Casey Twist
LIBR 266
a) Which policy best conforms to this chart and Evan’s suggestions?
UMASS at Amherst’s collection development policy best conforms to this chart. It is well organized and
easily processed for the library users and researchers.
b) do they tend to fall short or go beyond?
UMASS does a great job at identifying their purpose and policy for their library collections. Caltech on the
other hand, has a more open and less defined policy. It is not as organized or as easily searchable as
UMASS Amherst.
c) Which elements appear to be most useful/problematic?
Most all elements of the UMASS Amherst policy is useful information that clearly defines the processes of
collection development and the policies that they adhere to. This could be problematic since they may need
to update their policy with technological advances as they are created and re-work the policy to add the
change, whereas Caltech offers a more open plan, but is less organized.
d) Which policy do you recommend and why?
I recommend the UMASS at Amherst policy because it is easy to search and gives me all the information I need
understand the mission and goals of their collection process. Caltech’s is less than to be desired and quite
frankly I am surprised at the lack of information that is missing from the policy. It has no organization and one
must thoroughly read every word to find the answers to what is being asked.
Characteristics/Features
Library A Name:
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Library B Name:
California Institute of
Technology
Element 1 - Overview
Mission and goals
“The UMass Amherst Libraries mission is to
support the teaching and research efforts of
the university. Communication between
library liaisons and faculty to identify
materials to support research and
programmatic needs is central to acquiring
resources that faculty and students need.”
“The collections of the
Caltech Libraries
provide resources to
support the research,
study, and instruction
needs of the faculty,
staff, graduate and
undergraduate students
in their fields as well as
reference works to meet
the needs of the Caltech
community at large. The
subject specialist
librarians prepare these
collection development
policies to aid
communication between
librarians and the
Caltech community
regarding collections.”
Description of service area/community
This academic library serves 1174 full time
faculty and 27, 569 undergraduate and
graduate students and is located on 1450
acres is Amherst, Massachusetts
Identification of service clientele/patrons
Faculty, staff, students, and researchers use
this library. There currently is several areas
of study offered at UMASS Amherst and
among those is areas of study such as,
anthropology, art, architecture, chemistry,
computer science, finance, nutrition, theatre
etc..
This academic library
serves 1,000
undergrads, and 1200
graduate students. More
than 1400 staff and
faculty investigators are
also served.
The users of this
collection will use
materials that aide in the
programs of study
offered. Areas of the
collections are broken
down into subjects
studied at Caltech, such,
as, biology, chemistry,
chemical engineering,
engineering, geological
and planetary sciences,
humanities and social
sciences, physics, math,
and astronomy.
“The following criteria apply to all
materials. Particular criterion may assume
greater or lesser importance depending on
the type of materials under consideration or
the subject matter covered.”
As listed on the UMASS Amherst
Collection Policy
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Statement about collection parameters
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Curriculum and research need.
Scope and content –
comprehensiveness and depth
of coverage.
Scholarly value.
Currency and timeliness.
o Computer books,
especially computer
manuals, published 4
years or before are not
selected or purchased.
o Selection of older
editions would only
occur with valid
reasons.
Relevance to existing
collections.
Physical quality and/or special
features.
Availability of materials
through Interlibrary Loan or
document delivery.
Inclusion in major indexing and
abstracting tools or professional
organization indexes.
User-friendly search interface.
“The collections of the
Caltech Libraries
provide resources to
support the research,
study, and instruction
needs of the faculty,
staff, graduate and
undergraduate students
in their fields as well as
reference works to meet
the needs of the Caltech
community at large. The
subject specialist
librarians prepare these
collection development
policies to aid
communication between
librarians and the
Caltech community
regarding collections.”
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Description of the types of programs
or patron needs that collection must meet
Suitable for use on available
hardware and platforms.
Consistently reliable response
time and overall technical
performance.
Cost – the purchase price as
well as any on-going expense of
maintaining access. Excessive
cost may limit access.
Mode of access available from
the vendor (e.g., Internet, LAN,
single workstation)
Size of the potential audience
anthropology, art, architecture, chemistry,
computer science, finance, nutrition, theatre,
political science, pre-veterinary,
women/gender sexuality issues, science,
sociology, Spanish, etc.
(Fine Arts, Natural Sciences)
biology, chemistry,
chemical engineering,
engineering, geological
and planetary sciences,
humanities and social
sciences, physics, math,
and astronomy.
Element 2 - Details of subject areas and
formats collected
Collections divided into subject areas
No information available
Lists patrons by type
Staff, Faculty, Students, Researchers
Identification of formats collected
Books, paper journals, microforms,
pamphlets, maps, music video recordings,
access to ebooks, citations, and full text
databases, moving images
If I am understanding
the collection
development policy
correctly, there are
divisions in which
materials are selected
and it is based on the
above types of
programs. For example
there is a biology
division for selecting
and under that division
the policy states what
types of subject are
selected under the
named category.
Staff, Faculty, Students,
Researchers
This policy does not
come right out and
outline what types of
resources are cataloged.
The resources that are
identified and collected,
are books, journals and
textbooks adopted for
course reserves only,
electronic periodicals,
and indexes. What is
not collected is
dissertations, technical
reports and archival
materials. Under
collection information
the following is what is
stated:
“Bibliographers collect
to support current
research activities, and
thus research materials
are the primary focus of
the collection. However,
basic materials in a
subject area are
collected for
undergraduate use and
in support of Institutewide interdisciplinary
interests so the Caltech
community can stay
informed and have
ready access to core
works in a wide range
of subjects.”
Identification of persons/selectors responsible
for collection development
No one person identified, person in charges
is referred to as “selector or library liaisons,
or associate director for collection services
As in UMASS
Amherst’s policy, no
one person is identified
as the selector
responsible for
collection development.
It is mentioned that the
bibliographer is in
charge of developing
the collection.
Element 3 - Coverage of miscellaneous items
Gifts
It is encouraged for donors to contact and
consult with the associate director for
collection services when donating items. All
offers receive consideration and items taken
as gift are hardbound, good quality books
paperbacks, scholarly monographs, music
discs, scores, videos, and DVD’s, not taken
is materials that do not meet the
development goals.
“The Caltech Library
welcomes gifts of
information materials
that support the
educational and
research interests of the
Institute. Monetary
donations are also
accepted by the Library
Administration Office
or the Caltech
Development Office
and are used for the
purchase of library
materials or equipment
for the improvement of
library services or
facilities.
The library accepts only
unconditional donations
having no special
restrictions such as
placement, treatment, or
any other requirement.
The library reserves the
right to refuse gifts
outright and to dispose
of donated material
according to its needs.
All donated materials
will be reviewed by
appropriate personnel
and only those materials
that meet the needs of
the library and that are
in good physical
condition will be added
to the collection.”
Deselection and discards
Items discarded are materials that are worn,
mutilated, or defective in any way. Discards
and de-selections can be made if brought on
by the decision of the appropriate person in
charge of this collection area.
Nothing noted in policy.
Unfortunately, the
policy does not state
what the library does to
evaluate the services
and resources offered,
below is what the
library strives to offer
its patrons:
Evaluation
Usually based on preservation and deselection. “The collections of the UMass
Amherst Libraries, in addition to their
intellectual and aesthetic value, represent a
substantial economic investment. The
responsibility to build research collections
carries with it the obligation to ensure that
these collections are permanently accessible.
The Libraries are committed to the
retention, preservation, and long-term access
of the collections they hold in perpetuity,
regardless of format.”
“The collections of the
Caltech Libraries
provide resources to
support the research,
study, and instruction
needs of the faculty,
staff, graduate and
undergraduate students
in their fields as well as
reference works to meet
the needs of the Caltech
community at large. The
subject specialist
librarians prepare these
collection development
policies to aid
communication between
librarians and the
Caltech community
regarding collections.
Bibliographers collect
to support current
research activities, and
thus research materials
are the primary focus of
the collection. However,
basic materials in a
subject area are
collected for
undergraduate use and
in support of Institutewide interdisciplinary
interests so the Caltech
community can stay
informed and have
ready access to core
works in a wide range
of subjects”
Complaints and censorship
Nothing noted in the policy.
Electronic resources
Nothing noted in the policy.
Other
Information on Lost/missing materials,
duplicates, and storage.
Nothing noted in the
policy.
Nothing noted in the
policy.
One piece of
information worth
sharing, taken from
Caltech’s policy:
“Collection policies are
tailored to research
currently underway at
Caltech. Subject
emphases are reevaluated when a
faculty member arrives
or leaves, or when
research interests
evolve.”
Comments/Recommendations:
UMASS Amherst Collection policy was last updated on September 4, 2008
Caltech’s Collection policy was last updated on April 21, 2011
UMASS does not state the author of the policy it is copyrighted by UMASS Amherst Library and is
reviewed and endorsed by the research library council.
Caltech’s policy also does not state the author of the policy, and is copyrighted by Caltech Library
It is obvious that UMASS has a more well planned and organized collection development policy.
Caltech’s is surprisingly hard to follow and lacked detailed information.