Collection Development Procedures

Book Selection and Requests

Notification Slips

The majority of requests for materials by instructional faculty originate from monograph notification slips (i.e., Blackwell, YBP, Midwest, and Choice review cards). Slips from these book vendors arrive in Collection Development on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, where they are sorted by department. Each bundle of slips are then sent to the appropriate Library Liaison, who will pull slips for books that should be requested immediately or don't fit the collection scope. The remainder of the slips are then sent to the Department Representative.

The Department Representative is responsible for reviewing the notification slips, ideally with input from his or her colleagues, indicating the level of importance (with a '1' for essential or core for the department's curriculum, a '2' for supplementary works, or a '3' for peripheral works). Initials of the selector should be marked on the slip for reporting purposes. The Department Representative then returns the entire bundle of slips to his or her Library Liaison.

The Library Liaison will sort the returned slips into preference categories (1, 2, 3 and the rest) and make further recommendations of his or her own. The slips that represent final recommendations are then sent to the Collection Development Librarian. Final order decisions are made by the Collection Development Librarian.

Electronic Selection Resources

Book selectors now have electronic selection resources available in addition to notification slips. Any or all of these resources can be consulted when making recommendations. These resources have internal email notification options that selectors can use to submit requests to their Library Liaisons.

Book Index with Reviews

This database indexes millions of book titles in a wide range of formats and genres. It contains thousands of full text searchable reviews from multiple publications. It is accessed from the 'Databases by Title' page on the library's homepage.

Choice Online

This database is the online version of Choice cards. It uses the same recommendation levels (essential, and highly recommended) for outstanding titles.

Requests from Other Sources

When instructional faculty become aware of materials through their own professional publications or other means, they may forward all available information (including importance ranking) to their Department Representative, who will send such requests to the Library Liaison. They will be treated exactly like requests submitted through slips or electronic means.

Assignment of Representatives and Liaisons

In order to maintain optimal communication lines, instructional departments should keep the Collection Development Librarian informed of the identity of their Departmental Representatives. The master list of names is kept on the 'Liaisons' list on the library's homepage. Instructional departments will be informed of any changes in the identity of their Library Liaison by the Collection Development Librarian.

Contact Information

The Library Liaison assigned to each department is the primary contact for any and all communication regarding library collections and/or services. However, the Collection Development Librarian is also available to answer questions about acquisitions. Contact information is available on the 'Liaisons' list on the library's homepage.