Middleton Library Reference Services
Collection Development Policy Statement
Library's Collection Development Objectives
A. Collection Development Objectives
LSU Libraries strive to collect, preserve, and provide access to information resources which support the instructional, research, and public service programs and missions of the University.
Middleton Reference Services supports the LSU Libraries goals and strives to provide the tools and skills necessary to offer library clientele the greatest possible access to information resources both within LSU Libraries and from outside sources.
B. Collection Philosophy
Reference Services personnel are responsible for determining what materials are best suited for the Collection. Consultation with Subject Selectors outside Middleton Reference may be necessary in some instances. Selection of materials for the Collection should be based on the needs and interests of LSU Libraries clientele. Consideration should always be given to the subject appropriateness, potential demand for materials within that area, and whether the source might better serve the clientele as a circulating item.
The reference materials will normally be limited to resources which provide 1) brief factual data or 2) citations or other means of finding information in another published source. Resources which require that the user do extensive reading, analysis, or contemplation will not be considered reference materials. Examples: A dictionary of biography would be considered, while a book length biography of a single person would not. An encyclopedia of mathematics would be included; a treatise on fuzzy sets would not.
The effectiveness of the Reference Collection depends on the skills and knowledge of the Reference Staff. Therefore, the Reference Collection should be as lean and efficient as possible. A large collection makes it more difficult for staff to know all the resources. Even with an online catalog, many materials may become "lost" to staff and clientele, and will therefore be ineffective as reference tools.
Because the Reference Collection serves as a tool for both mediated and unmediated reference transactions, it should be convenient to use for Reference Staff and non-staff users alike.
Reference should NOT be the storage place of choice for ALL items that bear the words "dictionary," "encyclopedia," "handbook," "directory," or any other typical reference terminology. Many of these items may be more appropriate for Stacks. Many professional "handbooks," for example, are simply collections of scholarly articles or other kinds of materials that would require extensive study; they would better serve our clientele as circulating items. Many "dictionaries" and "encyclopedias" are very narrow in scope and will not be heavily used in the Reference collection. Those too are better placed in Stacks.
C. Clientele
The primary clients are the students, faculty, and staff of Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College. The student body includes undergraduate, graduate, Evening School, and distance education students. In accordance with the University Strategic Plan, the Collection will secondarily support the interests of the citizens and business communities of Louisiana. LSU Libraries also play a key role in a state network of libraries and in the larger community of research libraries.
A. Subject coverage
The Reference Collection will support a broad-based undergraduate program and provide additional support for disciplines with graduate programs and research centers. Levels of coverage will be governed by the depth of the academic programs on campus and the levels of collecting intensity described in the general collection development policies of particular subjects. Additionally, Reference Services will attempt to support core academic and special programs as identified by the University, including the establishment of new programs and centers. Reference Services will strive to present divergent points of view within the Collection.
The Collection will not sustain the disciplines of Law, Veterinary Medicine, or Human Medicine, whose programs are not served by the LSU Libraries. Generally, the Middleton Reference Collection will not duplicate materials in areas covered by Special Collections, Chemistry, Design, Music Resources, Education Resources, or Library and Information Science, unless greater access is deemed necessary.
B. Formats
Materials will not be limited to print sources or commercial publications. Although the majority of collecting will be from in-print monographic materials, special consideration will be given, as necessary, to federal documents, United Nations materials, and electronic media, including CD-ROM, online, and Internet resources. Reference Services will consider any source of reference material as it becomes available, weighing new media against the same considerations applied to traditional resources (i.e., demand, ease of use, accuracy, authority, support of LSU programs, etc.). Consideration will also be given to the ramifications new resources might have on space, cost, workflow, etc.
C. Language
The majority of materials will be in English, except as necessary for particular subjects. Foreign language dictionaries, for example, will be collected, but foreign language subject encyclopedias will not, unless they happened to be an outstanding resource in a particular field.
D. Currency
Currency is vital for an effective reference collection. Every effort will be made to ensure that resources such as directories, yearbooks, and certain encyclopedias are kept up-to-date, either by standing order or through regular review by the Reference Librarians and the Reference Collection Development Coordinator. Materials which do not warrant a regular subscription or continuation can still be flagged for periodic review. Ongoing review and weeding will be one way to maintain a current and effective Reference Collection.
E. Redundancy
Redundancy (access to similar information via several difference resources) will also be kept to a minimum. Within certain subject areas, some redundancy may be necessary. Selection of redundant materials will be based on the level of demand and the unique features or access points that the materials might offer.
F. Weeding
Careful selection of materials for Reference will make extensive weeding unnecessary, but periodic weeding projects may be undertaken to ensure that the collection is adhering to the criteria described in this document. As weeding projects are undertaken, specific guidelines will be developed and implemented by the Reference Collection Development Work Group. Materials which are duplicates, out of date, incomplete, superseded, in poor condition, of greater use to patrons in the circulating collection, or in subjects that are not vital to Reference will all be weeded.
A. Reference Stacks
The Reference Collection is located on the first floor of Middleton Library. Most items will be shelved in the Reference Stacks in LC call number order.
Within their subject areas Reference Librarians will recommend to the Reference Collection Development Coordinator materials to be moved to or from any of the special locations. Reference Librarians and the Coordinator will ensure that the latest volumes or editions are placed on Index Tables or other special locations.
B. Ready Reference
Items will be considered for Ready Reference if there is a frequent and ongoing need for staff to make use of the material, or if the level of demand by library patrons makes some restriction on use necessary. However, Ready Reference will not fill a reserve function. Materials placed on Ready Reference should meet the same selection criteria as other materials in the reference collection; materials that do not meet those criteria should be placed at the Reserve Desk.
C. Documents and U.N. Documents Reference
Will include materials from the U.S. government and U.N. documents collection which can assist the Reference Department in providing access to other government or U.N. information.
D. Index Tables
In general, materials placed on Index Tables will be periodical indexes or some other kind of citation resource. Directories, encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc. will be placed in the Reference Stacks, except for those materials that are appropriate for special index table locations.
E. Vertical File
Ephemeral materials or items that do not warrant full cataloging will be placed in the vertical files. These should be timely resources. Reference Librarians may solicit materials for this file as they see necessary, as long as no library funds are involved. All materials which require payment must be submitted through normal Acquisitions channels. The Reference Desk Work Group will undertake periodic projects to enhance the vertical file collection. The file should be weeded at least every three years.
F. Library Local Area Network and other computer resources
Whenever possible, major CD-ROM indexes and resources will be placed on the LSU Libraries LAN in order to provide access to the greatest possible number of library patrons. Other resources will be made available on stand-alone computer stations. The Electronic Reference Services Librarian will plan and implement any changes to electronic resources.
G. Internet Resources
Reference Librarians will provide access to global networked resources which are useful to the scholarly interests of the LSU community. This may be done by providing print bibliographies of networked resources or by creating pointers to resources via World Wide Web servers.
A. Responsibility
The major responsibility for collecting reference material will lie with the Reference Librarians. Each Librarian will be assigned portions of the Collection, by LC class number, in accordance with their broad subject responsibility. Within these areas the Librarian will have primary authority for selections, transfers, and withdrawals.
Because reference subject assignments are broader than the selection responsibilities Librarians have for the general collection, consultation between Reference Librarians and other Subject Liaisons may be necessary. Additionally, the Electronic Reference Services Librarian will be consulted before recommending electronic resources for purchase or weeding.
B. Selection
All selections must be submitted to the Reference Collection Development Coordinator. The Coordinator will forward requests as appropriate to Acquisitions to be ordered.
With the assistance of the Reference Collection Development Work Group, the Coordinator will ensure that all subjects are adequately covered or that additional interdisciplinary assignments are made to the Reference Librarians. The Coordinator will also monitor review sources and publisher materials and forward these to the appropriate Reference Librarian for consideration.
Decisions about major purchases will be brought before the Department and Department Chair, as necessary. The Coordinator may refer order requests to the Department Chair for further consideration. Subject Librarians may wish to maintain a desiderata list of more expensive materials in their subject areas, to be submitted in the event additional funds become available.
C. Selection methods
Subject Librarians may employ as many of the following procedures as necessary in order to make recommendations for Middleton Reference:
This collection development policy should be reviewed on an annual basis by Middleton Reference Services. A review will 1) serve as a training session for new members of the staff, 2) refresh all staff on ongoing collection policies, 3) provide an opportunity to make necessary changes in the document.
Prepared: January 15, 1998