The world of information dissemination, college teaching delivery, and resource sharing continues to evolve. Information is routinely Googled at the moment of need or sought informally and quickly through social networking. Course management software and publisher-created, textbook-associated websites provide more and more of the context in which academic learning takes place.
The OCCC Library is committed to providing students, faculty and staff a rich mix of resources (information and services) that supports lifelong learning. As publishing and scholarship changes—as new formats appear and the ways people gather and share information migrate— OCCC librarians will adapt strategies to ensure the Library provides resources in the formats that are most accessible and useful to users.
The purpose of these guidelines is to guide the systematic development and maintenance of the Library’s print, electronic and media collections.
The primary long-range collection goal of the Library is to make resources needed to support the instructional programs of the College available to the students of Oklahoma City Community College.
The Library has two subordinate long-range collection goals, each receiving equal emphasis:
Access to appropriate library services and resources is essential for college students to achieve superior academic skills. Providing the best resources requires librarians to:
While the increasing availability of electronic resources in all disciplines has meant continuing reassessment of format preferences, the overriding policies guiding acquisitions have not changed:
Cataloging, Multiple Copies and Special Collections
Gifts and Donations
Excluded Materials
Not to be purchased with Library funds include:
For any questionable items not covered by the guidelines above, such as lab purchases, the decision to purchase will be made by the Director of Library Services after consulting with appropriate staff.
Replacement Materials
Decisions may be made to replace lost, damaged, missing, or worn-out materials based on the following criteria:
Withdrawal of Materials
The vitality of a Library’s collection depends not only upon vigorous collection development but also on careful collection management. Materials may be withdrawn in order to maintain a current, active, useful, and manageable collection which reflects the goals of the Library and the College. Withdrawals may be done in consultation with other librarians and/or with faculty as a safeguard against the withdrawal or cancellation of items with special qualities or significance. Older editions will not always be replaced unless newer material is available and significant advances been made in the field or significant changes are made to the newer edition. Some of the criteria used in making specific withdrawal decisions are:
In the case of withdrawal of serials:
In the case of online and internet resources, the dynamic nature of such resources may mean removal based on the following considerations:
Interlibrary Loans
Questioned Materials
The points below are both used to guide decision making by librarians, faculty, and administrators, and to ensure acquisition of high-quality materials with appropriate content for inclusion in the Library collection. Additional or more specific criteria may be identified for certain types of materials and addressed later in this document.
Library materials should meet one or more of the following content criteria:
To ensure selection of high-quality materials, the following points will be considered:
At all times, the librarians will keep in mind the Library’s wider collection and the need for balancing diverse user needs.
The Library Website
Books/Monographs
Reserve Materials
Online Article Databases
Audiovisual Materials
Serials: Magazines, Journal, and Newspaper Subscriptions
Online article databases that provide full text articles are the linchpin of academic research. Since no library can subscribe to all periodicals, the OCCC Library relies on interlibrary loan as a supplement.
Ongoing statewide budget constraints and low usage of print resources has precipitated vigorous weeding and subscription cancellations. To supplement online article databases, the Library will support a small browsing collection of general and local interest magazines and newspapers.
The Library is very selective in adding any new journal, magazine or newspaper subscription. Each one requires a continuing commitment to the cost of the title, including maintenance, viewing and reproduction equipment, and storage space. The escalating costs of serials—exceeding the rate of inflation—also means that a regular evaluation of current subscriptions will be conducted.
Factors to be considered when deciding to add a serial title in any format are:
The online availability of news and newspapers has substantially replaced the use of print newspapers at OCCC. A small browsing collection, including some local papers, will be maintained.
Availability of E-journals has increased exponentially in recent years. Because offering a mix of aggregated article databases currently provides excellent coverage for research at this level, the Library does not actively acquire e-journals except to support Health Professions programs. On occasion, a specific e-journal title may be added to the Library website based on faculty request. Usage will be closely monitored annually and, after consultation with the requesting faculty member, the resource may be cancelled.
Archival serial collections will be considered when they are in a stable medium, are searchable with a high accuracy rate, and offer efficient printing. As technology and usage change, other electronic materials will be considered if they meet an identified information need.
Reference Collection, Atlases, and Maps
Oklahoma and Local Materials
This document will be reviewed every two years in terms of the assessed information needs of Oklahoma City Community College, the growing profusion of electronic resources, and emerging technologies.
Library Mission Statement: Oklahoma City Community College’s Keith Leftwich Memorial Library will support the mission of the College through the following goals: provide exemplary services that foster information literacy and enhance teaching and learning, and by developing, organizing, and maintaining resources that provide for diverse perspectives and styles of learning and that support the instructional programs, research efforts, and social responsibilities of the College.
Standards
The Library uses the ACRL Standards for Libraries in Higher Education (2018) and the ACRL Standards for Distance Learning Library Services (2016) as guidelines for collection building. Other formulas or standards of collection size will be considered for individual subject areas or programs as they become available.
The Library also actively supports the professional standards of practice adopted by the American Library Association and the Oklahoma Library Association. Those standards of practice are the ALA Code of Ethics (1997, 2008), ALA Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries (2000), ALA Library Bill of Rights (1948, 1996, 2019), ALA Freedom to Read Statement (1953, 2004), ALA Freedom to View Statement (1990), ALA/OLA Statement on Professional Ethics, OLA Intellectual Freedom Handbook, and Oklahoma Confidentiality of Library Records Law.
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Policy last reviewed April 2021.