With the advice of the academic department concerned, the library staff pursues a systematic and continuous review process annually resulting in the discarding of material containing obsolete or misleading information, superseded editions, surplus copies of standard works no long in demand for supplementary use, worn out or extensively marked books, books with an unattractive physical format, and broken files of unindexed journals.
Careful evaluation is made of titles, which were not used at least once during the previous five years. Such a book is retained if it is listed in at least one standard bibliography, (Resources for College Libraries) which covers the field represented by the book. Other unused titles may be retained for faculty members or other subject specialists indicating interest in their retention. Faculty are encouraged to assist in refreshing their subject area of the collection.
Example: National League of Nursing site team visitor recommended withdrawing titles older than five years that are procedural, technical, or equipment. Procedural titles should be low on purchase priority. (March 2000 site visit.)
Out of print materials that are still of value to the collection are mended and preserved in-house.
Lubbock Christian University Library strives to support the theological program and research. The collection supports the following degrees: Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Text, Bachelor of Arts in Children’s Ministry, Bachelor of Arts in Missions, Bachelor of Arts in Youth and Family Ministry, and Master of Arts in Christian Ministry. The collection also supports the religion requirements for the general college curriculum. The collection provides support for the research needs of the faculty within budgetary limitations. Other patrons, such as area ministers, may also use the collection for a fee. The theological collection is integrated within the University Library’s collection and if found primarily in the Library of Congress Classification B-BX.
Priorities
The primary areas of emphasis are history of Christianity, biblical studies, theology, and practical ministry. Within these disciplines, scholarly works, both primary and secondary, are given priority. Popular and devotional works are collected selectively for the spiritual formation of students. Popular works in practical ministry areas are collected given the nature of the discipline. Works on non-Christian religions are collected at a lesser level, although sacred texts of all major religions may be acquired. Philosophical works are collected at a level to support undergraduate courses. There is not set allotment or formula for distributing the budget among the subject divisions, but care is taken to collect evenly among the areas of emphasis. Duplicates are added only when heavy circulation demonstrates the need for additional copies. The theological collection will represent a broad spectrum of perspectives, while providing materials in the Institution’s historical Stone-Campbell interests. Restoration materials are not actively acquired as they are accessible through other Christian College libraries such as Abilene Christian and Lipscomb.
Languages
Priority is given to the English language, but other language materials may be selected if English translations are not available. Language tools for Hebrew and Greek are collected.
Geographical Coverage
The collection focuses on American and Western European for English language works. Materials from any geographical location that meet the other parameters of this collection development policy may be collected.
Format
Historically, printed material is preferred in books and monographs with hardbacks given preference, although paperbacks are collected when a hardback costs significantly more. In order to facilitate distance student access, and due to space constraints, electronic format is preferred for journals. Print subscriptions of significant journals are purchased within the limits of the budget. When acquiring digital books and journals, aggregated collections are preferred but individual books and journals may be acquired. The Library provides a selection of databases essential to teaching, learning, and research in theology. Preference is given to full text databases that meet criteria of ease of navigation, stable availability, and authentication by IP address and follow general collection guidelines for licensed digital content. Other media such as video are collected very selectively and are stored at the Circulation Desk area.
Selection of library materials is the joint responsibility of the faculty for each department and the library faculty. Faculty initiate the majority of the requests for acquisition to develop their discipline collection resources for student learning. Librarians work with the departments as liaisons to help maintain collection balance, both in terms of current and retrospective acquisition. Other library users, particularly students, are also encouraged to recommend titles for the collection. Responsibilities include:
Evaluate collection to determine strengths and weaknesses.
Set priorities based on the collection evaluation, desired collecting levels, and general collection guidelines.
Librarians consult with theological librarians at ACU, Harding, and Lipscomb for bibliographies.
To establish guidelines, as concrete and definite as possible, for the subject scope of the reference collection and the materials included in it.
To set procedures for acquiring new materials and for weeding the collection.
The reference section provides basic and in-depth information sources for curriculum in the social sciences, sciences, and humanities, including religion.
The reference section does not designate a limit on the size of the reference collection. However, prevailing demand and changes in the curriculum serve as guidelines to the relative growth rates of subject areas.
Reference materials commonly used in class groups or as core for specific academic areas are located in the Reference section in the library. Reference materials that are considered more helpful at the point-of-use location are shelved in the stacks within their subject area.
Dictionaries – Reference provides unilingual, bilingual, and polyglot dictionaries. The section also provides specialized dictionaries (example: slang, idiomatic expressions, and historical aspects of language).
Encyclopedias – Reference includes major general encyclopedias, both single and multivolume.
Handbooks – Reference attempts to collect current and authoritative handbooks.
Style manuals – Reference includes major style manuals.
Judged usefulness of publication, within the existing collection
Strengths and weaknesses of the existing collection related to current needs of the University.
Favorable reviews or inclusions in basic reference collection guides.
Reputation of author.
Currency of topic.
Date of publication.
Price of publication.
Language of publication.
The librarians search relevant professional literature to ensure that important reference works within the subject scope are in the collection. The literature searching consists primarily of:
Scanning reviews in journals, such as CHOICE: Academic Reviews, College and Research Libraries, Library Journal
Examining publisher’s leaflets, catalogs, and websites.
Reviewing lists of reference books, such as Resources for College Libraries.
Periodic evaluation of the works already in the reference collection is as important as acquisition of new materials. Careful and systematic weeding each summer removes older, less desirable works.
The librarians follow the same principles and guidelines in weeding as in acquisitions of new materials. Since each discipline covered by the reference collection requires different types of materials, there is no absolute standard to be followed in weeding. For some disciplines the reference collection should provide current materials only; for others, it also provides retrospective and historical works. However, general criteria considered are:
Significance of the publication.
Age and currency of the publication.
Availability of later editions.
Physical condition of the publication.
Duplication of the contents in more recent works.
Language of publication.
The Reference collection is inventoried at least once a year.
I. Checklist of criteria for review.
How important is this publication?
Is it included in a general guide to reference works?
Is it listed in a subject bibliography?
How do teaching faculty members rate it?
How comprehensive is this publication?
Is the discipline one which requires a large group of reference works?
Is this work truly essential or a marginal one for the general collection?
What is the language of the publication? If not English, will use be light?
How frequently is this publication likely to be used in the future?
Is there a later edition which supersedes this publication?
How old is this publication?
Is the work a continuation? Should some or all older volumes be sent to the stacks?
Is the material in this work largely duplicated in other reference works?
Are there multiple copies of this title in the reference area? Are they justified by heavy demand of the publication?
Is this book badly worn, defaced, or otherwise in poor condition? Should it be repaired, replaced, or discarded?