Collection Development Policy
Latin American & Caribbean Studies Collection
International & Area Studies Library - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Revised March 31, 2014
Mission Statement
The mission of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies collection at the University
Library is to support instruction and research in Latin American and Caribbean Studies
and related interdisciplinary fields at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Service Community
The Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS) collection is designed to serve
students and faculty participating in the program in Latin American Studies, which
include representatives of over three dozen disciplines from several colleges across the
university. The UIUC’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS)
administers M.A. and B.A. degrees as well as graduate and undergraduate and minors in
Latin American Studies.
In addition to serving this base of local users the LACS collection serves a large number
and variety of off-campus users, including graduate students on fellowship abroad
through the Lemann Institute for Brazilian Studies, Brazilian undergraduate and graduate
nationals attending UIUC as participants in the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program, as
well as faculty and students from other educational institutions, government agencies,
and private corporations throughout the Midwestern United States and beyond.
Collection Location & Access
The University Library provides access to its facilities to the faculty, staff, and students
of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as to visitors to the campus
and members of the general public, in order to promote the use of Library resources and
to support teaching, learning, research, and study on the Urbana campus.
As both a public land grant institution and a United States Federal Depository Library,
the University Library is charged with providing access and reference services to all
members of the general public, free of charge in the case of depository services.
The LACS collection itself is scattered across several different physical library locations.
The majority of items are housed in the main stacks of the University Library and the
Oak Street storage facility, while a number of materials can be found in the Agriculture,
Consumer and Environmental Sciences; Architecture and Art; History, Philosophy and
Newspapers; and Rare Book and Manuscript Libraries.
The International and Area Studies Library also maintains a selection of current serials
and reference materials pertaining to Latin America and the Caribbean that can be
accessed by members of the university and the general public during scheduled hours of
operation. These resources do not circulate, however.
1
The Latin American and Caribbean Studies subject specialist is available for consultation
during regularly scheduled office hours and by appointment.
As the largest member of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois,
the University Library participates in the I-Share interlibrary loan program. According to
the terms of the I-Share reciprocal borrowing policy,1 all circulating materials in the Latin
American and Caribbean Studies Collection are eligible for interlibrary loan.
See also the General Policies Governing Materials under the Care of the Rare Book &
Manuscript Library2 and the Government Information Services, Access, and Collections
Mission Statement.3
Focus & Parameters of Collection
Comprehensive collection coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean is the goal.
Emphasis within the geographical guidelines is on the humanities and social sciences,
although not to the total exclusion of other fields like agriculture, natural history, and the
history of science.
The subject specialist collects materials about the entire Latin American and Caribbean
Hemisphere south of the United States. Latin American and Hispanic communities in the
United States are also a primary responsibility. Although no nation among the forty
countries of the area is excluded, the collection’s geographic focus traditionally has been
on Brazil (a Farmington Plan responsibility), the Andean countries (especially Ecuador
and Peru), Mexico and Mesoamerica, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, and most
recently, Central America.
The collection does not extend to former Spanish, Portuguese, British, or Dutch colonies
that lie outside the Latin American and Caribbean Hemisphere (i.e., Hispanophone,
Lusophone, Anglophone, Dutchophone Africa and Asia Pacific).
It is the policy of the Latin American and Caribbean Collection to exclude textbooks of
all difficulties and grade levels, with the exception of classical texts that are of
foundational importance and of repeated use to the various disciplines constitutive of
Latin American Studies. Schoolbooks of interest to users studying education in Latin
America and the Caribbean may be acquired on an ad hoc basis.
Selection is aimed at recent (within the last two years) scholarly works of analysis
published by university presses, research institutes, prominent commercial presses, and
government agencies. More popular literature is acquired in the form of, for example,
newspapers and critically acclaimed novels.
1
http://www.carli.illinois.edu/products-services/i-share/circ/I-ShareResourceSharingCode
http://www.library.illinois.edu/cms/administration/collections/policies/General_Policies_Gover
ning_Materials_under_RBML_Care.pdf
3
http://www.library.illinois.edu/doc/publicservices/index.html
2
2
The LACS collection excludes materials that fall within the following parameters:
• publications less than 60 pages in length;
• Spanish prints of titles published simultaneously in Latin America and Spain;
• unaltered reprints;
• new editions of previously published works (unless substantially expanded);
• textbooks, juvenile titles, self-published titles;
• promotional materials issued by non-profit government agencies, political parties,
organizations, banks or corporations;
• statistics and other government materials that are otherwise available online.
While the Rare Books and Manuscript Library possesses a substantial body of colonialand revolutionary-era rare prints and ephemera, the primary focus of the Latin American
and Caribbean Studies collection is on contemporary scholarly output, particularly in the
social sciences and humanities.
Details of Subject Areas
Acquisition is focused on new scholarly output and general reference works in the
disciplines of architecture, art, history, literature (novels, short stories, poetry,
indigenous), music, philosophy, religion, agriculture, anthropology, archaeology,
ecology, economics, education, gender studies, geography, linguistics, law, library and
information science, mass communications, political science, psychology, sociology, and
urban studies.
As of this current revision, particular strengths of the collection, which have been
developed to sustain comprehensive graduate and post-graduate level research, include
anthropology, history, linguistics, and literature. By contrast, the collection of indigenous
literatures and the subjects of music, poetry, religion, sociology, and urban planning are
in need of further development in order to sustain an adequate level of undergraduate
instruction. The remaining subject disciplines are covered adequately enough to support
both undergraduate instruction and research and advanced graduate research.
The bulk of collection materials come from presses in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil,
Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras,
Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Peru, El Salvador, Uruguay, and
Venezuela. The remainder of materials comes from publishers in the United States, Great
Britain, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Acquisition Practices
The collection acquires back issues of significant serial titles when complete runs are
available and deemed desirable. Similarly, antique materials, rare prints, posters, and
ephemera from Latin America and the Caribbean are acquired as funds permit.
3
Acquisition of duplicate materials is typically avoided for the LACS collection.
Exceptions include classical disciplinary texts that circulate on a regular basis as well as
facsimile copies of historical books and rare prints that are otherwise only viewable at the
Rare Books and Manuscripts Library.
Acquisitioning for the LACS collection involves a combination of just in case and just in
time approaches. The materials acquired through the former are initially suggested by a
number of vendors based on a blanket/open order profile provided by the subject
specialist. Just in time acquisition is warranted when faculty have special requests or in
anticipation of increased interest or use due to CLACS-related programing.
Formats & Languages Collected
The collection focus is on printed and bound (not spiral bound) books. Print serials are
still a major target for acquisition, however Latin American periodical literature is
increasingly available through online subscription databases and open access publishing
networks. Microfiches, videocassettes, DVDs, and CD-ROMs are typically excluded
unless they accompany a bound book, however they may be acquired on an ad hoc basis.4
Current issues of select serials are shelved in the International and Area Studies browsing
stacks, while current issues of the remaining titles as well as back issues of all Latin
American and Caribbean serials are held in the main stacks of the University Library.
Some complete antique runs are held at the Oak Street storage facility.
Acquisition of reference materials is limited to only new, major reference works, new
titles of Spanish(-English)/Portuguese(-English)/Spanish(-Portuguese) dictionaries for
local dialects, and new editions of standard unabridged dictionaries for indigenous
languages and dialects (e.g. Quechua).
Spanish and Portuguese are the dominant languages of the collection, however also
included are a substantial number of relevant European resources published in Spanish,
Portuguese, French, English, German, and Dutch.
The collection also incorporates materials written in Creole as well as various indigenous
languages of Latin America, with an emphasis on Quechuan resources to support the
CLACS Quechua curriculum.
While the focus of acquisition is on recent scholarly analyses, the scope of coverage for
collection materials spans from the pre-Colombian period up to the present day.
4
Spanish, Portuguese, et al, language audiovisual materials are the purview of the collectors
from the Languages & Literatures and Undergraduate Libraries.
4
Electronic Issues
The majority of electronic monograph resources relevant to Latin American and
Caribbean Studies are provided through interdisciplinary proprietary databases acquired
with library-wide funds, however acquisition of the electronic serial resources within the
collection is the responsibility of the Latin American subject specialist.
The same subject parameters used for print resources apply to electronic resources.
The acquisition policies for electronic resources follow the guidance established in the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library’s Electronic Collections Plan.5
Retention Policies6
The Library has as a central element of its mission the obligation to retain the materials
that record and represent a shared intellectual and cultural heritage, and which form the
history of disciplines, and to make these materials available through resource sharing to
the state of Illinois and beyond. The publication of new editions does not mean earlier
editions should be discarded. Special care should be taken in subject areas where
outdated works cannot be used for current research but are invaluable to historians.
In general, last/single copies of titles are retained. When both print or microform and
electronic versions exist, print/microform copies are the copy of record. When material is
electronic only, assure perpetual access and best possible provisions for interlibrary loan.
The number of print/microform copies retained of any one item may vary based on the
professional judgment of the subject specialist, however it is expected that no more than
two print or microform copies will be retained except under special circumstances.
The subject specialist makes the decision of how many print copies to retain. The online
catalog, other internal records, and the materials themselves must be consulted before
making withdrawal decisions. Decisions should take into consideration: subject,
including interdisciplinary impact; language; rarity; provenance; format; projected use;
physical condition; licensing restrictions on resource sharing; accessibility of electronic
formats; and completeness.
The Circulation Librarian oversees consultation with the subject specialist before any
withdrawal takes place from the Stacks. As a regular part of collection maintenance, lists
of missing items should be reviewed on a regular basis and evaluated for replacement.
5
http://www.library.illinois.edu/administration/collections/groups/Electronic_Collections_Plan.pdf
http://www.library.illinois.edu/administration/collections/policies/Retention_Policies_in_the_Di
gital_Age.pdf
6
5
Deselected materials may be transferred to Stacks or Remote Storage. The last copy is
considered to be the archival copy. If in poor condition it should be repaired or replaced
before any transfer. Withdrawal of the last copy must be approved by the Associate
University Librarian for Collections, who will consult with the specialist as needed to
consider the availability of copies in other libraries as well as the impact on resource
sharing.
Materials purchased on State funds and non-State funds, including endowment funds, are
the property of this collection and have the following restrictions placed upon their
disposal, unless other restrictions are imposed from outside agencies:
• may not be sold, offered for credit, or given to private individuals;
• may be transferred to another agency covered by State Property Control Act 605a
or a library system organized under the Illinois Library System Act;
• may be withdrawn and recycled as scrap;
• may be offered for credit or exchange for library materials of equal value to a
reputable agent or vendor;
• may be kept for office use;
• may be transferred to an out-of-state library if not needed by any other library
upon proper authorization.
Preservation Goals
Preservation of collection items is facilitated primarily through transfer of materials to the
Oak Street high-density storage facility. The Oak Street Facility provides a secure
environment in a closed stack facility equipped with temperature and humidity controls
that significantly extend the life expectancy of library materials. When measured against
other library facilities, Oak Street provides an exemplary environment for reducing the
deterioration of library materials.7
Preservation of electronic media resources follows the protocols established in the
Guidelines for Processing and Retaining Tangible Electronic Publications.8
Responsibilities of the Selector
Final responsibility for collection decisions falls to the Latin American and Caribbean
Studies Librarian. Under his/her supervision, other library faculty and/or staff members
may be delegated some acquisition responsibilities for the collection.
Faculty approval is not required for ongoing purchases for the collection, however the
collection does encourage faculty input, which may be offered through the library’s
“Suggest A Purchase” portal.9
7
http://www.library.illinois.edu/administration/collections/policies/SelectingLibraryMaterialsfor
HighDensityStorage.html
8
http://www.library.illinois.edu/cms/administration/collections/policies/Guidelines_for_Processi
ng_and_Retaining_Tangible_Electronic_Publications.pdf
9
https://illinois.edu/fb/sec/887006
6
The collection development policy is to be written by the Latin American and Caribbean
Studies Librarian and approved by the Collection Development Committee.
The collection development policy is to be reviewed and updated once every ten years.
Intellectual Freedom10
It is the policy of the University of Illinois Library that books, journal articles, or other
channels for scholarly communication acquired as part of the Library's collections will
not be withdrawn from the collections based on allegations of false, misleading,
pejorative, or potentially harmful information.
Errata sheets, issued by the publisher and included with the text at the time of acquisition,
or sent soon thereafter, will, whenever possible, be tipped into the work. Updates,
corrections, reviews, or letters of caution--whether issued by the author, publisher, or
third parties-may be added to the text or referenced in the cataloging record or other links
to the item.
The Library understands that scholars may misstate facts, reach erroneous conclusions, or
make claims that in fact or perception can be hurtful to other parties or lead future
researchers astray. Such claims and counterclaims are protected by the values of
academic freedom and this dialog cannot be interrupted by Library procedures.
Nevertheless, specific challenges of merit may arise. In such situations, requests to
remove an item from circulation will be sent to the Associate University Librarian for
Collections, who may confer with others about the nature of the request.
Any review will be guided by the Library’s commitment to the principles of academic
freedom and the principles contained in the Library Bill of Rights.11 The decision will be
communicated to the requestor once the review is completed.
Evaluation
Collection assessment is to be conducted on an annual basis using both user- and
collection-centered approaches as well as both quantitative and qualitative tools.
Quantitative analysis focused on usage should include reports of circulation, in-house
use, document delivery, interlibrary loan, and shelf availability statistics. The Latin
American subject specialist may access this information via the Bean Counter internal
report system and through the e-resources accession-tracking tool SFX. Qualitative
analysis aimed toward usage may include user opinion and focus group surveys,
especially of Latin American and other area studies student populations, and may conduct
such inquiry using UIUC’s Web Services Toolbox.
10
http://www.library.illinois.edu/cms/administration/collections/policies/Request_for_Removal_
of_Materials.pdf
11
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill
7
Quantitative analysis that is collection-based may focus on materials budget changes over
time as well as changes in collection size and growth rate. Finally, qualitative collectionbased analyses, including citation analysis, list checking, and random tests of collection
strength, may be conducted using SFX as well as the OCLC collection analysis tool,
which enables users compare collection holdings with the holdings of other institutions
that have material cataloged in WorldCat.
Gifts
Gifts of books and other library materials will be accepted on the condition that the
University Library may place, display, acknowledge, and dispose of such material in
whatever manner that the Library Director deems advisable.
Donations will be added to the collection at the discretion of the area selectors and the
Collection Development Librarian. Those that are not added may be given to the Friends
for sale or may be donated to community outreach efforts at senior residences, hospitals,
transportation hubs, and coffee shops.
Funds for the purchase of memorial books are accepted with the responsibility for
selection resting with the Library following consultation with the donor.
Gifts may be acknowledged with a letter or a bookplate at the discretion of the selector.
The Library does not evaluate the worth of gifts for tax purposes. Tax evaluations are the
donor’s responsibility. Gifts above $5000 require an appraisal from the donor. Any
counts or itemizations are the donor’s responsibility.
Appendix I: Collection Depth Indicators:
COLLECTION
INTENSITY* GENERAL REFERENCE WORKS
0
1
2
3
Humanities
Social Sciences
Biography—only influential people, especially in literature,
history, politics
Dictionaries-New titles of Spanish dictionaries for local dialects
New titles of Spanish-English dictionaries for local dialects
New editions of standard unabridged dictionaries for local dialects
Architecture
Colonial period
Independence period
Contemporary period
Art – fine arts, plastic arts (only monographic works - no prints
or folio texts)
5
X
X
X
Encyclopedias Only new, major reference works
HUMANITIES AND HISTORY
4
0
1
2
3
X
X
X
X
4
5
X
X
X
8
History of art
Monographic and iconographic studies of individual artists
Exhibition catalogues
Photography
Cinema/Film arts -works on motion picture cinemato-graphy,
major directors and actors, periods and genres
Dance—especially on folkdances
History
General History - national and regional level
Pre-Columbian
Colonial
Contemporary
Local History
Genealogy or Family History
Intellectual history
Social history
Diplomatic history, especially relations with US
Economic history
Military history
Literature
Literary Criticism on literature of the countries covered in the plan
Novels
Only established and recognized authors
Up-and-coming members or representatives of
recognized literary trends or groups, acclaimed works of
previously unknown authors
Unknown authors published by reputable publishers
Unknown authors published by minor presses
Major collections of several authors, famous single
poets, authors
Short Stories
Only established and recognized authors
Up-and-coming members or representatives of
recognized literary trends or groups, acclaimed works of
previously unknown authors
Unknown authors published by reputable publishers
Unknown authors published by minor presses
Major collections of several authors, famous single
poets, authors
Poetry
Only established and recognized authors
Up-and-coming members or representatives of
recognized literary trends or groups, acclaimed works of
previously unknown authors
Unknown authors published by reputable publishers
X
X
X
X
X
0
1
X
2
3
4
5
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
0
1
2
X
3
4
5
X
X
X
X
X
X
0
1
2
3
4
5
X
X
X
X
X
0
1
2
3
X
4
5
X
X
9
Unknown authors published by minor presses
Major collections of several authors, famous single
poets, authors
Indigenous literature
Short stories
Novels
Critical studies
Music
History and theory
Ethnomusicology
X
X
0
X
X
X
0
Classical music- studies of composers and musicians
Contemporary Popular music
Musical scores
Philosophy
Religion (no religious tracts, doctrinal theology, apologetics)
Church-State relations
History of religion or religious movements in the country
Studies of contemporary religious institutions/movements
Hagiographies of religious figures
Studies of local religious practices, such as Voodoo and Santeria
X
X
0
SOCIAL SCIENCES
0
Agriculture (non-technical aspects)
Resource management for sustainable rural development
Agro-industry
Agriculture and globalization
Agricultural, forestry, fisheries, and mineral development
Anthropology
Ethnology
Physical Anthropology
Cultural and Social Anthropology
Folk Literature
Archaeology
Research on pre-historic human activity, including bodily remains
Research on pre-historic material culture including art, pottery,
ceramics, architecture, structures
Colonial and independence period archaeology
Drugs, drug dealers, drug use (only social and political aspects)
Ecology
Sustainable development-especially Amazonia/ rainforest
Resource management
Environmental studies (social/political aspects only-no technical
studies)
Environmental studies—technical studies
Economics and business
1
2
3
4
5
1
X
X
X
X
2
3
4
5
1
X
X
X
2
3
4
5
1
2
X
3
4
5
1
X
X
X
X
2
4
5
X
X
3
4
5
3
4
5
3
4
5
X
0
3
X
X
0
X
X
0
1
X
X
1
2
2
X
X
X
0
X
1
2
10
History of economics and economic development
Works on political economy, including trade, debt
Studies of industries and multinational companies
Economic theory
Business theory and practice (specific to Brazil)
Education
Education as social issue, studies of impact of education on society
Politics of education
National education plans and programs
History of education and of major educational institutions
Educational techniques and practices
Gender Studies
Geography
Environmental studies (see also ecology)
Political, economic, and social geography
Physical geography
Globalization
Economic effects on countries covered in plan
Social effects on countries covered in plan
Language and Linguistics
General linguistic study and linguistic theory of Spanish language
Socio-linguistics
Historical and comparative studies of Spanish language
Linguistic studies of indigenous languages
Laws and Legislation
Politics and Political Science
Political theory and philosophy relative to countries included in
plan
National politics
Political parties, institutions, and groups
Political behavior
Elections and electoral politics
Foreign relations, especially with US
Works on Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
Politics and illegal narcotics trafficking
Press, Media and Mass Communications
Role of media in society, political aspects
History of major newspapers, magazines, electronic media outlets
Craft of print or electronic journalism
Psychology (only social psychology)
Sociology
Ethnic and national identities
Urban sociology
Social groups and social change
0
0
1
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
2
3
4
5
X
3
4
5
1
2
X
X
2
3
4
5
0
1
X
X
1
2
3
4
5
X
X
X
X
X
0
1
2
X
3
4
5
2
3
4
5
2
3
4
5
X
0
X
X
X
X
X
X
0
X
0
X
1
X
X
X
1
X
X
X
11
Rural sociology
Studies of labor and labor organizing
Marriage, family, and family planning
Poverty
Prisons and prison reform
Community development
Social aspects of criminology
Social movements
Cultural and ethnic relations
Immigration issues
Demography and social statistics
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Changing role, life, and position of women in society
Drug use and society
Crime and criminology
Urban Studies and City Planning
Social aspects
Architectural aspects
PROFESSIONS
X
X
1
X
X
1
Library and Information Science
History of books and bookmaking, book illustration, graphic arts
X
0
2
3
4
5
2
3
4
5
12