Thomas J. Garland Library

 SELECTION AND WITHDRAWAL POLICY

 I.  GENERAL STATEMENT:  The selection, acquisition, and retention of library materials will be made in accordance with the following guidelines:

A.  The library serves both undergraduate and graduate students.  The library collection will support all academic programs offered by Tusculum College.  Materials useful primarily to the researcher will be acquired only in limited support of the Andrew Johnson Presidential Library and Museum. 

B.  In selecting print, non-print, and electronic materials, the following will be taken into account: 

• Available format(s)

• The critical reception of the work

• The reputation of the author, publisher or database vendor

• Availability of material

  C.   Evaluation will be based on authoritative reviews and upon the professional judgment of selectors.

  D.   Although the library will acquire representative materials from all areas of knowledge, most acquisitions will support the academic discipline.

  E. The order of acquisition priority will be:

• Discipline support
• Reference
• Non-curricular areas of knowledge
   

F.  The library will not purchase adopted textbooks,  stand-alone CD-ROMs,  or software packages.

II.  RESPONSIBILITY FOR SELECTION

A.   It is the responsibility of the Director of the Library to ensure a balanced and viable collection.  The Director of the Library will oversee the selection and purchase of materials to insure that balance.  The Director will also oversee a gift and exchange program designed to enhance and supplement the collection. 

B.   It is the responsibility of the teaching faculty (full-time and adjunct) to recommend materials in support of their discipline.  It is understood that such recommendations are made to support student research or project needs and not as classroom  instructional support.  The current recommendation process, based upon an annual allocation for books and DVDs, should be followed.  Supplemental requests may be made at any time, employing the recommendation form available on the library website.  It is the responsibility of the library faculty, employing Choice and other reviewing media, to recommend reference and other materials to help ensure a balanced and viable collection. 

C.  Other members of the Tusculum College community (board members,   administration, staff, students, alumni and friends) are also welcome to make recommendations, employing the recommendation form available on the library website 

III.    SPECIAL MATERIALS 

A. Foreign Language:  With the exception of materials acquired in direct support of any special foreign language program offering, or program requiring foreign language  introduction, only foreign language dictionaries will be purchased. 

B.  Periodicals:  Periodicals are acquired in three distinct ways: 1) full-text databases subscriptions, 2) print subscriptions and 3) microform subscriptions.   In general, due to the college’s distance learning commitment, most periodical holdings will be electronic. Suggestions for new print or microform subscriptions will be considered.  Subject-oriented print periodical holdings will be determined according to the following criteria:

• Importance of a title(s)to the curriculum in comparison to the number of journals currently received in a subject area. Cost, reliability, and quality of periodical subscriptions are important. Accessibility of periodical contents through indexes or in full-text electronic format.
   
• Advice on possible substitutions may be sought when a subscription to a subject-oriented periodical must be discontinued, usually due to severe cost inflation or lack of indexing. 

• Advice on possible substitutions may be sought when a subscription to a subject-oriented periodical must be discontinued, usually due to severe cost inflation or lack of indexing. 

C.  Databases:  Databases are acquired through a joint selection process involving both teaching faculty and library faculty.  Recommendations may be made by either faculty.  Upon notification of availability by consortiums in which it holds membership (Tenn-Share, ACA, Solinet) or by independent vendors, the  library faculty will call the attention of teaching faculty to new aggregate databases available for trial, providing sample passwords and other review information.  If the reaction of the teaching faculty is positive and funds are available, these databases will be added.  In certain cases, to be negotiated between the Library Director and divisions, various specialized databases may be added employing some mix of library and divisional funds (usually from divisional allocated library book budgets) to cover the purchase.   

IV. VENDORS 

Materials will be ordered from jobbers, publishers, or distributors who provide the best service and price discounts.  In general, material will not be ordered from esoteric or little-known internet  distributors.

V. LOST MATERIALS

If possible and feasible, lost materials will be replaced as follows:

Books -after one year

 Periodicals- as quickly as possible

 Non-print – as funding permits 

VI. WITHDRAWALS 

It is the responsibility of the Director of the Library to ensure a balanced and viable collection.  The Director of the Library will withdraw duplicate, irreparably damaged, or obsolete materials to insure that balance.  It is the responsibility of the faculty of each program, as well as library faculty, to recommend to the Director of the Library the withdrawal of circulating or reference materials deemed inappropriate for continued retention within the context of academic program support or overall collection viability.  Recommendations may be made at any time and are sought continuously.  If faculty of any discipline chooses not to participate in the deselection process, the Director of the Library will assume responsibility for weeding that discipline.  The Director, after assuming this responsibility, may consult with selected faculty members for advice. 

VII.  GIFTS AND GRANTS

The library seeks and welcomes, on an unconditional basis, the gift of books and other materials for the enhancement of its collection.  Gifts deemed inappropriate will not be added to the collection and will be exchanged, sold, or given away. 

A gift for the library may also consist of funds for the purchase of acquiring materials, in certain areas, to be suggested by the donor or the library staff.  The library encourages non-specified gifts to allow the most flexible use of the donation for the enrichment of the overall collection.  All grant monies allocated to the library for the purchase of materials in support of a grant purpose must be used for that purpose only; these monies are considered special funds not part of the college’s allocated library budget.  The Director of the Library will provide the Development Office with an official statement of individual gifts made directly to the library.  The Development Office will then send a written letter of appreciation to the donor(s).  Donated funds will be deposited with the Business Office.    

Original document and/or revisions reviewed on May 1, 1993; March 17, 1994; April 20, 1995; May 8, 1997; April 21, 1998; May 2, 1999; April 3, 2000,  March 2001, February 14, 2002; April 16, 2003;  July 22, 2004; November 24, 2005; December 14, 2006, November 29, 2007.

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