Collection Development Policies: Home

I. SUMMARY 

The Collection Development Policy of the Oklahoma Baptist University Library governs the acquisition, disposition, placement, and access to materials that support the research and teaching needs of students and faculty, in accordance with the missions of the University and the Library. 

The OBU Library’s general collection supports the core studies and interdisciplinary work of the OBU community. Library resources serve students through access to excellent scholarly material; access is made possible through traditional purchasing as well as subscriptions to electronic resources, user-driven selection programs, and open access materials. 

The OBU Library serves a diverse constituency with varied experiences, backgrounds, abilities, and needs. We endeavor to attain equity of ideas and diversity of voices in the research materials provided to users of the OBU collections. We affirm our alignment with the Association of College & Research Libraries’ Diversity Standard #4: ‘Librarians and library staff shall develop collections and provide programs and services that are inclusive of the needs of all persons in the community the library serves.’ 

Collection development activities (resource evaluation, acquisition, description, location, retention, preservation) will reflect the liberal arts curricula of OBU, and include regular assessment, examining representation, varieties of perspectives, and collection gaps. 

II. DEFINITIONS 

1. Faculty Representative: a member of the academic department who works with the librarians to develop the Library’s collections in the department’s areas of expertise. 

2. General Collection: the main library collection that contains the majority of the materials (does not include special collections, curriculum library etc). 

3. Primary Clientele: students, faculty and staff of Oklahoma Baptist University are the primary clientele of the general collection. 

4. Selection: refers to the act of choosing materials to make accessible to OBU Library patrons via the OBU Library catalog, discovery system, website, or other means. Selection does not necessarily imply permanent ownership. 

III. SCOPE OF THE COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY 

The Collection Development Policy applies to the General Collection of the Oklahoma Baptist University Library. 

Some unique collections of the OBU Library have individual collection policies. The unique collections are governed by the Collection Development Policy of the OBU Library, but are allowed variance in primary and secondary clientele, selection guidelines and collection maintenance. The variance will be determined by the heads of unique collections to meet the needs of the special materials and their clientele. 

For information on collection development in OBU Library's unique collections, please see the following policy statements or collection websites: Special Collections, Government Documents, and Curriculum Library. 

IV. GOALS OF COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT 

OBU Library’s collection development activities emphasize collections as a “just in time” service, designed to meet current users’ needs, take advantage of emerging acquisitions models, and maintain a sustainable, holistic, and flexible collection plan within allocated budgets. The OBU Library demonstrates a strong commitment to evidence-based decision-making by continually assessing the collections and their impact on learning and research. 

Collection Development goals include: 

• To provide an excellent user experience. 

• To provide access and discoverability to collections that respond nimbly at point-of-need. 

• To facilitate big-picture design of the collections with input from all stakeholders. 

• To apply new technologies to the wise stewardship of funding. 

• To collaborate with students and faculty to determine user needs. 

V. FUND ALLOCATIONS 

Each year the Library’s materials budget is set by the Director of Library Services. The materials budget is intended to support the University’s overall goals of pursuing academic excellence, integrating faith with all areas of knowledge, engaging a diverse world, and living worthy of the high calling of God in Christ. 

Funds are set aside to cover current costs and anticipated inflation for serial resources, including databases, journals, and standing orders. Funding is also designated for one-time purchases like books, backfiles, and archival collections. Each year, expenditures are planned on a targeted set of special enhancements, based on evidence of need, and to support other special projects. 

VI. RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELECTION 

Ultimate responsibility for the development and maintenance of the general and unique collections rests with the Director of Library Services. Other library team members have delegated responsibility for developing the collection, maintaining faculty input and relationships, and ordering/cataloging. 

Academic faculty and librarians are responsible for recommending resources in the fields of their particular expertise to support the curriculum and mission of the University. 

VII. SELECTION GUIDELINES 

The Library will provide access to materials in all appropriate formats and subject areas, and provide appropriate means of discovery. Requests to acquire materials in untested or inaccessible formats will be referred to the Director of Library Services for approval. Exceptions to the stated guidelines will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis as necessary by the Director of Library Services. 

In striving to meet its obligations within the limits of its resources, the OBU Library will follow these guidelines for the general collections. 

A. GENERAL SELECTION GUIDELINES 

General selection guidelines for all materials are: 

• Support for curriculum and research: Materials must relate to the teaching and curriculum of current OBU students and faculty. The Library’s materials budget will support access to and/or discovery of materials available for use by students. 

• Lasting value: Longevity of the content, including but not limited to:

  • Interdisciplinary resources that can be used by many researchers are favored. 

  • Anticipated value to the current patron population based on predicted need, demonstrated by evidence such as feedback from trials. 

  • Quality of scholarship (the information in the resource logically pertains to its apparent subject; the information is reliably accurate, demonstrably factual and reasonably comprehensive or complete within the context of the subject; and the citations or links within the resource are valid). 

  • Uniqueness of content or treatment. Interdisciplinary resources that can be used by many researchers are favored. 

  • Appropriateness of the level of treatment (depth, breadth, etc. ). Full-text access is preferred to indexing services. 

  • Objectivity (the information presented is open to verification and validation within the context of the subject). 

  • Currency of information and/or frequency of updating, as assessed within the context of the subject. 

  • Quality of the physical condition of the product, if applicable. 

• Organization: how the information is organized and retrieved; quality of indexing or MARC records. 

• Usability and accessibility: OBU Library will not purchase materials for individuals or materials restricted to single-user access; or purchase materials whose use is limited to a sub-set of the patron population. OBU Library will purchase materials that meet accessibility standards for users. 

• Cost and terms: When purchasing, OBU Library will consider overall cost, purchasing method, predicted cost-per-use. 

• Strength of present holdings in subject areas or similar subject areas. 

• Authoritativeness of the author and/or reliability of the publisher, compiler, producer, vendor, etc. 

• Format: Preference will be given to materials in electronic format. 

• Consortial holdings: Holdings of libraries or consortia with which the OBU Library has cooperative agreements must be considered when making selection decisions. Consortial agreements may override local requests for ownership. 

• Multiple copies: 2 or more print copies of any title shall not be purchased without approval by the Director of Library Services. Purchasing an electronic version is preferred to purchasing multiple print copies. 

• Consumable materials: OBU Library will not purchase materials intended to be consumed (e. g. workbooks, tests, software, etc. ). 

• Textbooks: OBU Library will not purchase or maintain a collection of currently adopted textbooks for coursework. Requests for purchases of textbooks will be considered on a case-by-case basis; textbooks must have value beyond that of a textbook to be considered for inclusion. Donated textbooks may be added to the collection. 

B. ELECTRONIC RESOURCES SELECTION 

Electronic resources shall be selected based on the following characteristics in addition to those stated above: 

• Remote access availability and number of simultaneous users allowed. Resources restricted to a specific location will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

• Usability: Standards for the proper functionality of the resource include but are not limited to: 

  • Absence of additional non-standard or proprietary technology, 

  • Absence of additional fees or registrations, 

  • Absence of barriers for accessing text directly in order to change displays for alternative methods of viewing. 

  • Accessibility for patrons with disabilities; 

  • Ease of use for novices; 

  • Device compatibility; 

  • Adequate help resources; 

  • Adequate output options (printing, downloading); 

  • Adheres to established standards for readability and usability; 

  • Availability of digital archiving rights; and 

  • Ease of archiving, replacing, or preserving. 

• Network hardware and/or software compatibility. 

• Quality and usability of retrieval/search engine. 

• Availability and quality of vendor support. 

• Compliance with minimum standards for licensing and contract terms. Licensing considerations include, but are not limited to: 

  • InterLibrary Loan rights; 

  • Right to include in course packs; 

  • Patron privacy protections; and 

  • Restrictions on other activities such as resource sharing and data mining. 

• Treatment of graphics, formulae, and other nonstandard characters. 

• Availability of standardized usage statistics. 

• Other technical manageability concerns. 

C. CONTINUING RESOURCES 

Serials selections and purchases will be guided by the following guidelines as well as those stated above: 

• Current serial subscriptions are reviewed annually by the Director of Library Services and Collections Librarian for continued appropriateness to the University’s and the Library’s mission and to ensure the most efficient use of library funding 

VIII. DISSERTATIONS AND THESES 

Honors Thesis Projects written at Oklahoma Baptist University are part of the Library’s collections. Beginning with the 2013-2014 academic year, such thesis projects shall be submitted to the OBU Library in electronic form and made available to library patrons through our OBU Archives Digital Collections. Print dissertations from other academic sources are considered research materials and may be acquired selectively in accordance with the overall collection policy. 

IX. COLLECTION MAINTENANCE 

A. DESELECTION 

Any weeding from the collections will be the responsibility of the Director of Library Services and the collections staff in consultation with appropriate university departments and/or unique collections. Types of materials that might be considered for deselection include, but are not limited to superseded, surplus, low circulation, or deteriorated materials. 

B. PLACEMENT OF MATERIALS 

• Patrons have access to library materials unless the needs of the Library’s primary clientele necessitate special placement in reserves. The primary reason for placing items on reserve is that they will be used repeatedly by large numbers of patrons, e. g. required or recommended reading selected for courses by faculty members. 

• Materials may be considered for placement in a secured location or reserves for the purposes of preservation or security. The Director of Library Services is responsible for making placement decisions for these purposes.

C. Reconsideration of Materials

The OBU Library is committed to the principles of intellectual freedom as outlined in the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights. Challenges to collection development decisions are governed by our Reconsideration of Materials Policy. 

X. GIFTS 

Gifts are accepted in accordance with the current Gift Policy and Deed of Gift. 

XI. DATES 

• Approved:  December 14, 2021

• Revised:  

XII. LICENSE INFORMATION 

This Policy is adapted from: "Collection Development Policy" by UNT Libraries and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.