Collection Policies

Acquisition Policies

The purpose of the Acquisition Policy is to serve as a guide in the effort to develop an excellent collection for the Madisonville Community College Libraries, which is responsive to the needs of the college community.

Library Materials are defined as print and non-print instructional materials (e.g. books, periodicals, manuscripts, print and graphic materials, maps, aural and visual recordings, online resources, etc.) which are acquired, organized and made available by the Librarians for use by the members of the college community to fulfill the aims and functions of the college and its curriculum.

• Responsibility for Participation in Selection

  • The Director of Library Services has the final responsibility for the development and maintenance of the library collection, services, and facilities.
  • Participation in the selection process shall be a responsibility of the Director of Library services and the Librarians.
  • Faculty members are expected to act as subject specialists in their areas of expertise, and may be consulted on occasion by the librarians regarding specific materials or sections of the collections. Departmental faculty shall bear primary responsibility for recommending materials to support the courses they teach. Requests are actively solicited by the librarians and are accepted throughout the year, examined in relationship to overall curriculum needs and selection policies, and approved as funding permits.
  • Student and staff recommendations for the purchase of materials are welcomed and solicited.
    
    

• Priorities in Selection

  • Priorities for books and other library materials is given to those items which meet direct curricular needs in the courses offered, including items for class assignments; collateral readings; supplemental materials for term papers, reports, etc.; references made in text or reference books; and those bibliographic tools which will facilitate finding and using these materials.
  • After primary needs have been met, consideration may be given to materials which will give balance to the collection or meet vocational, avocational, cultural, or special needs of the student body and the faculty.
    
    

• Periodical and Journal Subscriptions

  • Curricular needs will be considered when making selections for subscriptions.
  • Availability in libraries within the KCTCS system will be a consideration in selecting periodical and journal titles.
  • Faculty and student interests will be considered in subscriptions.
  • Duplication of titles within databases to which the library subscribes will be a further consideration in the selection of subscriptions.
  • When possible, periodical subscriptions will be entered to start at the beginning of the calendar year or the beginning of the volume.
    
    

• Audiovisual Materials Acquisition

  • Appropriate mediums for instructional use will be considered when acquiring audiovisual materials.
  • Cost and amount of anticipated use will be considerations in the selection of audiovisual materials for acquisition.
    
    

• Gifts

  • Gifts to the college library will be accepted with the understanding that they will be added to the collection only after they have met the same evaluative requirements as materials which are to be purchased. Materials will be accepted only with the understanding that the librarians shall decide the disposition of those items not appropriate to the collection.
    
    

• Intellectual Freedom and Requests for Reconsideration of Materials

  • In its collection of materials, the MCC Libraries subscribe fully to the American Library Associations’ Freedom to Read Statement, Library Bill of Rights, Intellectual Freedom Statement, and the Statement of Labeling.
  • All requests for reconsideration of materials will be handled in the following manner:
    1. The staff member receiving the complaint will ask the patron to fill out the appropriate form.
    2. When the completed form has been received, it will be submitted to the Director of Library Services.
    3. The Director will locate as many reviews of the title as possible.
    4. The Director will ask the members of the Library Committee to review the title in question.
    5. Time for discussion of the title will be scheduled on the agenda of a called Library Committee meeting.
    6. After the discussion at the committee meeting, the members will submit their recommendations to the Library Director in writing.
    7. The Director will take all factors under advisement and come to a decision. The decision will be communicated to the complainant and to the members of the committee in writing.
    8. Should the complainant wish to appeal the decision, it will follow regular Institutional channels, going next to the Dean of Academic Affairs, and finally, to the President of the college.

Collection Maintenance

MCC Libraries are committed to a policy of collection development through careful selection and weeding. All damaged, worn-out, and obsolescent materials will be discarded on a regular basis. Spatial issues and specific criteria in each subject field will determine further weeding. All weeding efforts will take into consideration funds available for replacements.

Criteria used in considering discard of a particular item:

• Has the book been checked out in the last ten years?
• Is the book a classic?
• Discard badly damaged and worn-out materials.
• Books in the sciences, technologies, social sciences, and medicine that are three to five years old may be candidates for weeding.
• Books in the humanities, arts, and music should not be weeded unless they are obviously superseded. Potential discards will be checked against standard bibliographies.
• Older volumes of books already updated will be discarded.
• Audiovisual items, which are missing parts that cannot be easily replaced or repaired, will be discarded.
• Shelf space considerations will be weighed when discarding items.
• Replacement cost of items will be considered before discarding, but will not be the most heavily weighted consideration.
• Bibliographies such as Books for College Libraries will be consulted before discarding library materials whose physical condition does not require elimination from the collection.

Those items which are in bad condition, but that can be repaired, will be repaired locally, or if the cost/benefit is satisfactory will be sent to the bindery. These books will be shelved in the repair area of the Tech Services Workroom.

While weeding and evaluating the collection, notes will be taken on gaps in the collection and those areas, which have a high percentage of dated materials. These areas will be considered for development as budgeted funds allow.