions and/or withdrawing superseded editions when the new edition arrives
- Consider and respond to purchase suggestions from the CMU community
- Maintain the collections
- Replacement decisions: Evaluate materials in disrepair for rebind, replace, or discard. Consider an e-replacement if there is still heavy current use
- Weed physical materials. See Guidelines for Reviewing Collections 2012:
Remove from the collection items no longer of interest to the university community as represented by no use of low use after spending time in the collection. The exact time may vary from subject to subject.
- Recycle. We follow university procedure.
- Send to Better World Books.
- Send offsite
- Items that are not high use, but still of interest to the university community. Storing multiple copies is discouraged.
- Manage funds:
- Appropriately spend funds throughout the fiscal year
- Monitor approval funds so they are not overspent
- Expend allocated, endowed, and gift funds by given deadline (currently the second Friday of March)
Ordering Options
- Firm Orders: Selectors have allocated funds for their respective areas. Selectors choose and send individual orders to the appropriate Library Associate for Ordering. These may be in electronic form or in paper. All firm orders should have the fund code clearly indicated. Selectors are responsible for monitoring their funds via the Library Management System.
- Approval plan: The University Libraries uses GOBI Library Solutions from EBSCO for its Approval Plan, as well as Worldwide Books and Aux Amateurs de Livres. Selectors have allocated approval funds for their respective areas. Selectors decide on relevant call numbers for their collections and books come automatically for review and purchase approval. Selectors are responsible for monitoring their funds via the Library Management System.
Unique CMU Collections
Collaboration
Collaborate with peer institutions to provide coordinated access to a global collection of information resources.
- Use of consortia to obtain best price on new products (e. g. Lyrasis, PALCI, and NERL)
- Participation in interlibrary loan and other collaborative resource sharing methods (e. g. EZ Borrow, reciprocal borrowing programs)
Branch Campus
Qatar: No formal written collection development policy as of October 2018. The Director of the Library, however, purchases print and digital materials as needed to support the research, teaching, professional development, and personal development needs of the Qatar campus community. CMU-Q via the Qatar Foundation provides the budget for these purchases. Qatar campus users also have access to electronic resources provided by main campus; print and electronic resources provided by the Qatar National Library; and interlibrary loan services within Qatar’s Education City campus and from main campus via the ILLiad system.
Silicon Valley: See http://sv.cmu.edu/student-services/library-resources.html. Degree-granting programs with no physical library. Have access to CMU electronic resources:
- Adelaide, Australia
- Ankara, Turkey
- Beijing, China
- Bologna, Italy
- Chennai, India
- Columbia, South America
- Daejeon, South Korea
- Guangzhou, China
- Harbin, China
- Kigali, Rwanda
- Kobe, Japan
- Los Angeles, CA
- New York City
- Porto, Portugal
- Singapore
- Washington, DC
Institutional Repository
The University Libraries recognize the importance of stewarding the evolving scholarly record and championing new forms of scholarly communication. To that end, the Libraries support research data and scholarly outputs created by Carnegie Mellon faculty, staff, and students through our comprehensive institutional repository, KiltHub.