This Collection Development Policy describes the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) Library’s collecting priorities and responsibilities, outlining what the Library collects, for whom, and for what purpose. It lets Library users know the Library’s collection goals and policies and is a planning document for Library staff, assisting in budget allocation and justification. It covers all collections of the Wintec Library.

Collection development principles

The Library supports teaching and learning through the provision of appropriate learning materials
Resources are available in the most appropriate format for use by staff and students
The Library purchases material that is available for all staff and students. It does not purchase or organise class sets or teaching texts for tutors’ own use. The Library will not be involved in the administration of any internal school lending arrangements.
The Collection Development Policy is developed and updated in collaboration with faculty and library staff
Electronic resources are preferred where they satisfy agreed selection criteria
The needs of Wintec students is the primary focus of the collection, above the needs of Wintec staff
The collection management is financially sustainable
In adding material to the collection in any format the Library complies with the Copyright Act 1994 and the Films, Videos and Publications Classification Act 1993.

Responsibility

All library staff and customers are able to recommend the purchase of relevant scholarly resources.

Faculty are expected to recommend the resources or topic areas that are needed to support their programmes.

Liaison Librarians are responsible for selecting and deselecting resources for their subject areas, in accordance with specified guidelines. They maintain a balanced collection to ensure it meets the needs of all clients.

The overall responsibility for the collection lies with the Wintec Library Manager

Objectives

To develop the Library collections so that they support the learning, teaching and research needs of Wintec students and staff.
To acquire materials needed to serve the educational and research aims of Wintec
To ensure that both content and format of curriculum development is supported by library resources.
To assess the resources required to meet these needs.
To provide Maori and New Zealand resources to support learning and curriculum needs.
To ensure that resources are flexibly deployed to suit the study modes used at Wintec
To maintain continuous access to linked digital resources
To provide a full record of materials held in the Library

To have a circulation policy that makes the best use of library materials and takes account of the needs of all students and staff.

To provide access to materials outside Wintec by use of national and international interlibrary loan and online materials, including appropriate subscription databases, using a LinkResolver product, observing license and contract restrictions.

To manage the collection according to the Library’s and Wintec’s stated policies and procedures
To maintain binding contractual agreements with third parties.

Criteria for selection of materials

Relevance to existing or anticipated needs of Wintec’s teaching programme
Nature and extent of the existing collection
Currency. Material will only be purchased if it has been published in the last 5 years, unless otherwise approved by the Library Manager
Quality
Format. ~~Spiral bound items will be avoided, and hardback is preferred over paperback for heavy use items.~~
Price. Any item over $500 needs to be approved by the Library manager for purchase.
Scope and content
Academic level. Recognition is made of the various levels of academic experience students have, and this is taken into account in selection and format
Language and country of origin. There is a preference for New Zealand content where possible
Demand
New Zealand content
Availability of access through alternative methods

Format (CDs, DVDs, e, print)

Material is collected in various formats, depending on appropriateness to its intended use and availability.

Books are collected in printed copy or as e-books. Where possible, electronic format is preferred over physical format, providing it meets selection criteria
Serials – Electronic formats are preferred. Databases are usually trialled before purchase.
DVD - The collection is for teaching or research purposes, not recreational.
CDs are held when Wintec staff have commercially released a CD that meets collection selection criteria. CDs will be part of the main collection, and not actively purchased unless requested by Wintec staff for the purposes of teaching or research.
Standards - New Zealand, Australian and British standards are purchased where appropriate to support course work if not available on the Standards database.

Acquisition procedures

Selection tools

Liaison Librarians will be responsible for consulting with faculty on what items to add to collection. Material will be selected from vendor databases, reviews, publisher representatives, New Zealand National Bibliography, bookshops, interloan patterns, and recommendations from staff.

Multiple copies

The Library minimises duplication of titles held within the Library collection. Some duplication is necessary because of demand and therefore multiple copies of some texts are purchased for the collection.

1-25 students – 1 copy

26-50 students – 2 copies

More than 50 students – 3 copies.

In addition, the Library monitors usage, recalls and requests, and if required, additional copies of high-demand items may be provided, or the item will be discussed with appropriate faculty to manage lending, whether that be making it a course reserve, reducing the loan period etc.

If material is used in multiple papers, a maximum of 5 copies will be purchased.

Material will not usually be held in more than one format (e.g. both print and electronic). Items will be circulated between the two campuses where possible, rather than holding duplicate copies across Rotokauri and City Campus, unless required for multiple courses.

Required texts

The Library will order only one copy ~~unless approved by the Library Manager~~. If a school wants further copies, the Liaison Librarian will remind them of the short term loan periods and course reserve options.

Superseded editions

When a title is in high demand, the Library will keep the two penultimate edition, e.g. when the 3^rd ed. is the most current, the Library would also keep the 2^nd ed and 1^st,providing that these previous editions meet other retention criteria. If an edition is made redundant by a new one, particularly around drugs or legislation, it will not be retained.

If there are considerable differences between editions, exceptions may be made to retain these. If a superseded edition is no longer correct or relevant, it will be removed

If a particular edition is considered a seminal text, or particularly different, it may be kept.

Replacement copies

Where a missing or lost book meets the selection criteria, it will be replaced. Out of print books will only be purchased if they are deemed to be critical to the subject area. New editions will be purchased if there has been substantial usage of the previous edition, a substantial revision, or a long period between editions.

Library collections

Library collection

The Library collection is considered to be one collection spread across the main city campus, Rotokauri hub and any off-shoot collections that are managed by the Library at regional hubs, or the Hamilton City Gardens campus.

3 day and 7 day loan collection

Where an item is in high demand, the decision may be made by the Liaison Librarian DLto reduce the loan period, to ensure more people can access the resource. The assigning of this loan period will be assessed by the Liaison Librarians on an annual basis.

Chinese language collection

The collection remains the property of the Chinese language Department and will be held at the Wintec City Campus Library
The Library will facilitate the lending of this collection to Wintec students and staff
If a book is not returned by a student the Library will follow its usual resource recovery process, applying fines and contacting the borrower
If a book is not recoverable, lost, stolen, or damaged beyond repair the Wintec Library is not liable for this loss and will not pursue the debt any further as it is not a Wintec Library resource
Where possible the Wintec Library will provide the Chinese Language Department the details of the borrower so they can pursue the debt if they so wish
This arrangement is a grandparented scheme and will not be entered into with other departments

Otago Polytech collection

This collection is hosted but not managed by the Wintec Library. Selection and deselection do not occur, unless advised by Otago Polytech.

Course reserve

The course reserve collection is made up of high demand books that have been requested by tutors to stay within the Library. Items are issued for two hours only, or overnight when issued just prior to closing. This collection is assessed each semester by the Liaison Librarian confirming that the title should remain on course reserve, with the relevant tutor.

ESOL Readers

The purpose of this collection is to assist non-fluent students in learning to read and speak English. They are a collection of novels and non-fiction materials that have been re-written in an abridged or simplified form. The collection also contains some children’s picture books, and children’s non-fiction, with New Zealand content.

Graphic novels and illustrated children’s books

These are purchased for the purpose of media arts studies in graphic design and illustration. Occasionally these can be purchased for the ESOL collection or Foundation study needs.

Language

Material is purchased in English and Maori primarily.

Donations and gifts

The library accepts gifts of books, other materials or money for the purchase of specific items, with the understanding that they will be added to the collection only if appropriate, needed and contribute to a balanced collection.

The same criteria of selection, and withdrawing, that are applied to purchased materials are also applied to gifts and donations.

Materials not added to the collection are discarded or given away.

Print serials collection

Although electronic subscriptions are preferred for journals, print journals will be considered where electronic is unavailable or undesirable. Main selection criteria are contribution to the collection; whether it is available in a database subscribed to by Wintec.

Print subscriptions for journals available full-text on databases will only be considered if:

The subject matter is of a highly visual nature
There is an embargo of twelve months or more on the database
Information or content is lost on the database
Browsing is important for general interest

The retention and disposal policy for print serials will be available on the catalogue record for the journals, and will range from twelve months to ten years, subject to use and availability electronically.~~, unless otherwise approved by the Library Manager.~~

Online serials collection and databases

Online serials will meet the same selection and deselection criteria as physical resources. Consortia arrangements will be investigated where possible to negotiate lower rates. The retention of databases will be evaluated annually. Where possible, the choice of journals within a database will also be reviewed.

Deselection (background, criteria, usage, validity, condition, retention)

Continuous collection management ensures that the collection is relevant to users’ needs and that best use is made of the available space. Criteria to consider in deselection

i.Superseded editions. 1 copy of the last two editions will be maintained if the item is in high demand, and other retention criteria is met. Current multiple editions purchased prior to 2017 will not be removed, unless not in use.

ii.The information contained is obsolete with no historic value, or is no longer relevant to courses currently being taught

iii.Poor repair where the cost of mending outweighs the replacement cost or value

iv.Duplicate copies that are no longer required

v.Outdated material that has been published more than ten years ago and is not considered a seminal text, or relevant to Wintec teaching and learning

vi.Material that has not been circulated in the last 3 years, or has continually low usage rates (i.e. five times or less times in five years)

vii.Academic staff may be consulted where appropriate, however decisions will lie with library staff

viii.Materials removed from the collection are discarded or given away

ix.Any exceptions to these standards must be approved by the Library Manager

x.Final responsibility for decisions about deselection of particular items rests with the Library Manager

Budget allocation

Each year the Library Manager submits an estimate of the Library’s financial requirements to Finance. From the Library’s total budget, the Library Manager allocates funds for Library materials. The funds are allocated into two main divisions: physical resources and electronic subscriptions.

In allocating funds, librarians recognise:
maintenance of the collection at the desired level;
provision for new programmes. Specific allocations should be made before courses are approved. The Library will be consulted before courses and programmes are approved, to ensure there are appropriate levels of resources.
expansion of teaching delivery methods;
gaps relevant to teaching needs in the collection;
expansion of student numbers and demand;
the need to support higher level study in some areas;
the need to support research;
obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi;
obligations to international student needs.

The Library Manager, with assistance from the Collection Development Librarian ensures that the Library budget is equitably distributed and spent at a constant or determined, cyclical rate throughout the year. There will be a move in the future on spending more of the budget on electronic resources over physical books.

The Collection Management Librarian distributes the budget and coordinates the selection of materials through a collaborative process with academic staff, with the liaison librarians being responsible for the bulk of selection of resources, in all formats, and across books, journals and electronic databases.

The Library recognises the subject expertise and contribution of academic staff and encourages and expects them to make recommendations for the purchase and deselection of library materials. While most staff recommendations will be purchased, the Liaison Librarian may decide not to purchase items because, for example, of budget considerations, the presence in the library of sufficient material on that subject, inappropriateness to the level required, to the collection, or to Wintec teaching areas. The Liaison Librarian may confirm with the faculty whether the most recent or relevant material is being selected, or if there are other options. Interlibrary loan will be utilised when an item is required for a specific one off situation. Other staff and students may also make recommendations for purchase of library materials.

Recognition will be made of the fact that some courses will make greater use of library resources, e.g. degree courses, graduate courses; that new courses have particular needs; and of matters such as curriculum change, changes in delivery mode, affirmative action, teaching style, and assignment requirements.

Interlibrary loan

Wintec Library is a member of the New Zealand Interlibrary Loan Scheme. The library may choose to interloan a book or article where it is not practical to purchase a copy or access. Limits and costs around Interlibrary loans are available in the Library Circulation Policy

Stocktake

A stocktake is carried out every 2 years or as appropriate using Library Management system software to identify missing stock. A financial report is produced to advise Finance Department of stock value loss.

Revision of Collection Development Policy

Revision is part of a continuous process, designed to ensure currency and relevancy of the policy in regard to changing demands and conditions. A major revision will be undertaken every 3 years, and a review will take place every twelve months.

Freedom of information and censorship

The Library has a responsibility to provide its users with the widest range of information resources relevant to their requirements. Principles of intellectual freedom are adhered to in the selection of library materials. Personal belief and opinions should be neither promoted nor suppressed when the content of the particular resource is being considered. The prime criterion of the retention of material is its usefulness in supporting coursework, and Librarians will resist all attempts at censorship unless required by law. Objections to materials should be made to the Library Manager in writing.

Appendix:

Statement on Intellectual Freedom Statement adopted by the Council of the Library and Information Association New Zealand Aotearoa, 21 March, 2002

1. Society creates libraries as institutions to store and make available knowledge, information, and opinions and to facilitate the enjoyment of learning and creativity in every field. Every library has a responsibility to provide its users with the widest range of information materials possible, which are within the constraints of its budget, relevant to its users' requirements, and which represent the spectrum of points of view on the topic held in the community.

2. Librarians have a responsibility to ensure that the selection and availability of information materials is governed solely by professional considerations. In so doing, they should neither promote nor suppress opinions and beliefs expressed in the materials with which they deal. These professional considerations include the use of knowledge, skills, collection management experience, and collection development policies to make decisions on what is selected for the library collection.

3. No information resources should be excluded from libraries because of the opinions they express; nor because of who the author is; nor on the grounds of the political, social, moral or other views of their author.

4. No library materials should be censored, restricted, removed from libraries, or have access denied to them because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval or pressure. This includes access to web-based information resources.

5. Librarians should resist all attempts at censorship, except where that censorship is required by law. Librarians are free to request, and to lobby for, the repeal of laws, which compromise the principles set out in this statement.

Library for Staff: Wintec Library Collection Policy