University of St Andrews Library Collections Policy
The University Library’s Collections Policy is outlined here. Policy details will be added regularly, and on occasion changed, to reflect the developments in our information provision. Please feel free to send comments to the Collections Manager or to your Academic Liaison Librarian.
1. Introduction
1.1 The role and purpose of the University Library is to support research scholarship and learning in the context of the University’s strategic aims. It does this by providing high quality, professional services and information content to the University and wider community. This offering is supported by the preservation, promotion and exploitation of its exceptional Special Collections.
1.2 The Library stated in its Library Strategic planning overview for 2011-12 that:
Resource provision needs to be responsive to academic needs. [The Library] will support the interface with courses via reading lists, responsible selection of e-resources, efficiencies in deployment of stock across General and Special Collections, and efficient utilization of open and closed-access facilities.
1.3 The scope of the University Library Collections Policy includes:
- The acquisition of, or provision of access to content in all formats either through outright purchase, donation, rental or inter-library loan
- The allocation of resources to support the acquisition of content either financial or infrastructural and the factors which drive the decisions we make about the material we want to collect
- How the Library stores and manages material, both print and digital, once it has been acquired by the University Library and where material will be kept
- The services the Library provides to allow learners and researchers to access Library content
- Content held in Special Collections
- Content held in Research@St Andrews digital repository
1.4 The Library Collections policy needs to function both as a public statement ensuring the University Community is aware of the policy framework which underpins the work of the Library as well as a working document for Library staff to allow them to carry out their work efficiently and with clarity.
1.5 As the Collections Policy functions both as a public and working document, various stakeholders need to be involved with the creation and review of the Policy. The following groups are expected to be involved with the creation/review process:
University Library
| Collection Manager: | Overall management of existing policy, identification of need for new policy and creation proposals for policy change, keeping records of any change |
| Senior managers/Liaison Staff: | Review of existing policy/policy amendments via Library Collections Advisory Group |
University Community
| Library Strategic Advisory Group: | Annual review of policy, receipt of report on policy from Library |
| Library User Group: | Comment on and input to proposed amendments |
1.6 The Policy will be stored online so it is in a format which can be changed easily to reflect the continually changing nature of the material being collected by the Library.
1.7 The Library recognizes that a robust Collections Policy is needed to ensure the University is fully aware of the level of service it will receive from the Library and to help set realistic levels of expectation around what the Library is able to deliver to the Community.
2. Acquisition
3. Donations
4. Collections Strengths
5. Cataloguing and Discovery
6. Storage and stock management
6.1 The University Library will endeavour to store content in whichever format it occurs, in optimal conditions for usage and preservation, although in some cases these may be in opposition. Special Collections have unique requirements which can be found in their specific Collections Policy. (see section 9)
6.2 Currently the Library has material on the open shelves on levels 2, 3 and 4 of the Main Library, as well as in the JF Allen Library, St Mary’s College Library and the Chemistry Library.
Store locations include Level 1 of the Main Library, The Old Bindery on Tom Morris Drive and the Old Library in Psychology. Optimally we would intend to store all material not currently on open access in one location. This would facilitate retrieval and make it easier to monitor storage conditions and security.
6.3 Stock is chosen for Store on the basis of a variety of criteria, including usage statistics and recommendations from academic and library staff. All material currently in Store can be moved back into the open collection if needed for teaching or research, either permanently or for the duration of a particular course.
6.4 It is the intention of the Library to carry out on-going reviews of stock both in the open Collection and in the Store. As a Research Library we understand the importance of keeping material even when it is not currently of use, but we must balance this against the issues of limited space and the financial implications of storage.
6.5 As part of our commitment to make resources available the Library does and will continue to participate in current and prospective national programs supporting cooperative Collection Management.
6.5.1 As part of this commitment we have signed the SCURL document: Collaborative Print Retention: a policy for Scotland http://its-ewds1.ds.strath.ac.uk/scurl/ScottishCollectionsPolicy/tabid/576/Default.aspx
6.5.2 We are also a participant in United Kingdom Research Reserve (UKRR), a collaborative national research collection of periodicals which ensures access to material while allowing space to be freed up for other Library purposes. More details can be found here http://www.ukrr.ac.uk/.